Watonwan County GIS Maps
Watonwan County, Minnesota, has 11,253 residents and covers 435 square miles. The population grew 0.4% between the 2010 and 2020 census. More residents moved in than left over that decade. The FIPS code for Watonwan County is 27165.
St. James is the county's largest population center. Watonwan County also includes 6 zip codes, 5 public school districts and 35 municipalities. Those boundaries help explain why population, schools, and housing can look different from one part of the county to another. The map below shows how those county lines, zip codes, and school districts fit together, and the sections that follow use that same geography to show population, demographics, school enrollment and housing patterns in more detail.
Maps, GIS layers and sample data. Paid packages add full layers, analytics and database files.
Watonwan County Trends
- Population
- 11,253▴
- Median Home Value
- $151,600▴
- K-12 Enrollment
- 2,335▾
County analytics dashboards with historical trends & projections included in package downloads.
Free starter access previews county maps, lightweight GIS, and sample data. Paid packages unlock full GIS layers, analytics, and database files.
Watonwan County Maps
The maps below show a few of the county map styles included in our downloads. County packages include map exports in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF and GeoTIFF formats plus more than 20 GIS layers for mapping, research and analysis. Available layers include zip codes, area codes, subdivisions, school districts, political boundaries, roads, water features, points of interest and more.
County packages also include historical county demographics, business intelligence, analytical dashboards, AI-ready prompts, markdown files and related reference data. Everything is organized to save hours of manual work collecting current data, cleaning it and joining it together. That makes it easier to move faster on analytics, due diligence, business planning and location research. Paid packages are built for commercial use, but some package contents include source-specific attribution or notice guidance. Review Licensing & Data Source Notices.
Watonwan County Population
Watonwan County had 11,253 residents in 2020. That was 0.4% higher than in 2010. Watonwan County had 623 fewer people in 2020 than it did in 2000, which points to a long-term population decline. The county is fairly spread out, with about 26 people per square mile. Some of the county's most populated postal areas include Saint James, Madelia and Butterfield.
Population Trend in Watonwan County MN
Watonwan County Population per 2000, 2010 and 2020 census counts with a baseline 2030 projection.
Watonwan County Zip Codes
Watonwan County has 6 zip codes. Some of the county's most populated zip codes include Saint James (56081), Madelia (56062) and Butterfield (56120). Saint James is the largest zip by population, with about 6,139 residents or 55% of the county total. Together, the three largest zips account for about 93% of all county residents based on 2020 population estimates.
Most Populated Zip Codes in Watonwan County MN
| ZIP | Area | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56081 | Saint James | 6,139 | ▴ 0.7% |
| 56062 | Madelia | 3,239 | ▴ 1% |
| 56120 | Butterfield | 1,088 | ▾ -2.9% |
| 56060 | Lewisville | 431 | ▾ -4.6% |
| 56056 | La Salle | 84 | ▾ -12.5% |
| Download all zip code data | |||
Watonwan County Zip Code populations and trends per most recent census data.
Watonwan County Demographics
Watonwan County has a median age of 40.6, which makes the county a little older than Minnesota overall. About 25.6% of residents are under 18, while 20.2% are 65 or older. That gives the county a fairly even mix of younger families and older adults. The largest age group is 25 to 44 at about 27.4% of the population, which points to a solid working-age base. About 18.2% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the statewide figure of 38.8%. The county has a more diverse population mix, with no single race or ethnicity accounting for all of the local story.
Key Demographics for Watonwan County MN
Median Age
40.6
Under 18
25.6%
Age 65+
20.2%
Bachelor's+
18.2%
Watonwan County School Districts
Watonwan County is served by 5 public school districts with 2,335 students enrolled in 2024. The largest districts on the county map are St. James Public, Madelia Public and Truman Public. Those three districts account for about 86% of public school enrollment in the map area. Total enrollment has grown modestly since 2017 across the districts shown on the county map.
