County profile
Stearns County, MN
United States · GDP 2024
#369 of 3,127 US counties by GDPtop-quartile growthmore diversified than 90% of counties
EA Place Score
——methodology in progress
GDP 2024 (USD)
$12.6B
BEA · 2024
GDP growth (YoY)
+7.3%
BEA · 2024
Jobs tracked
84,123
Census CBP · 2023
Employers
4,474
Census CBP · 2023
Avg. wage
$59.6k
BLS QCEW · 2023
Population
164,110
Census PEP · 2025
Labor, income & education
Unemployment
5.0%
Median HH income
$77.1k±$1.8k
Bachelor's degree+
28.8%±1.1%
Poverty rate
12.9%±1.2%
Business applications
1,719 · 2025
Retail establishments
635
38.9/10k pop
Public companies headquartered here
SEC EDGAR · FMPCompanySectorRevenueEA
1Jefferson Capital, Inc. Common StockFinancial Services$613.3M54D2SSHT S&T Group Ltd.Industrials———HQ-based placement with total (global) headcount — local employment attribution needs firmographic data; the industry mix at right is measured county data (CBP).
Industry mix · employment
Health care29%
Manufacturing20%
Retail trade19%
Construction12%
Food & accommodation12%
Transportation7%
share of top-6 sector employment · CBP 2023
Population & migration
Census PEP · 2020–2025
164,110
residents · 2025 · +3.6% since 2020
Income per capita $64.9k · BEA 2024
COMPONENTS OF CHANGE · 2021–2025
Domestic migration−1,951
International migration+3,933
Natural change+3,642
GDP trend
2019–2024 · nominal
$9.2B2019
$9.2B2020
$9.9B2021
$11.3B2022
$11.8B2023
$12.6B2024
Real estate & risk
FHFA · ACS · FEMA
Median home value
$273.4k±$5.3k
Median gross rent
$1.1k/mo±$42/mo
Vacancy rate
7.8%±0.8%
Affordability
4.6× wages
Residential permits
$172.9M
648 units · 3.9/1k pop
FEMA risk score
87.6
HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR):$1.2k/mo · 2026
TOP PERILS · FEMA NRI
Strong wind 98Hail 97Tornado 93
FHFA HOUSE PRICE INDEX · 2016–2025
3362016
3532017
3722018
3882019
3972020
4382021
4982022
5342023
5572024
5692025
RESIDENTIAL PERMITS · 2021–2025
↑ 22% since 20215322021
6112022
6182023
5722024
6482025
Transport access
BTS · FAA · USACE
Nearest interstate
8.7 km
I-94
Nearest freight rail
9.0 km
Freight rail
Nearest port
120.8 km
AMERICAN IRON AND SUPPLY CO. DOCK
Nearest commercial airport
43.1 km
ST CLOUD SKY CENTRAL
Filing activity
SEC EDGAR1 filing from 1 company here in the last 90 days.
Wage trend
BLS QCEW · 2019–2023$59.6k
avg. annual pay · +24% since 2019
Similar US counties
nearest by GDPNearby & same-state counties
by GDP rankThe read
What is the GDP of Stearns?
Stearns's economy produced $12.6B in 2024, growing 7.3% year over year — faster than most US counties. Its largest employment sector is health care.
GDP: BEA (2024), USD-normalized · Jobs/employers/wages & industry mix: Census CBP (2023) · Population & migration: Census PEP · Income: BEA CAINC1 · Companies: SEC EDGAR + FMP, by HQ.