Housing data for Ottertail, MN

Ottertail, MN has an estimated 490 residents and 408 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).

It is a city in Otter Tail County.

10.3% of households rent.

The median gross rent is $1,150 a month.

Figures last updated on .

Residents
490 (±78)
Housing units
408 (±61)
Households that rent
10.3%
Median gross rent
$1,150
Residents since 2015–2019
−14.8%

What stands out in Ottertail

Working from home: 19.5% (±7.4 points) in Ottertail, higher than in Otter Tail County (10.4%).

Households that rent: 10.3% (±4.8 points) in Ottertail, lower than in Otter Tail County (20.5%).

Median gross rent: $1,150 (±$270) in Ottertail, higher than in Otter Tail County ($868).

Households without a vehicle: 0.9% (±1.5 points) in Ottertail, lower than in Otter Tail County (5.6%).

Housing in Ottertail at a glance

  • Median rent: $1,150 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Rent by bedrooms: $1,031 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Rent burden: 20.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Renters and owners: 10.3% of households rent
  • Income and affordability: $80,500 median household income
  • Home values: $332,900 median home value
  • Homeowner costs: $1,719 median monthly cost with a mortgage
  • Property taxes: $2,590 median real estate taxes a year
  • Types of homes: 0.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
  • Bedrooms: 59.8% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
  • Age of homes: 34.5% of homes were built before 1980
  • Vacancy rate: 20.7% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Heating fuel: 46.4% heat with utility gas
  • Commute and cars: 28.9 minutes average trip to work
  • Growth: −14.8% residents since 2015–2019 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • How long people stay: 22.4% moved in since 2020
  • Crowding and facilities: 1.8% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)

Ottertail against Otter Tail County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
OttertailOtter Tail CountyMinnesotaUnited States
Residents490 (±78)60,475 (exact)5,739,445 (exact)334,922,499
Housing units408 (±61)36,698 (±91)2,545,030 (±1,535)143,775,355
Households that rent10.3% (±4.8 points)20.5% (±1.5 points)27.8% (±0.2 points)34.8%
Median gross rent$1,150 (±$270)$868 (±$63)$1,280 (±$7)$1,413
Median household income$80,500 (±$21,167)$72,255 (±$2,093)$89,062 (±$409)$80,734
Median home value$332,900 (±$44,428)$273,000 (±$6,397)$329,300 (±$903)$332,700
Median real estate taxes (a year)$2,590 (±$298)$2,093 (±$76)$3,357 (±$10)$3,119
Built before 198034.5% (±9.1 points)51.4% (±1.9 points)52.1% (±0.3 points)49.7%
Average commute28.9 minutes (±5.3)20.7 minutes (±0.7)22.7 minutes (±0.1)26.4 minutes
Households with broadband92.9% (±4.4 points)87.7% (±1.0 points)91.6% (±0.1 points)91.0%
Median age of residents55.8 years (±5.0)46.2 years (±0.3)38.8 years (±0.1)38.9 years

Ottertail covers 4.3 square miles of land, about 115 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).

How Ottertail has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
2015–20192020–2024Amount of changeVerdict
Residents575 (±101)490 (±78)−14.8%Not a measurable change
Housing units372 (±56)408 (±61)+9.7%Not a measurable change
Median gross rent$856 (±$62)$1,150 (±$270)+34.3%No measurable change after inflation
Median home value$182,100 (±$33,465)$332,900 (±$44,428)+82.8%Up after inflation
Median household income$66,875 (±$28,214)$80,500 (±$21,167)+20.4%No measurable change after inflation
Median owner cost with a mortgage$1,135 (±$142)$1,719 (±$302)+51.5%No measurable change after inflation
Median real estate taxes$1,479 (±$194)$2,590 (±$298)+75.1%Up after inflation
Households that rent9.2% (±5.2 points)10.3% (±4.8 points)+1.1 percentage pointsNot a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate0.0% (±45.4 points)20.7% (±24.2 points)+20.7 percentage pointsNot a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Crime reported to police in Otter Tail County

Ottertail has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Otter Tail County as a whole.

In 2025, the police departments that report for Otter Tail County recorded 126 violent and 743 property crimes per 100,000 residents.

A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.

Places near Ottertail

Nearest places with Census figures, by straight-line distance
PlaceDistanceMedian gross rentMedian home valueHouseholds that rent
Otter Tail Township2.3 mi—$447,6004.5%
Rush Lake Township4.8 mi$619$325,7009.8%
Leaf Lake Township5.0 mi—$347,10011.6%
Richville5.8 mi$850$156,30050.0%
Otto Township6.7 mi$843$310,30015.9%
Girard Township6.9 mi—$445,0001.9%
Amor Township7.1 mi—$364,1003.8%
Henning Township7.9 mi—$272,2004.1%

Places in Minnesota most like Ottertail

PlaceMedian gross rentMedian home valueMedian household incomeHouseholds that rent
Holmes City Township$1,135$352,000$81,2507.6%
Fort Ripley Township$1,232$322,300$75,0004.8%
Nokay Lake Township$1,208$304,300$83,75010.3%
Silver Brook Township$1,281$275,600$88,03610.6%
Candor Township$1,109$360,700$81,2505.0%
Windemere Township$1,216$312,900$85,98210.1%

Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Minnesota.

HUD Fair Market Rent for Ottertail, fiscal year 2027

Otter Tail County, MN, dollars a month
Studio1 bedroom2 bedrooms3 bedrooms4 bedrooms
$746$819$1,071$1,476$1,489

HUD income limits for Ottertail, fiscal year 2026

Otter Tail County, MN, annual household income
Household sizeExtremely low (30%)Very low (50%)Low (80%)
1 person$20,950$34,900$55,850
2 people$23,950$39,900$63,800
3 people$27,320$44,900$71,800
4 people$33,000$49,850$79,750
5 people$38,680$53,850$86,150
6 people$44,360$57,850$92,550
7 people$50,040$61,850$98,900
8 people$55,720$65,850$105,300

These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Otter Tail County, MN, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $99,700.

A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Ottertail

How many renters are there in Ottertail?

Ottertail has an estimated 23 (±11) renting households, 10.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the median household income in Ottertail?

The median household income in Ottertail is $80,500 (±$21,167) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the average home value in Ottertail, MN?

The Census Bureau publishes the median: $332,900 (±$44,428) for owner-occupied homes in Ottertail (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the average mortgage payment in Ottertail?

The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Ottertail, MN is $1,719 (±$302) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.

How much are property taxes in Ottertail?

The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Ottertail, MN is $2,590 (±$298) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes are in Ottertail?

Ottertail, MN has an estimated 408 (±61) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is Ottertail growing?

In Ottertail, the number of residents went from 575 in 2015–2019 to 490 in 2020–2024 (−14.8%), not a measurable change.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Ottertail city, Minnesota (place:49210, in state:27).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.

Figures last updated on .

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