Mower County's meatpacking hub where union labor shapes the ballot
Austin's large immigrant workforce—drawn by the Hormel Foods plant—has shifted its demographic profile steadily over recent decades, producing voter coalitions that diverge from the surrounding rural Minnesota baseline.
| Group | Austin, MN | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 83.6% | 57.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(13) | 9.3% | 19.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 2.9% | 6.0% |
▶Black / African American(6) | 2.2% | 12.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 1.5% | 4.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1) | 0.4% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(1) | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Catholic-Evangelical edge: +21.0pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Catholic-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Democratic-leaning urban and suburban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.8% | 44.3% | — | — | |
| 22.0% | 39.4% | — | — | |
| 7.8% | 14.0% | — | — | |
| 1.2% | 2.2% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.8% | 1.4% | — | — |
Non-religiousPopulation | 44.1% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Austin, MN metro area? 156,313 residents across 4 counties.
19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 14pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+15 on average nationally.
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | R+10.5 | D+5.2 | 15.7pp |