Minnesota · Census place 70420
Willmar, MN population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Willmar, Minnesota (Willmar, MN — Census place “Willmar city”) is 21,136 residents, ranking #56 of 914 places in Minnesota. Median household income is $63,368, the median home is worth $186,000 and median gross rent runs $830 a month. Looking for the Willmar Minnesota ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Willmar, MN: 56201.
- Population
- 21,136Willmar city residents
- Median household income
- $63,368Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $186,000Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $830Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 35.6 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 57.5%Owner-occupied households
Willmar ZIP codes (Minnesota)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Willmar.
The Willmar MN ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Willmar city
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Willmar city median would spend about 15.7% 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 2.9× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 15.2% of residents and 57.5% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Willmar city, MN in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Willmar city is a mid-size town in Minnesota, with 21,136 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #56 of 914 ranked by population — larger than 93% of them. The median age here is 35.6 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.
Households in Willmar city earn a median of $63,368 a year, 19.3% below the national figure of $78,538 and 16% below the $75,469 median for the 361 Minnesota cities we cover. Median household income counts every pre-tax dollar arriving at an address — wages, self-employment, Social Security, pensions, interest and public assistance — for everyone living there, so multi-earner households pull the figure up even where individual pay is modest. Poverty reaches 15.2% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Willmar city is valued at $186,000, 38.7% below the national figure and 23% below the $240,400 peer median, while median gross rent runs $830 a month, 41% below the national figure, or roughly $9,960 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 15.7% 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 2.9×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 57.5% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Gross rent folds in the utilities a tenant pays separately, so it is closer to the real monthly outlay than a headline rent figure.
Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. 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
Places of similar size in Minnesota.
- West St. Paul city 21,076
- Otsego city 21,358
- Forest Lake city 20,678
- New Hope city 21,402
- Northfield city 20,678
- Lino Lakes city 21,847
- South St. Paul city 20,633
- Golden Valley city 21,927
Keep going
More Minnesota coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Willmar city?
- Willmar city has 21,136 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #56 of 914 in Minnesota.
- What is the median household income in Willmar city?
- Median household income in Willmar city is $63,368 a year, 19.3% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Willmar city?
- Median gross rent is $830 a month and the median home value is $186,000, so rent absorbs about 15.7% of median household income.
- Is Willmar city affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 2.9× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Willmar city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 15.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Willmar city data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.