Todd County is located in central Minnesota, forming part of the state’s transitional zone between the agricultural prairie to the west and the forested lake country to the east. Established in 1855 and named for U.S. Army officer John Blair Smith Todd, the county developed around a mix of farming, small towns, and transportation routes connecting the Upper Midwest. Todd County is small to mid-sized in population, with communities dispersed across a largely rural landscape of cropland, pasture, wetlands, and numerous lakes, including areas influenced by the Long Prairie River watershed. The local economy is centered on agriculture and related services, along with manufacturing and public-sector employment in its towns. Cultural and civic life reflects a regional blend of central Minnesota traditions, with outdoor recreation tied to its lakes and woodlands. The county seat is Long Prairie.

Todd County Local Demographic Profile

Todd County is in central Minnesota, roughly between the St. Cloud and Alexandria regions, and includes communities such as Long Prairie (the county seat). County services and planning information are published by the local government at the Todd County official website.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Todd County, Minnesota, Todd County had:

  • Population (2020): 24,665
  • Population estimate (most recent QuickFacts update): reported on the same QuickFacts page under “Population estimates”

Age & Gender

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Todd County, Minnesota (selected demographic characteristics):

  • Age distribution
    • Under 18 years: reported on QuickFacts under “Age and Sex”
    • 65 years and over: reported on QuickFacts under “Age and Sex”
  • Gender ratio
    • Female persons, percent: reported on QuickFacts under “Age and Sex”
    • Male persons, percent: can be derived as the remainder to 100% from the female percentage, but QuickFacts presents the female share directly

Racial & Ethnic Composition

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Todd County, Minnesota (race and Hispanic origin categories reported by the Census Bureau):

  • White alone, percent
  • Black or African American alone, percent
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent
  • Asian alone, percent
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent
  • Two or More Races, percent
  • Hispanic or Latino, percent (of any race)

Household & Housing Data

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Todd County, Minnesota, key household and housing indicators include:

  • Households, 2019–2023: reported under “Population Characteristics”
  • Persons per household: reported under “Population Characteristics”
  • Owner-occupied housing unit rate: reported under “Housing”
  • Median value of owner-occupied housing units: reported under “Housing”
  • Median selected monthly owner costs (with a mortgage / without a mortgage): reported under “Housing”
  • Median gross rent: reported under “Housing”
  • Building permits: reported under “Housing”

Data presented above are drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau’s county profile tables and associated American Community Survey (ACS) releases as cited on the linked QuickFacts page.

Email Usage

Todd County, Minnesota is largely rural, with small population centers and long distances between households. This geography raises per-premise infrastructure costs and can constrain reliable home internet access, shaping how residents access email (often via mobile networks or public access points rather than fixed home broadband).

Direct county-level email-usage statistics are not typically published; broadband and device access are standard proxies for the ability to use email. In Todd County, ACS indicators such as households with a broadband internet subscription and households with a computer provide the closest measures of email readiness (see U.S. Census Bureau data.census.gov and American Community Survey documentation).

Age structure also influences adoption: older populations generally show lower digital engagement and higher reliance on assisted or limited-access communication channels. Todd County’s age distribution can be reviewed via Todd County demographic profile (ACS). Gender composition is usually near parity and is less predictive of email adoption than age and connectivity in county-level analyses.

Infrastructure limitations are commonly reflected in rural broadband availability gaps documented by the FCC National Broadband Map.

Mobile Phone Usage

Todd County is located in central Minnesota, west of the Brainerd Lakes region and north of the Twin Cities metro area. It is predominantly rural, with numerous lakes, forested areas, and agricultural land; these characteristics tend to increase the cost and complexity of mobile network buildout compared with dense urban counties. The county seat is Long Prairie, and population density is low relative to Minnesota’s metropolitan counties, which can contribute to coverage gaps and variability in mobile broadband performance across the county.

Key distinction: network availability vs. adoption

  • Network availability refers to whether mobile carriers report 4G/5G service as being technically available in a location (often measured by modeled coverage).
  • Adoption refers to whether households and individuals actually subscribe to and use mobile service and mobile internet (often measured through surveys such as the American Community Survey).

County-specific adoption statistics for “mobile broadband” are not consistently published at a granular level in standard federal tables in the same way that some fixed-broadband indicators are, so adoption details below emphasize available county-level indicators and source limitations.

Mobile penetration or access indicators (where available)

Household “telephone service” indicators (ACS)

The most consistent county-level indicator related to phone access is the Census Bureau’s measure of household telephone service, which distinguishes households with:

  • Cell phone only
  • Landline only
  • Both
  • No telephone service

These estimates are available for Todd County through the American Community Survey (ACS) and are typically accessed via tables such as S2801 (Selected Characteristics of Internet Subscribers) and telephone-service-related tables within the ACS subject series, depending on the release year and table structure. This provides an indicator of mobile phone reliance (cell-only households) but does not directly quantify smartphone ownership or mobile broadband subscription quality.

Source access:

Broadband subscription indicators (ACS)

ACS also provides county-level indicators for internet subscription types (e.g., cable, fiber, DSL, satellite, cellular data plan in some table vintages). However:

  • The availability and comparability of “cellular data plan” as a distinct subscription category can vary by ACS table vintage and may be suppressed or have large margins of error in sparsely populated counties.
  • ACS measures are survey-based and reflect household-reported subscriptions, not network coverage.

Source access:

Limitation: A single, definitive county-level “mobile penetration rate” (e.g., percent of residents with a mobile subscription) is not published as a standard administrative statistic for Todd County. County-level use of ACS telephone-service categories is the most direct proxy for mobile reliance.

Mobile internet usage patterns and network availability (4G/5G)

Reported 4G LTE and 5G coverage (availability)

Mobile broadband availability is best documented through:

  • FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC) mobile coverage data (carrier-reported, location/area modeled)
  • Public-facing national maps

These data describe where providers report service availability, commonly summarized as:

  • 4G LTE (widely available in most populated corridors, with gaps possible in low-density and heavily vegetated or lake/rolling-terrain areas)
  • 5G (more variable; availability and performance depend on spectrum band and tower spacing, often concentrated near towns and major roads)

Sources:

Interpretation note (availability vs. performance): FCC availability layers indicate where carriers report that a service level is offered; they do not guarantee indoor coverage, consistent speeds, or congestion-free performance.

Typical rural usage pattern considerations (documented generally; county-specific usage not published)

For rural counties like Todd, mobile internet usage patterns commonly reflect:

  • Greater reliance on 4G LTE where 5G is limited or where 5G is available primarily as low-band coverage with performance closer to LTE.
  • Use of mobile as a supplement to fixed broadband or as a primary connection in areas lacking robust fixed options.
    County-specific proportions of “mobile-only internet households” may be available in some ACS tables but can be statistically noisy in smaller counties.

State and regional context sources (planning and mapping):

Common device types (smartphones vs. other devices)

County-level device-type data limitations

A definitive Todd County statistic for smartphone ownership (vs. basic phones) is not typically available from standard public datasets at the county level. Most widely cited smartphone ownership statistics are reported at national or state levels, or from private survey vendors with limited county granularity.

Observable proxies and related indicators

  • Cell-phone-only households (ACS): indicates reliance on mobile telephony, often correlated with smartphone prevalence, but does not measure smartphone ownership directly.
  • Mobile data plan subscription category (ACS, where available): indicates households reporting cellular data plans as their internet service, but does not specify device type (smartphone vs. hotspot vs. tablet).
  • School and library mobility initiatives and telehealth usage may affect device usage patterns, but those are program-specific and not consistently measured countywide in a single public series.

Primary public sources for device/telephone proxies:

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage and connectivity

Rural settlement pattern and tower economics (availability)

  • Low population density generally reduces the economic incentive for dense tower placement, which can increase the likelihood of coverage variability between towns, highways, and remote townships.
  • Land cover and terrain (forests, tree canopy, and varied topography near lakes) can affect signal propagation and indoor penetration, which can matter even where outdoor coverage is reported as available.

