What is the population of Wadena city?

Wadena city has 4,361 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #168 of 914 in Minnesota.

What is the median household income in Wadena city?

Median household income in Wadena city is $45,850 a year, 41.6% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Wadena city?

Median gross rent is $683 a month and the median home value is $158,700, so rent absorbs about 17.9% of median household income.

Is Wadena city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 3.5× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Wadena city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 17.9% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Minnesota · Census place 67504

Wadena, MN population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Wadena, Minnesota (Wadena, MN — Census place “Wadena city”) is 4,361 residents, ranking #168 of 914 places in Minnesota. Median household income is $45,850, the median home is worth $158,700 and median gross rent runs $683 a month. Looking for the Wadena Minnesota ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Wadena, MN: 56482.

Population: 4,361Wadena city residents
Median household income: $45,850Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $158,700Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $683Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 36.5 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 52.6%Owner-occupied households

Wadena ZIP codes (Minnesota)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Wadena.

The Wadena MN ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

56482

What the numbers mean in Wadena city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Wadena city median would spend about 17.9% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.5× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 14.5% of residents and 52.6% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Wadena city, MN in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Wadena city is a small town in Minnesota, with 4,361 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #168 of 914 ranked by population — larger than 81% of them. The median age here is 36.5 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.

Households in Wadena city earn a median of $45,850 a year, 41.6% below the national figure of $78,538 and 39% below the $75,469 median for the 361 Minnesota cities we cover. Household income here is measured before tax and pooled across everyone at the address, which is why it reads higher than typical individual earnings in the same area. Poverty reaches 14.5% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Wadena city is valued at $158,700, 47.7% below the national figure and 34% below the $240,400 peer median, while median gross rent runs $683 a month, 51.4% below the national figure, or roughly $8,196 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 17.9% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.5×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 52.6% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.

No figure on this page is estimated by us; each one comes straight from the published ACS tables for this area. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Wadena city?: Wadena city has 4,361 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #168 of 914 in Minnesota.
What is the median household income in Wadena city?: Median household income in Wadena city is $45,850 a year, 41.6% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Wadena city?: Median gross rent is $683 a month and the median home value is $158,700, so rent absorbs about 17.9% of median household income.
Is Wadena city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 3.5× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Wadena city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 17.9% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Wadena city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.