Jury Pool Profile
Wadena County, Minnesota
- County seat
- Wadena
- Judicial district
- 7th Judicial District Court
- Population (July 2025 estimate)
- 14,388
- Census PEP. The five-year ACS survey average is 14,256.
At a glance
Wadena County is a 14,388-person venue. The county population is 86% White (Census race-alone categories). Median household income is $61,394, $25,726 below the MN state median of $87,120; 19.8% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 2.6% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home. The largest employment sector is Education & health services, at 40.7% of covered employment, average pay $57,242/year. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 6.59%, above the 4.31% state average. The county carried the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, 2020, and 2024, taking 70% to 75% of the vote across the three.
- Population
- 14,256
- Median household income
- $61,467
- Unemployment
- 6.6%
Who sits on a jury?
≥70% White (race-alone) and <20% Black. This county: 86% / 2%.
Wadena County has a population of 14,256, with a median age of 40.0. By Census race-alone categories, White residents make up 86.5%; Black residents 1.7%. Independently, 2.4% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The median household earns $61,394; 19.8% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 15.1% live below the federal poverty line.
Economic context
Largest sector in BLS QCEW: Education & health services, about 41% of covered jobs.
Education & health services is the largest employment sector at 40.7% of covered employment, followed by Trade, transportation & utilities at 23.4%. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 6.59%, above the Minnesota state average.
Political composition
Republican candidate carried this county in 2016, 2020, and 2024 (avg winning share: 72%). 'Strongly' threshold: ≥60% avg.
Wadena County was carried by the Republican candidate in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 cycles, with 75.1% in 2024, 71.9% in 2020, 70.2% in 2016.
Languages, households, faith & health
Family households are 62% of all households (thresholds: ≥70% = 'family-dominant'; 50–70% = 'family-majority'; <50% = 'singles/nonfamily-majority'). 2.6% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home (threshold for 'linguistically diverse' is ≥10%).
2.6% of residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. The most common are Spanish, German or other West Germanic, French, Haitian, or Cajun. Veterans account for 8.0% of the adult civilian population (831 individuals).