| ZIP Codes: | 6 ZIP Codes (6 Standard, 0 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 218 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 11:53:58 PM |
| Population: | 22,724 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 27159 |
| Land Area: | 999 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 12 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 46.5259, -95.0086 |
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22,724 residents live across 6 ZIPs covering 999 sq mi, served by 6 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 20,948 to 22,724 from 2014 to 2024 — a +8.5% change. 5 ZIPs gained residents, 1 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 56481 (Verndale, $73,295 median) and poorest ZIP 56434 (Aldrich, $48,750) are 8.1 miles apart — a 1.5× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 1.2× across this county — from $167,700 in 56481 (Verndale) to $207,700 in 56464 (Menahga).
Density varies 5× across the county — from 11 people/sq mi in 56477 (Sebeka) to 55 in 56482 (Wadena).
Educational attainment ranges from 11.9% bachelor's+ in 56434 (Aldrich) to 22.9% in 56479 (Staples) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Minnesota, this is the #44 most populous of 93 counties and ranks #89 for median household income with the #12 fastest decade growth .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $64,864 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
19.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (2,960 of 14,966 reporting).
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56482 | Wadena | Standard | 7,619 | $64,439 | 138.3 | 12.1% |
| 56464 | Menahga | Standard | 5,053 | $70,833 | 267.1 | 15.2% |
| 56479 | Staples | Standard | 5,021 | $59,920 | 199.1 | 4.5% |
| 56477 | Sebeka | Standard | 2,594 | $57,857 | 234.5 | 8.0% |
| 56481 | Verndale | Standard | 2,255 | $73,295 | 145.1 | 1.9% |
| 56434 | Aldrich | Standard | 182 | $48,750 | 15.1 | -47.4% |