• county
  • FIPS 27159
  • Largest town: Wadena

Wadena County, Minnesota

Wadena County had 14,437 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 536.4 square miles of land. It ranks 58th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 64th by land area.

Population
14,437
#58 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,125 in US
Area
536.4 sq mi
#64 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,949 in US
Density
27 / sq mi
#46 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,016 in US
Median household income
$55,449
#86 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,284 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Wadena County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Wadena County population, land area and income

Wadena County had 14,437 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 536.4 square miles of land. It ranks 58th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 64th by land area. That works out to 26.9 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents; Wadena County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $55,449 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

14,437

3144th1st

2125th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

536 sq mi

3144th1st

1949th of 3,144 (US)

Density

26.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

2016th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$55,449

3143rd1st

2284th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

14,437

87th1st

58th of 87 (MN)

Land area

536 sq mi

87th1st

64th of 87 (MN)

Density

26.9 / sq mi

87th1st

46th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$55,449

87th1st

86th of 87 (MN)

How Wadena County's population changed since 2020

Wadena County gained 317 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.2%. That ranks 23rd of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Wadena County recorded 829 births and 918 deaths, a natural change of -89. Net international migration added +84 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +373. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 373 people.

14.1k202014.1k202114.3k202214.3k202314.4k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
829
Deaths
918
Net international migration
+84
Net domestic migration
+373
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+144

Where Wadena County is

The Census internal point of Wadena County is at 46.587000, -94.988600. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Wadena County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Wadena County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
46.587000, -94.988600
DMS
46°35'13.20"N 94°59'18.96"W
UTM
15N 347656.2E 5161191.4N
Geohash
cbk3n2zkv
Plus code
86R7H2P6+RH

Towns in Wadena County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Wadena County, 6,525 people together, or 45% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Wadena County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Wadena with 4,261.

  1. 01Wadena (part)4,261
  2. 02Menahga1,366
  3. 03Staples (part)898
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Wadena County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Wadena County. The most populous is Otter Tail County, MN, with 60,884 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 144.8 miles SE of Wadena County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 89.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Brainerd, MN (population 14,400), 40.9 miles away.

Wadena County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Wadena County is 27159: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 159. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $55,449.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Wadena County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 14,437. That is up 317 people (2.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 14,120.

What is the FIPS code of Wadena County?

27159. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (159) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Wadena County?

Wadena, with 4,261 residents inside Wadena County in 2024 (4,373 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Wadena County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Otter Tail County, MN; Becker County, MN; Cass County, MN; Todd County, MN; Hubbard County, MN.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.