County context:

Income, age, and household composition (adoption)

Adoption and usage patterns are often associated (in ACS and other public research) with:

  • Income and poverty (affordability constraints; higher likelihood of cell-only households in some lower-income groups)
  • Age distribution (older adults tend to have lower rates of smartphone adoption and lower use of mobile-only internet in many surveys)
  • Household composition (renters and single-adult households often show higher cell-only rates in many areas)

Todd County-specific values for income, age, and household characteristics are available through ACS demographic profiles; these can be used to contextualize adoption but do not directly measure device ownership.

Sources:

  • Demographic profiles and detailed tables via Census.gov

Summary of what is measurable for Todd County vs. what is not

  • Measurable (county-level, public):
    • Household telephone service composition (cell-only vs. landline) via Census.gov (adoption proxy)
    • Household internet subscription indicators (including cellular data plan categories in some ACS table vintages) via Census.gov (adoption indicator, with statistical limitations)
    • Carrier-reported 4G/5G availability via the FCC National Broadband Map (availability)
  • Not consistently measurable (county-level, public, definitive):
    • Smartphone vs. basic-phone ownership rates specific to Todd County
    • Individual-level mobile penetration rate (subscriptions per person) specific to Todd County in a standard official series
    • Countywide mobile usage intensity metrics (time spent, app usage, mobile-only share) in an official dataset

These limitations reflect the difference between coverage reporting systems (availability) and survey-based household measures (adoption), and the lack of standardized county-level publication for device-type ownership and mobile usage behavior.

Social Media Trends

Todd County is in central Minnesota, roughly between the St. Cloud area and the Minnesota lakes region, with Long Prairie as the county seat and Staples and Browerville among other notable communities. Its economy is shaped by agriculture, local services, and regional commuting patterns, and its population density is far below the state average—factors that generally correlate with slightly lower overall social media adoption than large metro counties, alongside stronger reliance on mobile access and community-oriented Facebook use typical of rural Upper Midwest areas.

User statistics (penetration / share of residents active)

  • Direct, county-specific social media penetration figures are not published in major public surveys (national datasets typically do not report at the county level). The most reliable approach is to interpret Todd County patterns using national and rural benchmarks.
  • U.S. adult social media use: About 70% of U.S. adults report using social media, per the Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.
  • Rural vs. urban context: Social media use is generally lower in rural areas than in suburban/urban areas, consistent with Pew’s findings on digital adoption by community type (summarized across Pew internet and technology reporting, including the Pew Research Center Internet & Technology research hub).
  • Local implication: Todd County’s largely rural profile suggests overall adult social media use is likely near the lower end of the national range, with platform mix skewing toward Facebook and messaging.

Age group trends (highest-use groups)

Nationally, age is the strongest predictor of social media usage levels and platform choice (Pew):

  • 18–29: Highest overall adoption across most major platforms; heavy multi-platform use.
  • 30–49: High adoption; typically strong Facebook plus Instagram/YouTube, with growing TikTok usage.
  • 50–64: Moderate-to-high adoption; Facebook and YouTube dominate.
  • 65+: Lowest overall adoption; Facebook and YouTube are the most common entry platforms.
    Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.

Todd County interpretation: A relatively older age profile common to many rural counties corresponds to a higher share of usage concentrated in Facebook/YouTube and lower representation on Snapchat and some newer, youth-skewing platforms.

Gender breakdown

  • Overall social media use: Pew reports broadly similar overall usage rates by gender among U.S. adults, with differences more pronounced by platform than by “any social media” adoption.
  • Platform-level patterning: Women tend to index higher on platforms tied to personal networks and community information sharing (notably Facebook and Pinterest), while men tend to index higher on some discussion- and video-centric spaces; YouTube use is high for both.
    Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.

Todd County interpretation: Community bulletin-board behavior (events, school activities, local commerce) supports strong Facebook participation among women, while YouTube remains broadly used across genders.

