Waseca County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Waseca 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.
-
B
Health Around average
-
B
Income Around averageLess wealthy than 76% of counties in Minnesota
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Waseca County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,885 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 43.6 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.10% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.1 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,477 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Waseca County grew by 46.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18,885 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Waseca County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.3% of residents. That is 0.5 points below Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,731 19.8% -1.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,022 21.3% -0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,792 20.1% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,461 18.3% +1.8 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 51.7% of the people living in Waseca County and men 48.3%.
- Women 51.7% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 48.3% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Waseca County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Waseca County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Waseca County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $76,286 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.15% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Waseca County is about 15% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Waseca County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $32,777 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $882 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.7% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Waseca County is about 3.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $882 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Waseca County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 172 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Waseca County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.7 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.4 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 172 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,341 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.0% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,146 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 601 | 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 Waseca County is 21 minutes, longer 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
Waseca County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Waseca County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.9% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.39 | 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
Waseca County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Waseca County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.1 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.0% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.7% | 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).
Waseca County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Waseca County, MN is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 18,885 residents against a local median of 37,436. Where Waseca County, MN breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 84% below the local median of $204,296 at $32,777.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.7 min against a local median of 15.7 min, 32% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 32% above the local median it puts Waseca County, MN at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $247,465 on median home price, so Waseca County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Waseca County, MN has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waseca County, MN | 18,885 | $76,286 #4/6 | $32,777 #6/6 | 20.7 min #5/6 |
| Steele County, MN | 37,436 | $84,760 | $204,296 | 13.3 min |
| Le Sueur County, MN | 29,116 | $92,665 | $224,959 | 22.4 min |
| Freeborn County, MN | 30,623 | $70,120 | $135,869 | 15.7 min |
| Rice County, MN | 67,917 | $82,909 | $383,335 | 17.3 min |
| Blue Earth County, MN | 69,837 | $74,407 | $195,031 | 13.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Waseca County, Minnesota.
How big is Waseca County, Minnesota by population?
About 18,885 people live in Waseca County, Minnesota, in 7,477 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Waseca County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Waseca County, Minnesota has 44 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 50% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Waseca County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 0.4 times the median household income ($32,777 against $76,286), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $882 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Waseca County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Waseca County, Minnesota is only 2.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Waseca County, Minnesota?
20.9% of adults in Waseca County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →