City safety & data profile

Cottage GroveMN

Cottage Grove, MN is a 36K-resident city in Washington County with a median household income of $120,791.

Washington County, Minnesota. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Cottage Grove, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Cottage Grove has a population larger than 70% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $378,800.

Data updated 2026-07-19

36K
Population
Top 30%
By size
$120,791
Median income
$378,800
Median home
4.2%
Poverty rate

The read on Cottage Grove

Cottage Grove posts a median household income higher than 83% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 17%
by median income, US cities

Where Cottage Grove income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$120,791 Top 17% higher than 83% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). This entry sits in this band. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. MN $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Cottage Grove, MN beyond the headline numbers

Cottage Grove sits inside Washington County, Minnesota, at roughly 44.83°N, -92.94°W. Population 35,918, $120,791 median household income. Median home value $378,800, median rent $1,783. Poverty rate 4.2%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Cottage Grove's highest-prevalence health measure is obesity at 33.2%, then high blood pressure at 27.7%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Cottage Grove from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
35,918
Cottage Grove
Median Income
$120,791
+78% vs avg
Median Home Value
$378,800
+66% vs avg
Median Age
36.5
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Washington County) - Cottage Grove's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
276K+14%
Median Income
$115,345+41%
Median Home Value
$422,000+74%
Poverty Rate
5.1%-11%
Unemployment
3.4%-44%

Economics

Economics indicators for Cottage Grove, MN
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,783/mo
Poverty Rate
4.2% -70% vs avg
Unemployment 3.7%
Bachelor's Degree+ 40.8%
Work From Home 21.1%
Public Transit 0.3%

Population

White 74.4%
African American 6.5%
Asian 7.4%
Two or More Ethnicities 4.1%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Obesity
33.2%
High Blood Pressure
27.7%
Short Sleep Duration
26.8%
Physical Inactivity
19.4%
Binge Drinking
17.3%
Frequent Mental Distress
14.4%
Current Smoking
12%
Frequent Physical Distress
10.1%
Diabetes
9.7%
Current Asthma
9.6%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 72.9%
Annual Checkup 74.7%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
6.3%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.7%
Stroke
2.5%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Cottage Grove, MN? ▼
Cottage Grove, MN has a population of 35,918 people, located in Washington County, Minnesota.
What is the median household income in Cottage Grove? ▼
The median household income in Cottage Grove, MN is $120,791 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 4.2%.
What is the median home value in Cottage Grove? ▼
The median home value in Cottage Grove, MN is $378,800. Median rent is $1,783/month.
What are the top health concerns in Cottage Grove? ▼
The top health indicators in Cottage Grove include Obesity (33.2%), High Blood Pressure (27.7%), Short Sleep Duration (26.8%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Cottage Grove? ▼
The median age in Cottage Grove, MN is 36.5 years. 40.8% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Cottage Grove, MN is located in Washington County, Minnesota. With a population of 36K and a $120,791 median household income, the community faces health challenges including obesity and high blood pressure. Safety alerts for the Cottage Grove area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Minnesota

Real-time AQI for every monitored Minnesota location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Woodbury, MN 68K Inver Grove Heights, MN 35K South Saint Paul, MN 20K Hastings, MN 23K Maplewood, MN 41K Oakdale, MN 28K West Saint Paul, MN 20K Saint Paul, MN 303K
All cities in Minnesota → Compare Cottage Grove vs Woodbury → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Cottage Grove's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Cottage Grove area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Cottage Grove against Minnesota peers on any ranking lens. Explore Minnesota

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Washington County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.