• county
  • FIPS 27165
  • Largest town: St. James

Watonwan County, Minnesota

Watonwan County had 11,204 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 435.0 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 76th by land area.

Population
11,204
#65 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,328 in US
Area
435.0 sq mi
#76 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,330 in US
Density
26 / sq mi
#48 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,045 in US
Median household income
$64,868
#73 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,387 in US

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

Watonwan County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Watonwan County population, land area and income

Watonwan County had 11,204 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 435.0 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 76th by land area. That works out to 25.8 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; Watonwan County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $64,868 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

11,204

3144th1st

2328th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

435 sq mi

3144th1st

2330th of 3,144 (US)

Density

25.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

2045th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$64,868

3143rd1st

1387th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

11,204

87th1st

65th of 87 (MN)

Land area

435 sq mi

87th1st

76th of 87 (MN)

Density

25.8 / sq mi

87th1st

48th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$64,868

87th1st

73rd of 87 (MN)

How Watonwan County's population changed since 2020

Watonwan County lost 34 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.3%. That ranks 54th 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, Watonwan County recorded 750 births and 566 deaths, a natural change of +184. Net international migration added +338 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -575. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 575 people.

11.2k202011.2k202111.2k202211.2k202311.2k2024
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
750
Deaths
566
Net international migration
+338
Net domestic migration
-575
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+25

Where Watonwan County is

The Census internal point of Watonwan County is at 43.978100, -94.613800. 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 Watonwan 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: Watonwan County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
43.978100, -94.613800
DMS
43°58'41.16"N 94°36'49.68"W
UTM
15N 370566.8E 4870706.4N
Geohash
9zudpjbr4
Plus code
86M7X9HP+6F

Towns in Watonwan County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Watonwan County, 7,180 people together, or 64% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Watonwan County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is St. James with 4,750.

  1. 01St. James4,750
  2. 02Madelia2,430
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Watonwan County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Watonwan County. The most populous is Blue Earth County, MN, with 70,700 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 100.6 miles NE of Watonwan County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Minneapolis, MN (population 428,579), 95.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is New Ulm, MN (population 13,970), 24.2 miles away.

Watonwan County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Watonwan County is 27165: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 165. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $64,868.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Watonwan County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 11,204. That is down 34 people (0.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 11,238.

What is the FIPS code of Watonwan County?

27165. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (165) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Watonwan County?

St. James, with 4,750 residents inside Watonwan County in 2024.

Which counties border Watonwan County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Blue Earth County, MN; Brown County, MN; Martin County, MN; Cottonwood County, MN; Jackson 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.