| ZIP Codes: | 12 ZIP Codes (12 Standard, 0 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 218 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:36 PM |
| Population: | 25,675 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 27021 |
| CBSA: | Brainerd, MN |
| Land Area: | 2,007 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 395 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 46.9740, -94.2740 |
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25,675 residents live across 12 ZIPs covering 2,007 sq mi, served by 12 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 24,032 to 25,675 from 2014 to 2024 — a +6.8% change. 9 ZIPs gained residents, 3 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 56473 (Pillager, $85,950 median) and poorest ZIP 56641 (Federal Dam, $39,688) are 64.1 miles apart — a 2.2× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 2.9× across this county — from $150,000 in 56626 (Bena) to $428,900 in 56662 (Outing).
Density varies 11× across the county — from 3 people/sq mi in 55785 (Swatara) to 32 in 56473 (Pillager).
Educational attainment ranges from 6.0% bachelor's+ in 55785 (Swatara) to 30.6% in 56655 (Longville) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Minnesota, this is the #40 most populous of 93 counties and ranks #91 for median household income with the #21 fastest decade growth .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $66,195 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
24.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (4,655 of 19,011 reporting).
12 Standard delivery, 0 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
A frontier county — vast land area with only a few residents per square mile. Daily life looks very different here than in the country's denser counties.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56633 | Cass Lake | Standard | 4,802 | $67,981 | 305.0 | 11.2% |
| 56474 | Pine River | Standard | 4,475 | $59,922 | 258.5 | 26.6% |
| 56473 | Pillager | Standard | 3,518 | $85,950 | 109.5 | 3.7% |
| 56484 | Walker | Standard | 3,252 | $67,019 | 183.0 | -4.6% |
| 56435 | Backus | Standard | 2,801 | $62,381 | 184.1 | 6.3% |
| 56672 | Remer | Standard | 2,052 | $61,842 | 442.3 | 1.6% |
| 56452 | Hackensack | Standard | 1,936 | $62,941 | 120.2 | 4.5% |
| 56655 | Longville | Standard | 1,351 | $57,404 | 114.3 | -12.2% |
| 56662 | Outing | Standard | 624 | $69,643 | 69.7 | 22.4% |
| 56641 | Federal Dam | Standard | 339 | $39,688 | 45.6 | 2.4% |
| 55785 | Swatara | Standard | 271 | $56,477 | 94.3 | 53.1% |
| 56626 | Bena | Standard | 254 | $44,853 | 80.2 | -19.4% |