Wadena County is a county of 14,256 people in Minnesota. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 20% of adults. The foreign-born share is 1%. The typical home is worth $173,000, having more than doubled since 2000. Households here earn about 31% less than in Minnesota as a whole. There are 27 people per square mile.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $61,467, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.0
US median: 38.9
Less educated
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 47%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Wadena County
What changed most since 1990
Poverty rate21.8% → 12.5%(−9.3 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Adults with a bachelor's degree11.6% → 19.8%(+8.2 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Median household income (2024 dollars)$41,600 → $61,467(+48%)US over the same years: +14%
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)11.1%(92)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)13%(108)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38.1%(317)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.4%(28)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.1%(1)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 831 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
Wadena County, decade by decade
Wadena County 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
13,154
$41,600
$87,843
11.6%
2.0
2000
13,713
$55,836
$117,679
13.4%
6.7
2010
13,843
$49,898
$163,709
14.8%
10.2
2020
14,065
$55,970
$163,625
16.9%
17.2
2024
14,256
$61,467
$173,000
19.8%
31.1
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.
