Counties / Minnesota / Morrison County

Morrison County, MN

FIPS 27097 · population 34,249 · outside every metro area

$318k
Zillow home value · 2026-06
The numbers

What this county costs and earns

Everything here joins on the county FIPS code, so each figure comes from the agency that publishes it with no name matching in between.

Zillow home value
$318k
▲ 3.1% year over year
Zillow ZHVI · direct
ACS median gross rent
$788
occupied-unit survey; not current asking rent
Census ACS · surveyed
Gross yield
n/a
gross yield cannot be computed without measured market rent
requires both measured price and measured rent
HUD 2-bed standard
$973
the Section 8 payment standard
HUD Fair Market Rent · direct
Independent price check

Do two methods point the same way?

Zillow estimates a current home value. FHFA tracks repeat mortgage transactions. Their growth rates should be read side by side, not averaged.

Both annual signals move in the same direction
FHFA five-year cumulative+53.3%not annualized · through 2025
0%ZILLOW ZHVI2026-06+3.1%FHFA HPI2025+2.4%
Annual changes use different methods and may use different periods. The comparison checks direction and magnitude; it does not create a blended estimate. Zillow county ZHVI pulled 2026-07-26; FHFA annual county HPI pulled 2026-07-28.
Owner-reported value$249k
Surveyed gross rent$788
Rent burden 30%+36.6%
Median year built1977
Housing composition

Who occupies the stock—and what it is

ACS 2024 5-year
13.4%vacant
16,256estimated housing units
Occupied tenure19.4% renter
owner 80.6%renter 19.4%
Structure mix85.1% single-family
Single-family 85.1%20+ units 2.9%Mobile home 5.5%Other 6.5%
ACS estimates describe the standing housing stock and occupied tenure. They do not measure current listings, transaction prices or asking rents.

Survey source: Census ACS 5-year — county housing value, tenure and stock · ACS 2024 5-year · pulled 2026-07-30. These values describe different housing universes and are not combined into gross yield.

Annual average covered jobs11,196▲ 0.2% from the prior annual release
Covered establishments1,112annual average reporting locations
Average weekly wage$949▲ 4.4% from the prior annual release
Largest private supersectorTrade, transportation, and utilities26.2% of disclosed private covered jobs
Local labor base

Jobs, pay and private-sector concentration

2025
0%COVERED JOBS+0.2%WEEKLY WAGE+4.4%Trade, transportation, and utilities26.2%
Annual QCEW counts cover jobs located at reporting establishments. The industry share uses disclosed private covered employment; it is not a resident-employment measure or a forecast.

Workplace source: BLS QCEW — county employment and wages · annual county employment and wages 2025 vs 2024 · pulled 2026-07-31. QCEW counts covered jobs located in the county, not employed residents or the metro score’s CES/LAUS series.

County brief

What the local evidence says

01Decision frame

Morrison County’s decision tension is value gains against unproven property income and flood-related costs. Investors able to verify unit rents and parcel hazards can investigate; those requiring demonstrated yield or resale liquidity should be cautious. Zillow’s June 2026 median home value is $318,046, up 3.08% year over year. FHFA’s 2025 annual repeat-transaction HPI was also positive; its reported five-year cumulative change was 53.33%. Both show positive direction but use different methods and vintages: HPI is not a home value, and the rates should not be blended.

02Housing economics

County averages do not yet support a yield calculation. The supplied HUD FMR is a payment standard, not measured asking rent; market rent is not published, so gross yield cannot be computed or inferred from FMR. The effective property-tax rate is 0.88%, a carrying-cost input to test against an individual assessment and rent. Insurance, debt terms, operating expenses, vacancy, and condition are not published, preventing a net-cash-flow conclusion.

03Demand & competition

Labor and migration are a limited demand screen, not proof of tenant or buyer demand. QCEW’s 2025 annual county data report 11,196 covered jobs at county workplaces and a $949 average weekly covered-worker wage; Trade, transportation, and utilities is the largest disclosed private supersector. Tax-return migration shows a net loss of 58 households, and movers in had average income $1,900 below movers out. The record attributes 20 of 318 purchases to investor mortgages, or 6.29%; that is non-occupant mortgage participation, not all buyer competition. Realtor.com listing price, active inventory, days on market, and price-reduction figures are not published, preventing a current MLS supply, marketing-time, or concession read.

04Risk & next checks

Inland flood is the dominant hazard, with modeled expected annual climate loss of 0.22% of building value. This is not a parcel loss estimate, but it makes flood zone, elevation, prior losses, mitigation, and insurance review central. The thesis could fail if rent comps do not support the basis, flood insurance or repairs change costs, or unavailable MLS evidence reveals weaker liquidity. Obtain property-level rent and closed-sale comps, tax bills, insurance quotes, flood records, and inspection results before drawing yield, exit-value, or risk-adjusted cash-flow conclusions.

Cities & communities

Where people live within Morrison County

Census-recognized incorporated places and CDPs that intersect this county. The list does not pretend to include every neighborhood or informal community.

Population scale

Largest Census places

ACS 2024 5-year
Little Falls city9.1KPierz city1.4KRoyalton city*1.2KRandall city695Motley city*608Upsala city417Buckman city339Bowlus city278
Bars use total place population, not a county-share estimate. An asterisk marks a place that crosses a county line.
Official directory

16 Census places

Population
  1. 01
    Little Falls cityIncorporated place
    9,121
  2. 02
    Pierz cityIncorporated place
    1,424
  3. 03
    Royalton cityIncorporated place · spans 2 counties
    1,211
  4. 04
    Randall cityIncorporated place
    695
  5. 05
    Motley cityIncorporated place · spans 2 counties
    608
  6. 06
    Upsala cityIncorporated place
    417
  7. 07
    Buckman cityIncorporated place
    339
  8. 08
    Bowlus cityIncorporated place
    278
  9. 09
    Swanville cityIncorporated place · spans 2 counties
    274
  10. 10
    Flensburg cityIncorporated place
    199
  11. 11
    Sobieski cityIncorporated place
    192
  12. 12
    Elmdale cityIncorporated place
    172
Show 4 more places
  1. 13
    Harding cityIncorporated place
    169
  2. 14
    Lastrup cityIncorporated place
    88
  3. 15
    Genola cityIncorporated place
    81
  4. 16
    Hillman cityIncorporated place
    27

Population is the total place-wide ACS estimate, not an allocated county share. A place crossing a county line is labelled explicitly. Source: Census ACS 5-year — cities and communities · ACS 2024 5-year · pulled 2026-07-30.

Risk, demand and competition

The three things a price does not tell you

01
Risk & carrying costFEMA NRI + Census ACS
Dominant hazardinland flooding

0.221% of building value expected lost per year

Effective property tax0.88%

$2,190 median annual bill

02
DemandIRS SOI household flows
Net migration-58

730 in · 788 out

Arriving vs leaving income−$1,900

$59,597 arriving · $61,497 leaving

03
CompetitionHMDA financed purchases
Purchases by investors6.3%

20 of 318 mortgages

investorother financed
No rent index is published for this county.Zillow’s county rent series does not cover every county, and estimating one from a neighbouring county would be a guess wearing a number’s clothes. Everything above is measured here; no wider market is mapped for it either.
Bear case

What can break the county thesis

  1. Unit-level market rent may not support the acquisition basis or gross yield.
  2. Flood insurance, prior damage, or mitigation requirements may raise carrying costs beyond county averages.
  3. Missing MLS listing evidence may conceal slow marketing or seller concessions.
Underwriting questions

Before pricing a property

Can gross yield be calculated from this record?

No. Market rent is not published, and HUD FMR must not be used as a substitute for asking rent.

What does the investor-share measure represent?

It measures non-occupant mortgage participation among purchases, not all investor activity or buyer competition.

What is the dominant named climate hazard?

Inland flood; the modeled climate-loss measure remains county-level rather than parcel-specific.