Wadena County, Minnesota

Wadena County has a population of 14,256 and has grown 2.3% since the 2020 census. The median home is worth $173,000, about 2.8 times the county's median household income of $61,467.

Home price
$173,000
Income
$61,467
Population
14,256
Unemployment
5.5%

Housing

Home values, rent, property taxes, insurance and how local prices relate to local incomes.

Median home price$173,000county
Median gross rent$746county
Median year homes here were built1974county
Share of homes built before 198058.4%county
Share of homes that are manufactured or mobile6.9%county
Share of homes that are vacant13.4%county
Share of occupied homes that are rented26.4%county
Share of homes held for seasonal or occasional use10.1%county
Typical monthly rent$1,619(statewide)
HUD fair market rent, 2-bed$1,016county
HUD fair market rent, 1-bed$783county
HUD fair market rent, 3-bed$1,218county
Home insurance / yr$2,729(statewide)

Money

Household earnings and buying power. Adjusted income restates local income using the statewide cost-of-living index.

Cost of living94.6(statewide)
Median household income$61,467county
Family health premium / yr$23,565(statewide)
Infant childcare / yr$22,569(statewide)
Regular gas price / gal$3.846(statewide)
Poverty rate12.5%county

Jobs

What people here do for work, who they work for, whether they work from home, and how much of the local economy sits in one industry.

Workers who work from home8.4%county
Unemployment rate5.5%county
Share of adults in the labor force62.4%county
Share of workers who are self-employed10.8%county
Share of workers employed by government12.1%county
Share of workers in the largest industry25.6%county
Economic output per resident$52,221county

Taxes

State tax rules that can affect take-home pay, investments and everyday purchases.

Property tax rate1.04%county
Top state income tax9.85%(statewide)
Capital gains tax10.85%(statewide)
Combined sales tax8.14%(statewide)

Transportation

Distance to air travel and how people get around locally. Distances are straight-line from the county's population-weighted centre, so driving is further.

Mean commute time21.3 mincounty
Miles to nearest airport with airline service44 micounty
Passengers boarding at the nearest airline airport16255county
Miles to nearest general aviation field9.7 micounty
Airports with airline service located here0county
General aviation airfields located here1county
Passenger train stations and the railway network0county
Miles to the nearest passenger rail station17 micounty
Households without a vehicle7.6%county
Traffic deaths28.1county
Change in traffic deaths per 100,0002.5(statewide)

Schools

Public schools and colleges counted where they actually sit, plus the education level of adults who live here. Students per teacher is a staffing measure, not a quality ranking.

Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher19.8%county
Adults 25+ with a high school diploma or higher92.6%county
Public schools in the county14county
Public school enrollment3201county
Students per full-time teacher13.7county
Free lunch eligible49.3%county
Elementary schools4county
Middle schools1county
High schools4county
Institutions granting bachelor's degrees or above0county
Two-year institutions0county
Miles to the nearest bachelor's-granting institution62 micounty

Health

Primary care physicians49county
Medicare-certified hospitals in this county1county
Hospitals here with an emergency department1county
Average CMS star rating of hospitals here3county
Fine particulate matter5.1 µgcounty
Without health insurance5.5%county
Adults who were food insecure in the past year13.9%county
Adults who received food assistance in the past year11.0%county
Frequent mental distress16.4%county
No leisure-time physical activity25.1%county
Diagnosed diabetes12.4%county

Place

Who lives here and what the place is like: population, age, migration, safety and civic profile.

Population14,256county
Land area in square miles536county
People per square mile of land26.6county
Supermarkets and grocery stores5county
Convenience stores0county
Share living far from a food store26.6%county
Share living in a low-income, low-access tract100.0%county
Population change since 2020+2.3%county
Natural change per 1,000 residents-4county
Net international migration per 1,000 residents0county
Median age40.0 yrscounty
Share of residents under 1826.1%county
Share of residents 65 and over20.2%county
Share of households that are one person32.4%county
Share of residents born outside the United States1.1%county
Second languages2.6%county
Share of residents on a religious body’s rolls55.3%county
Congregations per 100,000 residents327county
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents6county
Households that moved in453county
Households that moved away491county
Average income of arriving households$48,223county
Average income of departing households$47,902county
Homes authorised per 1,000 existing homes12county
Housing units authorised in the latest year82county
Share of permitted homes in multifamily buildings41.5%county
Violent crime rate257(statewide)

Weather

Measured annual temperature, precipitation and snowfall. These are climate facts, not a ranking.

Avg. annual temperature42.8°Fcounty
Annual precipitation24.0 incounty
Annual snowfall0.0 incounty
Average daily solar energy3.72 kWh/m²county
Days reaching 90°F2 dayscounty
Days at or below freezing166 dayscounty

Gardening

Plant hardiness zoneZone 6acounty
Frost-free days145 dayscounty
Average last spring frostMay 12county
Average first fall frostOct 4county

Utilities

Average monthly electric bill$122county
Electric utilities serving this county3county
Electricity price per kWh13.4¢county
Household electricity use909 kWhcounty
Residential natural gas price$13.14(statewide)
Homes heated by electricity26.7%county
Homes heated by utility gas35.9%county
Homes heated by propane19.7%county
Homes heated by fuel oil5.8%county
Homes heated by wood10.7%county
Households with broadband84.8%county

Risk

Relative exposure to air pollution and natural hazards. Higher values indicate more measured risk, not a prediction.

Riverine flood risk27.6county
Coastal flood risk0.0county
Drought risk59.5county
Landslide risk37.7county
Hail risk25.3county
Earthquake risk4.8county
Tornado risk30.3county
Tropical cyclone risk0.0county
Extreme heat risk18.1county
Winter weather risk63.7county
Strong wind risk36.8county
Wildfire risk65.6county

Sports

Major pro teams based here0county
NFL teams based here0county
NBA teams based here0county
MLB teams based here0county
NHL teams based here0county
MLS soccer teams based here0county
Top-division college football teams0county
Second-tier college football teams0county
Affiliated minor league baseball teams0county
AHL teams based here0county
ECHL teams based here0county

Figures marked county are measured for Wadena County directly. The rest are published at state level only and show the Minnesota figure — see methodology for each source and its limits.

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