| ZIP Codes: | 11 ZIP Codes (8 Standard, 3 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 218 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:37 PM |
| Population: | 12,158 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 27071 |
| Land Area: | 2,817 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 136 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 48.2514, -93.7838 |
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12,158 residents live across 11 ZIPs covering 2,817 sq mi, served by 11 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 13,528 to 12,158 from 2014 to 2024 — a -10.1% change. 1 ZIPs gained residents, 8 lost (and 1 held flat).
The county's wealthiest ZIP 56668 (Ranier, $116,250 median) and poorest ZIP 56627 (Big Falls, $36,500) are 39.0 miles apart — a 3.2× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 3.9× across this county — from $69,200 in 56627 (Big Falls) to $272,200 in 56669 (Kabetogama).
Density varies 4126× across the county — from 0 people/sq mi in 56627 (Big Falls) to 1,046 in 56668 (Ranier).
Educational attainment ranges from 8.3% bachelor's+ in 56627 (Big Falls) to 45.0% in 56668 (Ranier) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Minnesota, this is the #61 most populous of 93 counties and ranks #67 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $66,623 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
22.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (2,036 of 9,240 reporting).
8 Standard delivery, 3 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
Median household income spans 3.2× between the wealthiest and poorest ZIPs — a sign of significant intra-county inequality.
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.
One ZIP holds the majority of this county's population — a sign of a county built around a single city or town.
Koochiching County lost 10.1% of residents between 2014 and 2024. ZIPs that shed the largest share:
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56649 | International Falls | Standard | 8,825 | $64,736 | 347.4 | -9.8% |
| 56653 | Littlefork | Standard | 1,239 | $74,583 | 578.5 | -10.9% |
| 56661 | Northome | Standard | 895 | $65,469 | 396.5 | -7.8% |
| 56669 | Kabetogama | Standard | 264 | $64,688 | 249.9 | -19.5% |
| 56629 | Birchdale | PO Box | 224 | $90,938 | 40.5 | -3.9% |
| 56668 | Ranier | PO Box | 217 | $116,250 | 0.2 | 79.3% |
| 56660 | Mizpah | Standard | 193 | $64,464 | 221.9 | -33.7% |
| 56627 | Big Falls | Standard | 192 | $36,500 | 757.6 | -32.6% |
| 56654 | Loman | Standard | 109 | $51,250 | 224.8 | -11.4% |
| 56658 | Margie | Standard | 0 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 56679 | South International Falls | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |