Wadena County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Wadena County, MN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Minnesota
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C
Income Below averageAmong the 5 least wealthy counties in Minnesota
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F
Education Well below averageAmong the 5 least educated counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,256 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 26.2 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.45% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.9 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,081 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Wadena County grew by 6.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14,256 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Wadena County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 19.4% of residents. That is 2.9 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,724 19.1% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,498 17.5% -4.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,762 19.4% -0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,768 19.4% +2.9 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Minnesota, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.6% of the people living in Wadena County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 49.4% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Wadena County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Wadena County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,396 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.73% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Wadena County is about 32% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $165,278 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $745 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.6% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Wadena County is about 18.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $745 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Wadena County spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 133 hours, about 5.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.9 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 31.9 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 133 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,120 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.4% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,478 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 401 | 854 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Minnesota:
Brown County (10.6 min), Pennington County (10.8 min), Cottonwood County (10.9 min).
Slowest:
Chisago County (30.9 min), Wright County (28.8 min), Sherburne County (28.8 min).
The average commute time in Wadena County is 16 minutes, shorter than the 20 minutes in Minnesota.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Wadena County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.8% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.28 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Minnesota:
Hennepin County (0.4), Olmsted County (0.4), Carver County (0.4).
Lowest:
Nobles County (0.2), Mahnomen County (0.2), Watonwan County (0.2).
Health
Wadena County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Wadena County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.6% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.2% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Minnesota:
Carver County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Stevens County (0.8).
Lowest:
Mahnomen County (0.8), Clearwater County (0.8), Beltrami County (0.8).
Wadena County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Wadena County, MN is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 14,256 residents against a local median of 30,992. Nothing separates Wadena County, MN sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 14% below the local median at $61,396 against $71,230. Wadena County, MN has the 6th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadena County, MN | 14,256 | $61,396 #6/6 | $165,278 #4/6 | 15.9 min #1/6 |
| Todd County, MN | 25,575 | $67,400 | $100,000 | 21.4 min |
| Hubbard County, MN | 21,828 | $71,424 | $72,500 | 18.0 min |
| Cass County, MN | 30,992 | $68,462 | $171,195 | 21.0 min |
| Otter Tail County, MN | 60,475 | $72,292 | $201,531 | 16.3 min |
| Becker County, MN | 35,340 | $71,230 | $225,015 | 16.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Wadena County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Wadena County, Minnesota?
About 14,256 people live in Wadena County, Minnesota, in 6,081 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 38.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Wadena County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Wadena County, Minnesota has 26 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 30% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Wadena County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 2.7 times the median household income ($165,278 against $61,396), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $745 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Wadena County, Minnesota?
16.8% of adults in Wadena County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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