The Town Files

Cottonwood County, Minnesota

11,458 people. The median home is worth $169,300 (typical Minnesota town: $301,800) and the median household earns $72,941.

Towns in Cottonwood County

Towns in Cottonwood County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Windom4,798$169,700$74,89938.9
Mountain Lake1,999$143,100$66,49031.5
Westbrook758$78,200$35,11936.0

People and housing

Cottonwood CountyTypical Minnesota town
Median home value$169,300$301,800
Median rent$817$991
Median household income$72,941$87,375
Median age40.342.7
Bachelor's degree or higher24.1%26.2%
Below the poverty line15.0%6.9%

Jobs and pay

4,847 jobs in 2024, average pay $49,092 a year.

Largest industries in Cottonwood CountyManufacturing820 jobs · $56,844Retail460 jobs · $27,289Wholesale trade345 jobs · $73,732Construction342 jobs · $60,753Hotels & restaurants265 jobs · $17,913Other services148 jobs · $35,036
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Cottonwood County0%2%4%6%8%2000200420082012201620202023 4.6%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 657 storm events in Cottonwood County from 1996 to 2026, with 1 deaths.

Storm events in Cottonwood County by type since 1996Hail125Flood46Drought29Tornado19Blizzard40High Wind36Winter Storm44Excessive Heat12Winter Weather107Cold/Wind Chill14
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Cottonwood County has been included in 17 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
June 28, 2024FloodDR-4797: Severe Storms And Flooding
July 8, 2022Severe StormDR-4658: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
April 7, 2020BiologicalDR-4531: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3453: Covid-19
June 12, 2019FloodDR-4442: Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
September 5, 2018FloodDR-4390: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).