Most-used platforms (percentages where available)

The following are U.S. adult platform usage rates (Pew), which serve as the most defensible baseline in the absence of county-level platform surveys:

Todd County expected ordering (qualitative):

  • Highest: Facebook, YouTube
  • Mid-tier: Instagram, TikTok (especially under 40), Pinterest
  • Lower: LinkedIn (smaller white-collar concentration than metro counties), X, Snapchat

Behavioral trends (engagement patterns / preferences)

  • Facebook as local infrastructure: In rural counties, Facebook commonly functions as a primary channel for community announcements, school and sports updates, church/community group coordination, and peer-to-peer local commerce (Marketplace), aligning with Facebook’s strength in local network effects.
  • High video consumption via YouTube: YouTube’s broad reach supports “how-to,” agriculture/home maintenance content, local news clips, and entertainment, with usage strong across age groups (Pew).
  • Messaging and group coordination: Group chats and Facebook Groups are typical for coordinating events and local organizations; this pattern is consistent with rural social media use centered on existing offline ties.
  • Short-form video among younger residents: TikTok and Instagram Reels usage is concentrated among teens/young adults; engagement tends to be higher frequency but less locally anchored than Facebook community spaces (Pew platform age profiles).
  • Engagement timing: Rural users often show engagement peaks aligned with commuting and evening hours, reflecting work patterns and household schedules; mobile-first access is common where broadband options are more limited (consistent with broader rural connectivity patterns documented in national broadband research and Pew’s internet access reporting at Pew Internet & Technology).

Primary source note: Public, methodologically consistent estimates at the county level are limited; the most reputable statistics available for Todd County inference are national platform benchmarks and rural/urban digital adoption patterns from the Pew Research Center.

Family & Associates Records

Todd County, Minnesota maintains vital records as part of Minnesota’s statewide system. Birth and death records are registered and stored by the county registrar (typically the Todd County Recorder) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Certified birth records are generally restricted to eligible requesters; Minnesota birth records are not public. Death records have broader access, and certified copies are issued through registrar offices. Adoption records are governed by state law and are generally closed; access is handled through state processes rather than county public files.

Todd County provides access to certain public-facing records and search tools for related matters. Property and tax records are commonly used for family and associate research and are available through the county’s online resources. Court records (including probate and some family-related case filings) are maintained by the Minnesota Judicial Branch rather than the county.

Records access is available in person at the Todd County Recorder/Registrar office for vital-record services and copies, and online through Minnesota state systems for vital record ordering. Official access points include the Todd County Recorder, the county directory at Todd County, MN, MDH vital records ordering at MDH Vital Records, and court records at Minnesota Judicial Branch: Access Case Records.

Privacy restrictions commonly apply to certified vital records, adoption files, and certain court case types; public access is limited to records designated public under Minnesota law.

Marriage & Divorce Records

Types of records available

  • Marriage records (marriage licenses and marriage certificates/returns)
    • In Minnesota, marriages are documented through a marriage license issued by the county and a marriage certificate/return (sometimes described as the certificate of marriage) completed after the ceremony and returned for filing.
  • Divorce records
    • Divorces are maintained as district court case records, typically including judgments and decrees (often called the “Judgment and Decree”) and associated pleadings and orders.
  • Annulment records
    • Annulments are handled as district court cases and maintained with other civil/family court records. The outcome is documented through court findings/orders rather than a “license” type record.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

Marriage records

  • Filed/maintained by
    • Todd County (county vital records functions, commonly handled through the County Recorder or Vital Statistics office) for the official county marriage record.
    • The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Office of Vital Records maintains statewide marriage record data and issues certified copies under state vital records rules.
  • Access
    • County level: Certified and noncertified (informational) copies are generally requested through Todd County’s office that maintains vital records.
    • State level: Certified copies are available through MDH Vital Records.
    • Public indexes: Some marriage index information may be available through state or third-party indexes; these are not substitutes for certified copies.

