Washington County, Minnesota

Kitchen remodeling in Cottage Grove, MN

Cottage Grove has 14,487 homes, about nine in ten of the occupied ones lived in by their owners. Half were built before 1990.

The homes of Cottage Grove

Homes

14,487

housing units

Owner-occupied

88%

of occupied homes

Detached houses

78%

of all homes

Median year built

1990

half older, half newer

Built before 1980

37%

of all homes

Median home value

$378,800

owner estimate

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates for Cottage Grove city.

More homes in Cottage Grove were built in the 1990s than in any other decade, 19% of them, followed by the 2000s at 15%. A kitchen put in when one of those houses was new is now about 31 years old, unless it has been redone since.

37% of homes here were built before 1980. In a home built before 1978, a remodel that disturbs painted cabinets, trim or walls has to be done by a firm certified for lead-safe work by EPA. Ask for the certificate when you book the measure.

ZIP codes

ZIP codes where Cottage Grove is the largest place

ZIP code	Homes	Owner-occupied	Median year built	Built before 1980
55016	14,375	88%	1990	37%

What kitchen trades earn here

Electricians in the Minneapolis area earn a median $39.37 an hour and plumbers $48.86, against $30.38 and $30.67 across the country (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That is what the workers are paid, not what a contractor charges for their time. All five kitchen trades: Minneapolis area.

Before you sign: Minnesota

Minnesota requires a residential building contractor or residential remodeler license from the Department of Labor and Industry for anyone who contracts directly with a homeowner for work in more than one special skill, which a kitchen remodel usually is. A contractor with under $15,000 a year in residential receipts may work under a certificate of exemption instead.

Minnesota residential contractor licensing

Contracts, licenses and lead-safe rules in Minnesota · Permits · What it costs

Elsewhere in the Minneapolis area

St. Paul Park, MN2,435 homes · half built before 1973
Newport, MN2,160 homes · half built before 1976
Hastings, MN9,302 homes · half built before 1984
Woodbury, MN29,990 homes · half built before 1997
Inver Grove Heights, MN15,495 homes · half built before 1990
Afton, MN1,244 homes · half built before 1979
South St. Paul, MN8,639 homes · half built before 1958
Rosemount, MN10,175 homes · half built before 2000
West St. Paul, MN10,312 homes · half built before 1970
Mendota Heights, MN4,906 homes · half built before 1983