Largest School Districts by Enrollment in Watonwan County MN
| District | Enrollment | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. James Public School District | 1,143 | 49% | ▾ -0.6% |
| Madelia Public School District | 646 | 27.7% | ▴ 2.1% |
| Truman Public School District | 229 | 9.8% | ▾ -5% |
| Butterfield-Odin Public School District | 213 | 9.1% | ▴ 1.4% |
| Comfrey Public School District | 104 | 4.5% | ▾ -1% |
| Download all school district data | |||
Watonwan County school district enrollment and trends per most recent NCES reporting data.
Watonwan County Housing & Real Estate
Watonwan County has a median home value of $151,600 and a median gross rent of $807. About 78% of occupied homes in the county are owner-occupied, so the local housing market leans heavily toward ownership. Home values run below the Minnesota median, while rents come in below the state average. In March 2026, the median listing price was $192,325 and homes spent about 59 days on the market.
Watonwan County Housing Mix
Watonwan County housing mix: owner, renter and vacant units.
Watonwan County Housing Trends
Watonwan County median home value and rent trend (last 5 years).
Businesses in Watonwan County, MN
Watonwan County has 472 business listings across 197 categories. The largest categories in Watonwan County business listings are Churches & Religious Organizations (29, 6.1%), Auto Repair (16, 3.4%), and Lake (10, 2.1%). The full Watonwan County business listings dataset includes names, categories, addresses and contact details where available. Watonwan County packages also include U.S. Census County Business Patterns data with establishment counts, employment and payroll by industry sector.
Top Business Categories in Watonwan County, MN
| Category | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Churches & Religious Organizations | 29 | 6.1% |
| Auto Repair | 16 | 3.4% |
| Lake | 10 | 2.1% |
| Community & Nonprofits | 9 | 1.9% |
| Contractors | 8 | 1.7% |
| Public And Government Association | 8 | 1.7% |
| Grocery Stores | 8 | 1.7% |
| Gas Stations | 7 | 1.5% |
| Hardware Stores | 7 | 1.5% |
| Parks & Recreation | 7 | 1.5% |
Watonwan County Business Listings
| Business | Category | City |
|---|---|---|
| Super Sale | Advertising Agency | St James |
| Tri-County Seed | Agricultural Service | St James |
| Badland Aircraft | Aircraft Manufacturer | Truman |
| St James Municipal Airport | Airport | St James |
| St James Ambulance Department | Ambulance And Ems Services | St James |
| Village Inn | American Restaurants | La Salle |
| Blue Sky Antiques | Antique Store | St James |
| Ann's Emporium | Art Gallery | Madelia |
| Odin Craft Mill | Arts And Crafts | Odin |
| Noi's Asian Delights | Asian Restaurant | Butterfield |
| Download Watonwan County business listings | ||
Watonwan County business listings sourced from Overture Maps. Includes locations with a high level of confidence.
Watonwan County Basemaps
Watonwan County map and data packages include a set of useful basemaps to help you get started quickly. These include a custom light grey canvas, USGS topo, imagery and other reference layers that make it easier to build clear, meaningful county maps using the included GIS layers, your own data or both. Pre-rendered map tiles for the light grey basemap are included so you can use them offline or host them on your own CDN.
Get the Full Watonwan County Data Package
This page shows a preview of what's included in the Watonwan County data package. The full package gives you a ready-to-use county data system with GIS layers, historical data, maps, database files and planning tools that save hours of manual data gathering, cleanup and joins. Everything is organized to help you skip data wrangling and start analysis faster.
- 20+ GIS layers for zip codes, school districts, roads, water, boundaries and more
- Historical county demographics, housing, income and trend data
- ZIP code population files and school district enrollment history
- Database files, markdowns, AI-ready prompts and documentation
- Map exports in PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG and GeoTIFF formats
- Offline-ready data explorer, map and analytics tools
Paid packages support commercial use, client work, and derived outputs. Some package contents may include source-specific attribution or provider notices. See Licensing & Data Source Notices.
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Nearby Counties
Browse county data pages for the counties that border Watonwan County. These nearby pages include the same mix of county maps, demographic summaries, school district context, housing trends and package links.