† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupPelican RapidsMinnesotaUnited States
German22.1%29.2%12.5%
Norwegian15.4%12.1%—
Irish4.7%9.9%9.4%
Swedish4.5%6.5%—
English3.2%6.6%9.5%
Polish2.1%3.7%2.2%
Finnish2.0%——
American2.0%2.3%5.3%
Mexican21.4%3.9%11.3%
Cuban1.6%—0.7%
Dominican1.6%—0.7%
Spanish1.6%——
African American†6.7%3.8%9.9%
Somali2.9%1.1%—
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Pelican Rapids
Minnesota
United States
Median age
38.6
39
39.1
Age 18–24
7.4%
8.8%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
17.2%
17.2%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Pelican Rapids
Minnesota
United States
Median household income
$63,917
$89,062
$84,427
Poverty rate
16.6%
9.3%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
19.3%
39.4%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Pelican Rapids
Minnesota
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
35.1%
12.5%
22.3%
Spanish
24.3%
4.2%
13.6%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic
1.2%
0.4%
0.7%
Arabic
1.0%
0.3%
0.4%
Other languages
8.2%
2.6%
0.8%
Religious landscape
Measure
Pelican Rapids
Minnesota
United States
Catholic
—
19.5%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
11.8%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
50.6%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Pelican Rapids, Minnesota
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+1.3%
2008
+12.4%
2012
+13.0%
2016
+3.5%
2020
+2.4%
2024
−15.7%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
41.2%Harris358
56.9%Trump494
1.8%
R+15.7
R+18.1
R+14.2
868
D
50.2%Biden459
47.8%Trump437
2.1%
D+2.4
R+1.1
R+2.0
915
D
48.3%Clinton395
44.8%Trump366
6.9%
D+3.5
R+9.4
D+1.5
817
D
55.5%Obama461
42.5%Romney353
2.0%
D+13.0
D+0.6
D+9.1
831
D
54.2%Obama480
41.8%McCain370
4.0%
D+12.4
D+11.1
D+5.2
885
D
48.9%Kerry414
47.6%Bush403
3.4%
D+1.3
—
D+3.8
846
Pelican Rapids has become one of Minnesota's more ethnically diverse small cities, driven by meatpacking and food-processing jobs that drew large Somali, Latino, and Karen immigrant communities over the past two decades.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 13.0 points in 2012 and a Republican high of 15.7 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 18.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 15.7 points.
A population of 2,586, a 60% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $63,917 describe the city.
In 2024, Pelican Rapids, Minnesota voted Republican by 15.7 points (R+15.7), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 868 votes cast, 358 went Democratic and 494 went Republican.
When did Pelican Rapids, Minnesota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Pelican Rapids, Minnesota voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota?
Pelican Rapids, Minnesota has a population of 2,586 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota?
Median household income in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota is $63,917 — below the national median of $80,734. The Minnesota state median is $89,062.
What is the political history of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 1 went Republican.