Divorce and annulment records

  • Filed/maintained by
    • The Todd County District Court (part of Minnesota’s state court system) maintains the official court file for divorces and annulments adjudicated in Todd County.
    • Minnesota appellate courts maintain separate records only for appealed cases.
  • Access
    • Court records access: Public access is governed by the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch. Many case docket details can be viewed through the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s online case search (public access portal), with limits on what is displayed.
    • Copies of documents: Copies of a Judgment and Decree or other filings are obtained from the court administrator’s office for Todd County, subject to access rules and any sealing/confidentiality orders.

Typical information included in these records

Marriage licenses/certificates

Common elements include:

  • Full names of both parties (including prior names where reported)
  • Dates of birth or ages
  • Addresses/residences at time of application
  • Place of marriage (city/township, county, state) and date of ceremony
  • Officiant information and officiant’s certification/return
  • License number, issue date, and filing/recording information
  • In some cases, prior marital status and related details as required by the application form used at the time

Divorce decrees (Judgment and Decree) and case file materials

Common elements include:

  • Parties’ names and case number
  • Date of marriage and date of separation (as pled)
  • Date of judgment/decree and court’s findings
  • Orders on legal dissolution, property division, and allocation of debts
  • Spousal maintenance determinations (when applicable)
  • Child-related provisions (when applicable), including legal/physical custody, parenting time, and child support
  • Name change orders (when granted)
  • Other related orders (temporary orders, post-decree modifications, enforcement)

Annulment orders/judgments

Common elements include:

  • Parties’ names and case number
  • Findings regarding grounds for annulment under Minnesota law
  • Determinations affecting status, property, support, and child-related issues (when applicable)
  • Any name change orders (when granted)

Privacy or legal restrictions

  • Marriage records
    • Minnesota marriage records are generally treated as vital records. Access to certified copies is regulated by Minnesota vital records statutes and rules administered by MDH and implemented by counties. Requesters typically must meet eligibility and identification requirements for certified copies; informational (noncertified) copies may have different access rules depending on the issuing office and record type.
  • Divorce and annulment records
    • Court records are generally public, but access is limited for certain categories of information under the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch.
    • Confidential or restricted information commonly includes Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, some child protection-related material, and other sensitive data designated as nonpublic by rule or statute.
    • Sealing/closure: Specific documents or entire case files may be sealed or access-restricted by court order in limited circumstances.
    • Online display limitations: Public online case search typically provides limited information compared with the full court file, and sensitive documents may not be available electronically to the public.

Authoritative reference points

Education, Employment and Housing

Todd County is in central Minnesota along the upper reaches of the Long Prairie River, with Little Falls (to the east in Morrison County) and Alexandria (to the northwest in Douglas County) as nearby regional hubs. The county is largely rural with several small towns (including Long Prairie, Browerville, Clarissa, Bertha, Eagle Bend, and Hewitt), a dispersed settlement pattern, and an economy anchored by public services, health care, manufacturing, and agriculture. Population size and demographic detail are most consistently reported through the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey; Todd County’s recent population is roughly in the mid‑20,000s (ACS 5‑year estimates), reflecting a low-density, small‑community context.

Education Indicators

Public schools and district structure (proxy where needed)

Todd County is served by multiple public school districts that operate elementary and secondary schools in and around the county’s incorporated communities. A countywide “number of public schools” list varies by year as campuses open/close or reconfigure grades; the most reliable school-by-school inventory is maintained in the state directory. For authoritative names and current school counts, use the Minnesota Department of Education’s directory for Todd County and its districts via the state’s public data tools and directories (for example, the Minnesota Report Card / public education data portal and the Minnesota Department of Education site).
Note: A consolidated, static list of all public school names in Todd County is not consistently published in a single county profile; the state directory is the best-available source for up-to-date school names and counts.

