Wright County, Minnesota: commercial real estate data.
Wright County, Minnesota had an estimated 154,593 residents on July 1, 2024, up 9.4 percent since the 2020 census base of 141,335, across 661 square miles. County output reached $7.31 bn in 2024, 3,680 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 261 7(a) approvals worth $115.6 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Wright County
How many people live in Wright County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024148,269
- Households54,010
- Average household size2.75
- Median household income$107,209
- Median age37.6
- Median gross rent$1,288 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$358,900
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher34.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over97,157
- Population under 1840,305
- Share under 1827.2 percent
- Population 65 and over20,391
- Share 65 and over13.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6487,573
- Civilian labor force82,395
- Unemployment rate2.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over76.3 percent
- Rank by population among Minnesota counties10th of 87
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included460th of 3,222
Wright County is the 10th largest of 87 Minnesota counties by population. A median home costs 3.3 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 27.2 percent against 13.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wright County
Is Wright County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024154,593
- Census 2020 base population141,335
- Population change since the 2020 census base9.38 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20243,141
- Births, 20241,842
- Deaths, 20241,020
- Natural change, 2024822
- Net domestic migration, 20241,945
- Net international migration, 2024386
- Total net migration, 20242,331
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20248,577
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents168th of 3,144
The county has grown 9.38 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Wright County
Where are people moving to Wright County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving4,842
- People arriving, from those returns9,097
- Tax returns filed by households leaving4,098
- Net household movement744
- Adjusted gross income arriving$386.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$73.8 m
- Average income of an arriving household$79,885
- Average income of a leaving household$76,367
- Largest single originHennepin County (1,775 households)
- Largest single destinationHennepin County (1,003 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin County | 1,775 | 3,446 | $155.7 m |
| Sherburne County | 477 | 876 | $33.4 m |
| Anoka County | 385 | 771 | $29.1 m |
| Stearns County | 259 | 422 | $17.4 m |
| Ramsey County | 167 | 355 | $11.5 m |
| Carver County | 141 | 255 | $14.1 m |
| Dakota County | 128 | 230 | $11.0 m |
| McLeod County | 83 | 162 | $5.7 m |
Households arriving report $3,518 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Hennepin County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Wright County
What is the Wright County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$7.31 bn
- County GDP, 2023$6.87 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.5 percent
- GDP change over five years34.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Minnesota areas BEA publishes11th of 87
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes566th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$49,330
Output grew 6.5 percent in the latest year and 34.8 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Wright County
Employment by industry in Wright County
- Covered employment, annual average48,758
- Establishments reporting3,984
- Average annual pay$55,999
- Average weekly wage$1,077
- Retail trade, employment7,197
- Retail trade, average annual pay$33,636
- Manufacturing, employment6,795
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$77,443
- Health care and social assistance, employment6,635
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$48,754
- Construction, employment4,737
- Construction, average annual pay$80,443
- Accommodation and food services, employment4,600
- Wholesale trade, employment1,761
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 7,197 | 378 | $33,636 |
| Manufacturing | 6,795 | 215 | $77,443 |
| Health care and social assistance | 6,635 | 592 | $48,754 |
| Construction | 4,737 | 663 | $80,443 |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,600 | 240 | $21,758 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,761 | 120 | $85,708 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 1,697 | 214 | $56,635 |
| Other services, except public administration | 1,677 | 482 | $38,188 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 7,197 jobs, 14.8 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Wright County
How many businesses are in Wright County?
