| ZIP Codes: | 14 ZIP Codes (13 Standard, 1 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Codes: | 218 / 320 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:36 PM |
| Population: | 71,740 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 27035 |
| CBSA: | Brainerd, MN |
| Land Area: | 1,203 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 162 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 46.4854, -94.1016 |
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71,740 residents live across 14 ZIPs covering 1,203 sq mi, served by 14 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 66,426 to 71,740 from 2014 to 2024 — a +8.0% change. 7 ZIPs gained residents, 6 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 56468 (Nisswa, $100,300 median) and poorest ZIP 56441 (Crosby, $50,298) are 19.4 miles apart — a 2.0× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 2.4× across this county — from $197,200 in 56450 (Garrison) to $479,800 in 56442 (Crosslake).
Density varies 43× across the county — from 10 people/sq mi in 56447 (Emily) to 419 in 56425 (Baxter).
Educational attainment ranges from 18.2% bachelor's+ in 56450 (Garrison) to 44.9% in 56468 (Nisswa) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Minnesota, this is the #13 most populous of 93 counties and ranks #51 for median household income with the #16 fastest decade growth .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $74,909 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
29.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (15,556 of 52,133 reporting).
13 Standard delivery, 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56401 | Brainerd | Standard | 31,841 | $73,128 | 350.2 | 8.0% |
| 56425 | Baxter | Standard | 8,932 | $70,740 | 21.3 | 16.8% |
| 56472 | Pequot Lakes | Standard | 8,830 | $81,328 | 182.6 | 17.7% |
| 56468 | Nisswa | Standard | 4,520 | $100,300 | 76.1 | -10.6% |
| 56441 | Crosby | Standard | 3,348 | $50,298 | 96.1 | -5.5% |
| 56444 | Deerwood | Standard | 3,331 | $77,500 | 69.6 | 13.1% |
| 56442 | Crosslake | Standard | 2,762 | $79,896 | 45.9 | 24.4% |
| 56465 | Merrifield | Standard | 2,476 | $74,400 | 54.9 | 29.6% |
| 56449 | Fort Ripley | Standard | 1,710 | $74,861 | 111.5 | -14.3% |
| 56455 | Ironton | Standard | 1,688 | $73,214 | 28.9 | -3.0% |
| 56450 | Garrison | Standard | 983 | $61,394 | 30.4 | -2.1% |
| 56447 | Emily | Standard | 843 | $64,464 | 87.2 | -26.0% |
| 56448 | Fifty Lakes | Standard | 476 | $93,365 | 48.3 | 83.8% |
| 56459 | Lake Hubert | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |