Brooten is a city in
Stearns and
Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
counties in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, United States. The population was 626 as of the
2020 census.
Almost the entire city is within Stearns County, with a small portion in Pope County.
The Stearns County portion of Brooten is part of the
St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Brooten was laid out in 1886, when the Soo Railroad was extended to that point. The city was named after the LiaBraaten family of settlers.
A post office has been in operation at Brooten since 1886.
Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 743 people, 294 households, and 167 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 320 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.3%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.1%
Native American, 0.1%
Asian, 0.3% from
other races, and 0.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.
There were 294 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.2% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.00.
The median age in the city was 43.9 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 20.5% were from 45 to 64; and 27.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 649 people, 278 households, and 167 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 338 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.38%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.15%
Native American, 0.15%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.15% from
other races, and 0.15% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.93% of the population.
There were 278 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $43,083. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $20,156 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $17,048. About 8.1% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 19.5% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
Brooten hosts a community celebration called ''Bonanza Valley Days'' on the second weekend of July. It begins with a dance on Friday and ends with an Ice Cream Social on Sunday. Events include a bike rally, fireworks, pageant, kiddie parade, grand parade, and more.
Education
Belgrade–Brooten–Elrosa Elementary School is located in Brooten. The school is part of the
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa School District—ISD #2364.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Minnesota State Highway 55
Minnesota State Highway 55 (MN 55) is a state highway that runs across the central part of state taking a diagonal route from its western most at the North Dakota state line near Tenney to its easternmost point at the intersection with U.S. H ...
serves as a main route in the community.
The Brooten Municipal Airport is approximately one mile southeast of the city and has a paved, 3500-foot runway.
References
External links
City Website
{{authority control
Cities in Minnesota
Cities in Stearns County, Minnesota
Cities in Pope County, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota metropolitan area