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Ottertail, MN

This is a small community in a single neighborhood. As throughout the site, some neighborhood-level data are reserved for subscribers.





Overview


Ottertail is a tiny city located in the state of Minnesota. With a population of 687 people and just one neighborhood, Ottertail is the 433rd largest community in Minnesota. There's nothing like the smell of a brand new house, and in Ottertail, you'll find that a large proportion of houses were recently built. New growth in residential real estate is an indication that people are choosing to move to Ottertail, and putting down their money on brand new construction. Ottertail’s real estate is, on average, some of the newest in the nation. Ottertail does seem to be experiencing an influx of affluent people, because the median household income is $93,056.00.

Ottertail real estate is some of the most expensive in Minnesota, although Ottertail house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

Occupations and Workforce

Unlike some cities, Ottertail isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Ottertail are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Ottertail is a city of sales and office workers, professionals, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Ottertail who work in sales jobs (17.31%), office and administrative support (13.08%), and management occupations (10.77%).

Also of interest is that Ottertail has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Ottertail telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 15.77% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Setting & Lifestyle

Another notable thing is that Ottertail is a major vacation destination. Much of the city’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Ottertail’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

Ottertail is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The city’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Ottertail’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the country, making it one of the safest places to raise a family.

The city is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Ottertail has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Ottertail a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

As is often the case in a small city, Ottertail doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

Demographics

The percentage of people in Ottertail who are college-educated is somewhat higher than the average US community of 21.84%: 27.60% of adults in Ottertail have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Ottertail in 2018 was $58,851, which is wealthy relative to Minnesota and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $235,404 for a family of four. However, Ottertail contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Ottertail home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ottertail residents report their race to be White. Important ancestries of people in Ottertail include German, Norwegian, Irish, Swedish, and European.

The most common language spoken in Ottertail is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Miao/Hmong.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.

Real Estate

Vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 57.4% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 99.2% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.

In addition, uncrowded roads, rural America and space to be the individual you are. If you like these characteristics, this neighborhood may fit you. With just 31 residents per square mile, is less crowded than 92.6% of all U.S. neighborhoods. One of the notable things about is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and quantitative rating of quietness. When you are here, you will find it to be very quiet. If quiet and peaceful are your cup of tea, you may have found a great place for you.

People

Astoundingly, NeighborhoodScout's research reveals that this single neighborhood has a higher concentration of married couples living here than 97.6% of all U.S. neighborhoods. Whether they have school-aged children or not, married couples are the rule in the neighborhood. If you are a married couple, you may find many people here with a similar lifestyle, and perhaps common interests. But if you are single, you might not find many other singles here.

In addition, if you are planning to retire in Minnesota, this neighborhood should be on your must-see list. For many reasons, may be considered a retiree's dream neighborhood. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and metrics, it's peaceful and quiet, has above average safety from crime compared to other neighborhoods in Minnesota, while also offering a diverse range of housing options. This, along with the vibrant mix of very educated seniors and other age groups who choose to live here, makes the neighborhood more retiree-friendly than 96.7% of neighborhoods in MN. If a Minnesota retirement is in your future, this neighborhood should be one of the places you visit.

Diversity

Did you know that the neighborhood has more Norwegian and Finnish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 26.8% of this neighborhood's residents have Norwegian ancestry and 4.5% have Finnish ancestry.

The Neighbors

How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

The neighbors in the neighborhood in Ottertail are upper-middle income, making it an above average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 61.4% of the neighborhoods in America. In addition, 1.7% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 76.3% of America's neighborhoods.

What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.

In the neighborhood, 46.5% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 20.6% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (19.8%), and 11.4% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 98.9% of households.

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Culture is shared learned behavior. We learn it from our parents, their parents, our houses of worship, and much of our culture – our learned behavior – comes from our ancestors. That is why ancestry and ethnicity can be so interesting and important to understand: places with concentrations of people of one or more ancestries often express those shared learned behaviors and this gives each neighborhood its own culture. Even different neighborhoods in the same city can have drastically different cultures.

In the neighborhood in Ottertail, MN, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (40.7%). There are also a number of people of Norwegian ancestry (26.8%), and residents who report Irish roots (10.7%), and some of the residents are also of Swedish ancestry (10.5%), along with some English ancestry residents (5.2%), among others.

Getting to Work

How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (38.3% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.

Here most residents (66.3%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (9.5%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.


Real Estate includes:
Average Home Values
Rental Market
Housing Market Details
Neighborhood Setting
Economics & Demographics include:
Lifestyle & Special Character
Household Types
Commute To Work
Migration & Mobility
Race & Ethnic Diversity
Employment Industries & Occupations
Income & Unemployment Rate
Higher Education Attainment
Crime includes:
Neighborhood Crime Index
Crimes Per Square Mile
Property Crime Comparison
Violent Crime Comparison
Schools include:
School Ratings
Schools In District
Public School Test Scores
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