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

  • Student–teacher ratios: Reported at the district and school levels in Minnesota’s public education data systems. Todd County’s districts are predominantly small, rural systems that typically report lower student enrollment and class sizes than large metro districts; exact ratios vary by district and building and are best cited from the Minnesota Report Card by selecting each district/school.
  • Graduation rates: Minnesota reports 4‑year cohort graduation rates by district and high school. Todd County’s graduation outcomes vary by district and student subgroup; the most recent official figures are published annually in the state’s Report Card and related accountability files (see Minnesota Report Card).
    Proxy note: County-aggregated graduation rates are not always presented as a single county statistic; district-level graduation rates are the standard reporting unit.

Adult educational attainment (most recent ACS 5‑year)

Adult education levels are best summarized from the U.S. Census Bureau’s ACS 5‑year estimates (county geography), which provide stable rural estimates:

  • High school diploma or higher (age 25+): County-level share reported in ACS tables (DP02/S1501).
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+): County-level share reported in ACS tables (DP02/S1501).
    The most recent published ACS 5‑year profile can be accessed through data.census.gov (Todd County, MN).
    Proxy note: Exact percentages are source-version dependent (e.g., 2018–2022 vs. 2019–2023 ACS 5‑year). The ACS 5‑year series is the standard “most recent” county measure for rural educational attainment.

Notable programs (STEM, career/technical, AP/college credit)

Todd County public schools generally participate in Minnesota’s statewide program frameworks rather than county-specific systems:

  • Career and Technical Education (CTE)/vocational training: Minnesota districts commonly offer CTE pathways (trades/technical, agriculture, business, health occupations) supported by state CTE funding and regional partnerships; offerings are reported by district and course catalog rather than as a countywide statistic.
  • Advanced Placement (AP) / concurrent enrollment: Participation varies by district; many rural Minnesota high schools emphasize concurrent enrollment/college-in-the-schools or community college partnerships as a primary advanced-credit route.
  • STEM: STEM programming is typically embedded through state standards and district initiatives; specialized academies are more common in larger regional centers, but rural districts frequently offer robotics, agriculture science, and applied STEM through CTE and extracurriculars.
    For program-specific availability, district course catalogs and Minnesota Report Card program indicators are the most consistent references (see Minnesota Report Card).

School safety measures and counseling resources (typical reporting)

Minnesota public schools implement safety planning requirements (emergency operations planning, drills, visitor management, and coordination with local law enforcement) and provide student support services (school counselors and/or social workers), but staffing levels and specific measures are reported at the district/building level. Formal safety and support staffing details are commonly documented in district handbooks, wellness policies, and annual reporting rather than in a single county profile. State-level guidance is maintained by the Minnesota Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (for preparedness frameworks) and education guidance via MDE.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent available)

The most recent county unemployment rate is published through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics LAUS program, typically as monthly and annual averages. Todd County’s official unemployment statistics can be retrieved from:

Major industries and employment sectors

Todd County’s employment base reflects a rural-central Minnesota mix, with concentrations typically found in:

  • Health care and social assistance (clinics, long-term care, countywide service providers)
  • Manufacturing (small to mid-size plants; specific subsectors vary by employer)
  • Retail trade and accommodation/food services (local services anchored in towns)
  • Educational services and public administration (school districts, county/city government)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (more prominent in regional economic structure than in payroll employment counts, due to self-employment/farm operations)
    Industry composition is most consistently documented in county and regional labor market profiles published by DEED and the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns (for employer establishments). DEED data products are accessible through Minnesota DEED Data.

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

Occupational employment in rural Minnesota counties commonly skews toward:

  • Production and manufacturing
  • Office/administrative support
  • Transportation and material moving
  • Sales and related
  • Health care support and practitioner roles
  • Education and protective services
  • Construction and extraction
    County-level occupational detail is most directly available via DEED regional occupational profiles and commuting/worker flow products (see DEED workforce and occupational data).
    Proxy note: Standard occupation groups are typically published at regional or workforce development area levels; county-level detail may be limited by small sample sizes.

