Official Federal Data
Waseca County, Minnesota
Population 18,885
9 Sources
Updated September 10, 2026
$76,261 up from the baseline named below
Median Income (nominal) vs 2019
$80,734 national
4.6% up from the baseline named below
Unemployment vs 2024
4.3% national
$1.3B up from the baseline named below
GDP (nominal) real change vs 2023
21% down from the baseline named below
Bachelor's+ vs 2019
35.7% national
Small population: 18,885 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household (nominal)
$76,261 up from 2019 vs 2019
Per Capita
$36,326 up from 2019 vs 2019
Mean Household
$90,562 up from 2019 vs 2019
Median Household (cost-of-living adjusted)
$77,344 state RPP 98.6
Poverty Rate
7.5% down from 2019 vs 2019approx.
Median Income Comparison
Waseca County$76,261
Minnesota$89,062
National$80,734
Waseca County is $12,801 (14.4%) below the Minnesota median.
Cost-of-living adjustment uses the BEA all-items regional price parity for Minnesota, 98.6 against a national average of 100 (2024). BEA publishes regional price parity at state and metropolitan level only; there is no county figure, so the state index stands in for Waseca County and the adjusted median is an approximation. Per capita and mean household income above are nominal and carry no adjustment.
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B01001, B02001, B03003
CohortsShare of total population
Under 18 · 22.7%
18-34 · 19.7%
35-54 · 25.7%
55-64 · 12.7%
65+ · 19.1%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
up from national +3.9 pts vs national
21%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
down from national 14.7 pts vs national
5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
down from national 9.1 pts vs national
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
18,885
Population
9,571
Labor Force
Employed
9,332
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.6% up from 2024 +0.8 pts vs 2024
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7%
Labor Force and Employed are ACS 5-Year survey estimates; the Unemployment Rate above comes from BLS LAUS, a separate monthly survey with its own methodology. The two won't reconcile by subtracting one from the other.
Key Takeaways
- Income near the national median: Median household income tracks the national median, indicating a broad-based consumer market.
- Below the state median: Median household income runs $12,801 (14.4%) under the Minnesota median, so statewide income averages overstate local household buying power.
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 14.7 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
$1.3B up from 2023 +9.7% vs 2023
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
+9.7% real (inflation-adjusted)
·
+11% nominal
· 2023 to 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · level and nominal change from CAGDP2 (current dollars); real change from CAGDP9 (chained 2017 dollars), both all-industry total. The two series agree in 2017, the chain reference year, and diverge by the amount of price change since.
98.6
Cost of Living · state · Below Avg
Key Takeaways
- Largest private-sector industry: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 965 workers (31.8% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $44,977. Every industry figure on this page is private sector; government employs a further 1,333 and is counted separately.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $1.3B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Manufacturing averages $82,968 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $14,875, a 5.6x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
6 sub-sectors at LQ ≥ 1.5
Largest grouping among them is Health Care & Social Assistance Cluster at 66.4% of the employment across all of them, which signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,113
Employment in the sub-sectors listed
9.61x
Peak sub-sector LQ
Sub-Sector Detail
Animal Production and Aquaculture
9.61x 80
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
4.36x 459
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
4.31x 139
Crop Production
2.15x 35
Social Assistance
1.83x 280
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
1.52x 120
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 9.61x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 6 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, but 66.4% of the employment across them depends on one source of demand: health care economy. Read the count as depth within that single demand base rather than as spread across separate ones.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064, B25004
$220,800 up from the baseline named below
Median Home Value vs 2019
$883 up from the baseline named below
Rent/Mo vs 2019
80.7% up from the baseline named below
Owner-Occ vs 2019
5.6% down from the baseline named below
Vacancy vs 2019
1.5% available
for rent or sale
for rent or sale
2.9x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
HUD publishes these by FMR area, which may cover more than one county · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026 · Affordability threshold and renter cost burden from Census ACS B25119, B25070
Studio
$677/mo
1 Bedroom
$742/mo
2 Bedroom
$973/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,353/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,495/mo
30% of monthly median renter household income (~$960/mo, from a renter median of $38,409) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Measured: 34.8% of renter households already pay 30% or more of income on rent, and 15.3% pay 50% or more.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.9x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 80.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Affordable rent tiers: 2 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom sizes sit below what a household on the median renter income of $38,409 can pay without cost burden (~$960/mo), and 34.8% of renter households are measured as cost-burdened.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23001, B23025, B08303, B08301
10,975 down from the baseline named below
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
80.2%
of prime-age population
Prime-age rate numerator is civilian employed (B23001); the denominator is total population aged 25-54 (B01001), which also includes armed forces.
of population age 16 and over (15,099)
down from 2019 vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003
Bachelor's+
21% down from 2019 vs 2019
HS Diploma+
93.5% up from 2019 vs 2019
Institutions in Waseca County
The IPEDS institutional directory lists no college, university, or technical school located in Waseca County. Any training pipeline serving this county runs through institutions outside it, which this page does not aggregate.
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.8%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Same cohort is 12.7% of total population, the basis used in the Demographics cohort chart.
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
33.9%
Service
17.1%
Sales & Office
18.6%
Construction / Maint.
11%
Production / Transport
19.4%
Bars are drawn on a 0% to 40% axis, so bar length is proportional to actual share. Labels give each group's share of 9,332 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Healthy participation: 63.4% labor force participation reflects a steady, available local workforce.
- Talent pipeline: no college, university, or technical school is located in Waseca County per the IPEDS institutional directory, so any training pipeline serving it runs through institutions outside the county.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
Sample output. Pulse AI analysis draws on 9 federal data sources.
Sample AI Insight
Waseca County shows strong potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 9.61x concentration and 80 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
Most of the employment across the concentrated sub-sectors traces back to a single source of demand. Health care economy accounts for 66.4% of it, with nursing and residential care facilities the largest single sub-sector at 41.2%. Recruitment that widens the demand base changes that exposure; recruitment inside the same base deepens it.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
BEA Regional Price Parity2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
American Community Survey figures on this page are 2020-2024 five-year averages rather than single-year counts. A five-year estimate pools 60 months of survey responses, so each value describes the period as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Waseca County, Minnesota, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Waseca County, Minnesota?
18,885 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Waseca County, Minnesota?
$76,261 in nominal dollars (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates). Adjusted for local prices using the BEA all-items regional price parity for Minnesota (98.6 against a national average of 100), that is $77,344 at national average prices. BEA publishes regional price parity at state level; there is no county-level figure.
What is the unemployment rate in Waseca County, Minnesota?
4.6% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Waseca County, Minnesota?
$1.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP2).
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