Watonwan County, Minnesota
Population 11,205 · St. James, Madelia, Butterfield
- Overall cost of living: −14.1% vs the US average, lower than 76% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- January low: 6°F, lower than 93% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−14.1% | lower than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Minnesota outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $162,400 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Median rent | $834 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $176/mo | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,644/yr | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.05% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.875% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| State income tax | 7.05% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,700 | higher than 53% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $71,699 | higher than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +3% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 338.5 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈202 days | lower than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 82°F | lower than 81% of US counties |
| January low | 6°F | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 50 in | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 12 days | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 160 days | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 8.5% of weeks | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈60.1°F | lower than 68% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 31.4 in | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $109/yr | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $74/yr | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.22/yr | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $19/yr | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.07/yr | lower than 74% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.7 µg/m³ | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 229.3 mi | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈313.1 ft | lower than 67% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 86.2% | lower than 75% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 17.2% | lower than 76% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 4.3% | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.1:1 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 80.9% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.83 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 6.81 | lower than 87% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.41 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 5.1 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 63/100k | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 3 | lower than 45% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 5★ | the highest in the US |
| Life expectancy | 80.2 yrs | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 9.1% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 71/100k | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 54/100k | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 71.4% | higher than 62% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 115 min | higher than 97% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 128 min | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 83.5% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1.3% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 8.1% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 127 min | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 44 per sq mi | higher than 73% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.7 per 1k | lower than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 5.9 per 1k | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Population | 11,205 | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Median age | 40.8 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -10.3 per 1k/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 35.1% Dem | higher than 65% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 62.9% Rep | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % White | 67.7% | lower than 68% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 30.4% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % Black | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Asian | 0.3% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 1.2% | lower than 97% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 11 parks | lower than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 16.1 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.5 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 4 min | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.1% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 10 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 7 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 36 km | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 10 km | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 10 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 25 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 13 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 17 km | higher than 58% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data