- Establishments, all industries3,680
- Employment at those establishments42,944
- Annual payroll$2.33 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.8
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Wright County
Building permits in Wright County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20241,264
- Declared construction value permitted$405.2 m
- Single family units authorized1,032
- Multifamily units authorized232
- Multifamily share of units18.4 percent
- Average declared value per unit$320,546
- Units authorized per 1,000 households23.4
Single-family homes are 81.6 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Wright County
SBA loans in Wright County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded261
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$115.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$442,827
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$23,800
- 90th percentile approval$935,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,939
- Jobs per approval11.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active60
- Distinct industries receiving approvals118
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer10.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms27
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter224
- Franchise loans24
- Franchise share of approvals9.2 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (11)
- Most active lenderBravera Bank (33)
- 504 approvals recorded180
- 504 gross approval dollars$108.5 m
- Average 504 approval$602,561
- Median 504 approval$345,000
- Distinct CDCs active7
- 504 jobs per approval7.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved13.1
- Most active CDCMidwest Business Finance Corporation (86)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$224.0 m
The average approval of $442,827 sits well above the median of $150,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 10.3 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wright County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Wright County
Do SBA loans in Wright County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded56
- Paid in full54
- Charged off2
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans3.6 percent
- Status: Paid in full54
- Status: Exempt from disclosure171
- Status: Cancelled16
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed18
Of the 56 loans that have reached a final outcome, 3.6 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wright County
SBA lending by place in Wright County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending19
- Buffalo, approvals50
- Monticello, approvals43
- St. Michael, approvals38
- Albertville, approvals34
- Otsego, approvals15
- Delano, approvals13
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 50 | $22,288,900 |
| Monticello | 43 | $26,756,000 |
| St. Michael | 38 | $9,308,000 |
| Albertville | 34 | $20,187,800 |
| Otsego | 15 | $2,341,400 |
| Delano | 13 | $7,620,200 |
| Annandale | 12 | $3,822,100 |
| Maple Lake | 11 | $3,990,200 |
| 11 other borrower cities | 45 | $19,263,200 |
Buffalo accounts for 50 approvals against 43 in Monticello. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wright County
How large is Wright County?
- Land area661 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Minnesota counties45th of 87
- Width, east to west36 mi
- Height, north to south30.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land224
- Establishments per square mile5.57
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Wright County
Flood risk in Wright County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Wright County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 270534
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book21
- Of those, participating in the NFIP18
- NFIP participation rate85.7 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Wright County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Wright County (community 270534), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Wright County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 85.7 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Wright County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Wright County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024148,269
- Households54,010
- Average household size2.75
- Median household income$107,209
- Median age37.6
Common questions
Wright County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Wright County, Minnesota?
The Census Bureau estimates 154,593 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 148,269, in 54,010 households, ranking 10th of 87 Minnesota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Wright County's population growing?
The population has grown 9.38 percent since the 2020 census base of 141,335, to 154,593 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 1,842 births against 1,020 deaths, with net migration of 2,331. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Wright County?
$107,209. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $358,900, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,288 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Wright County?
3,680 establishments, employing 42,944 people with an annual payroll of $2.33 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Wright County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 7,197 jobs, 14.8 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 48,758 jobs at an average annual pay of $55,999, or $1,077 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Wright County?
261 7(a) approvals totaling $115.6 m since FY2020, across 60 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 180 504 approvals worth $108.5 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Wright County get paid back?
Of the 56 loans that have reached a final outcome, 54 were paid in full and 2 charged off, a charge-off rate of 3.6 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Wright County?
1,264 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $405.2 m. Multifamily was 18.4 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Wright County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Wright County come from?
The largest single origin is Hennepin County, with 1,775 households. Arriving households report an average income of $79,885 against $76,367 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Wright County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Wright County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Wright County
Cities and places in Wright.
17 Census places lie wholly or partly in Wright County. All 17 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego | city | 22,245 | 15 | Wholly in this county |
| St. Michael | city | 20,010 | 38 | Wholly in this county |
| Buffalo | city | 16,499 | 50 | Wholly in this county |
| Monticello | city | 14,858 | 43 | Wholly in this county |
| Albertville | city | 8,207 | 34 | Wholly in this county |
| Delano | city | 6,942 | 13 | Wholly in this county |
| Rockford | city | 4,597 | 3 | 88.7 percent here, 11.3 percent Hennepin County |
| Montrose | city | 3,888 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Hanover | city | 3,626 | 6 | 62.4 percent here, 37.6 percent Hennepin County |
| Annandale | city | 3,399 | 12 | Wholly in this county |
| Cokato | city | 2,782 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Waverly | city | 2,285 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Maple Lake | city | 2,042 | 11 | Wholly in this county |
| Clearwater | city | 1,970 | 6 | 96.0 percent here, 4.0 percent Stearns County |
| Howard Lake | city | 1,832 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| South Haven | city | 214 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Silver Creek | CDP | 167 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 9 of the county's 261 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Wright County, the largest being Elk River (7), Rogers (1), Saint Michael/Mn (1). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby