Waite Park is a city of 8,399 people in Minnesota. 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. The foreign-born share is 28%. 51% of homes are owner-occupied. That trails the Minnesota median by roughly 33%. 1,831 more people live here than in 2000.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $59,285, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.1
US median: 38.9
Less educated
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 28%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Waite Park
What changed most since 1990
Black share0.2% → 35.5%(+35.3 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
White share97.2% → 51.7%(−45.5 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Homes owned by their occupants37.3% → 51.3%(+14.0 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Waite Park's population equals 5.2% of Stearns County's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 19% of the county's. Its number of people who work from home equals 2.6% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)8.7%(29)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)11.1%(37)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era28.4%(95)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War27.5%(92)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 334 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Waite Park, decade by decade
Waite Park population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
5,020
$57,770
$135,364
13.4%
6.8
2000
6,568
$61,577
$171,600
16.1%
18.8
2010
6,715
$54,710
$225,568
21.0%
39.2
2020
8,341
$53,169
$194,775
14.2%
73.3
2024
8,399
$59,285
$219,400
20.1%
74.7
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
