HomeMinnesotaWadena CountyWadena
Wadena, Minnesota: commercial real estate data.
Wadena is a Census city of 4,419 people across 5.53 square miles of land, lying across Wadena County and Otter Tail County. Median household income is $56,080, 58.1 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 34 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $11.1 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Wadena
What Wadena is
- Census place typecity
- Land area5.53 sq mi
- Water area0 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land799
- County holding the largest share of its areaWadena County, 95.4 percent
- Counties this place lies inWadena County 95.4 percent, Otter Tail County 4.6 percent
Wadena crosses a county line. The split above is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries, by area, so it says where the ground is and not where the town hall is.
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wadena
How many people live in Wadena
- Population4,419
- Median age39.2
- Population under 181,191 plus or minus 239
- Share under 1827.0 percent
- Population 65 and over803 plus or minus 178
- Share 65 and over18.2 percent plus or minus 4.0
- Households2,042
- Family households1,138
- Share of households that are families55.7 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wadena
Income and work in Wadena
- Median household income$56,080
- Per capita income$31,596
- Civilian labor force2,117
- Employed1,986
- Unemployed131 plus or minus 98
- Unemployment rate6.2 percent plus or minus 4.6
- Adults 25 and over2,906
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher90.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher17.6 percent plus or minus 5.8
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.3 percent plus or minus 2.7
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wadena
Housing in Wadena
- Housing units2,086
- Occupied units2,042
- Vacant units44 plus or minus 70
- Vacancy rate2.1 percent plus or minus 3.4
- Owner occupied1,186
- Renter occupied856 plus or minus 172
- Ownership rate58.1 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$160,800
- Median gross rent, monthly$684
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.6 percent plus or minus 3.2
- Single family units1,461
- Share single family70.0 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more625 plus or minus 186
- Share in buildings of two or more30.0 percent plus or minus 8.5
- Mobile homes0
- Median year structure built1964
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wadena
How Wadena gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute1,889
- Commuting under 15 minutes1,274 plus or minus 319
- Share commuting under 15 minutes67.4 percent plus or minus 15.3
- Commuting 30 minutes or more345 plus or minus 157
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more18.3 percent plus or minus 8.1
- Drove alone82.6 percent
- Carpooled5.3 percent plus or minus 4.3
- Public transport0.9 percent plus or minus 1.1
- Walked0.0 percent
- Worked from home5.0 percent plus or minus 4.7
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wadena
SBA loans in Wadena (7(a))
- Approvals34
- Gross approval$11,139,500
- Average approval$327,632
- Median approval$216,050
- Ninetieth percentile approval$743,250
- Largest approval$1,980,000
- Jobs supported706
- Jobs per approval20.8
- Loans with a final outcome15
- Paid in full14
- Charged off1
- Median term72 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more14.7 percent
- Share to franchises2.9 percent
- Distinct lenders4
- Distinct industries by NAICS22
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Wadena, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 15 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wadena
SBA loans in Wadena (504)
- Approvals2
- Gross approval$743,000
- Average approval$371,500
- Median approval$371,500
- Largest approval$412,000
- Jobs supported42
- Loans with a final outcome1
- Charged off0
- Median term270 months
- Distinct CDCs2
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Wadena, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wadena
Flood risk in Wadena
- NFIP communityCity of Wadena
- NFIP community number270495
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date07/17/86(M)
The City of Wadena participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 270495 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Wadena County, not Wadena
Wadena County context, not Wadena figures
- Establishments in Wadena County399
- Covered employment, Wadena County5,650
- Average annual pay, Wadena County$50,358
- Housing units permitted, Wadena County57
Every figure in this section is published for Wadena County as a whole and is not a measurement of Wadena.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Wadena questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Wadena, Minnesota?
4,419, in 2,042 households. Wadena city covers 5.53 square miles of land, which is 799 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Wadena in?
Wadena lies in more than one. By area it is 95.4 percent in Wadena County, 4.6 percent in Otter Tail County. This page sits under Wadena County because that county holds the largest share. The split is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries.
What is the median household income in Wadena?
$56,080. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $160,800. Median gross rent is $684 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Wadena businesses?
34 7(a) approvals totaling $11.1 m since FY2020, across 4 lenders, median approval $216,050, plus 2 504 approvals worth $743,000 since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Wadena, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Wadena borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Wadena. Only 15 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Wadena in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Wadena appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Wadena, city of, community 270495, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Wadena figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Wadena County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Wadena.
Is zoning published for Wadena?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.
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