Commuting patterns and mean commute time

Todd County commuting is characterized by:

  • High rates of driving alone and limited fixed-route transit outside regional services, typical of rural counties.
  • Cross-county commuting to larger job centers in nearby counties (including regional trade centers and health/manufacturing hubs).
    Mean commute time is reported by the ACS (DP03) and is available via data.census.gov (commuting time for Todd County, MN).
    Proxy note: Rural central Minnesota counties commonly have mean one-way commutes around the mid‑20‑minute range, but the definitive Todd County mean commute time should be cited directly from the latest ACS 5‑year estimate.

Local employment vs. out-of-county work

Worker residence versus workplace flows are best captured in:

  • LEHD/OnTheMap origin-destination statistics and community profiles (where available), and
  • ACS “place of work” commuting tables (county of residence vs. workplace).
    These datasets show the share of residents working inside Todd County versus commuting to other counties; the most direct tools include Census OnTheMap (LEHD) and ACS commuting tables via data.census.gov.
    Proxy note: In rural counties with smaller employment centers, out‑commuting is often material, especially toward regional hubs for health care, manufacturing, education, and retail.

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership and rental share (most recent ACS 5‑year)

Todd County’s tenure profile is reported in ACS housing tables (DP04):

  • Homeownership rate: Share of occupied housing units that are owner‑occupied.
  • Rental share: Share of occupied housing units that are renter‑occupied.
    The latest county values are available through data.census.gov (Todd County, MN housing tenure).
    Proxy note: Rural Minnesota counties generally have higher homeownership rates than the statewide metro average, with rentals concentrated in town centers.

Median property values and recent trends

  • Median value of owner-occupied housing units: Reported by ACS (DP04) and often complemented by market-based indicators (e.g., Zillow Home Value Index) that track trends over time.
    For official survey-based median value, use ACS median home value for Todd County. For trend indices (non-survey), use a market index such as the Zillow Research data (county coverage varies).
    Proxy note: Central Minnesota experienced broad home-value appreciation through 2020–2022 with moderation afterward in many markets; the magnitude for Todd County should be cited from ACS year-over-year changes (with the caution that ACS is not a price index).

Typical rent prices

  • Median gross rent: Reported by ACS (DP04) and available via ACS median gross rent for Todd County.
    Proxy note: Rural-county rents are typically below Twin Cities metro medians, with limited multifamily inventory influencing availability and pricing.

Housing types and built environment

Todd County’s housing stock is characterized by:

  • Single-family detached homes as the dominant form, especially outside town cores.
  • Manufactured homes and rural lots/acreages as a meaningful share in rural areas.
  • Small multifamily buildings and apartments concentrated in incorporated towns (e.g., near downtown corridors, schools, clinics, and municipal services).
    Housing unit type distributions are reported by ACS (DP04: structure type).

Neighborhood characteristics (proximity to schools/amenities)

  • Town-centered neighborhoods (Long Prairie, Browerville, Bertha, Clarissa, Eagle Bend, Hewitt) typically provide the closest access to K‑12 schools, libraries, clinics, grocery/convenience retail, parks, and civic services.
  • Rural residential areas commonly trade proximity for larger parcels and agricultural or lake/woods adjacency; access to schools and employers generally requires driving.
    Proxy note: Countywide “neighborhood” metrics are limited in rural geographies; community context is best described by town versus rural settlement patterns and travel time to services.

Property tax overview (rate and typical homeowner cost)

Minnesota property taxes are administered locally with tax capacity and levy-based calculations; effective rates and typical bills vary materially by township/city, school district, and property classification.

  • Typical homeowner property tax cost: The most consistent household-level measure is the ACS “median real estate taxes paid” (owner-occupied units) available through ACS real estate taxes for Todd County.
  • Rates/levies: Local levy and tax capacity information is available through the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s property tax resources (see Minnesota Department of Revenue property tax).
    Proxy note: Publishing a single county “average tax rate” is less reliable than citing median taxes paid (ACS) and referencing levy-based variation across jurisdictions within the county.

Table of Contents

Other Counties in Minnesota