City · Kandiyohi County, Minnesota

Atwater, Minnesota

Atwater is a city in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, part of the Willmar, MN metro area. It has 1,203 residents. Atwater, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 79 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,284 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #252 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), social associations (high) and drought exposure (low). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), distance to an airport (high) and unemployment rate (high).

79High

Quality-of-life score: #3,284 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #252 of 364 in MN
Population: 1,203 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,167.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 2702692

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety66#5,254/15,637
Economy49#7,932/15,631
Housing73#4,033/14,977
Health73#4,171/15,609
Healthcare82#2,745/15,650
Environment96#569/15,453
Education48#8,116/15,649
Infrastructure49#8,004/15,650
Community83#2,638/15,651
Leisure & amenities41#9,189/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Atwater, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Kandiyohi County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mammography screening · high60.0%
98/100Minnesota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKandiyohi County value
Social associations · high19.2 /10k
97/100Minnesota 12.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKandiyohi County value
Drought exposure · low0%
96/100Minnesota 36%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAKandiyohi County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.347
95/100Minnesota 0.452United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Preventable hospital stays · low1,659 /100k
94/100Minnesota 2,419 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKandiyohi County value
Flu vaccinations · high55.0%
93/100Minnesota 50.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKandiyohi County value

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationKandiyohi County value
Distance to an airport · high90 mi
13/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauKandiyohi County value
Unemployment rate · high8.7%
13/100Minnesota 3.9%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100Minnesota 3.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Restaurants and bars · low5.6 /10k
15/100Minnesota 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsKandiyohi County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low59.5%
19/100Minnesota 86.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKandiyohi County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,014 (2015-2019) → 1,203 (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Unemployment rateWorsening
1.1% (2015-2019) → 8.7% (2020-2024)
+7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.7× (2015-2019) → 2.3× (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$54,926 (2015-2019) → $71,042 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
13.4% (2015-2019) → 18.0% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
5.6% (2015-2019) → 2.3% (2020-2024)
−3.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Atwater, Minnesota improved on 0 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Atwater, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.8 min2015-2019	22.4 min2020-2024	−1.4 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.4%2015-2019	18.0%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Broadband subscriptions	87.2%2015-2019	87.7%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Effective property tax rate	1.43%2015-2019	1.17%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	70%
High school diploma or higher	95.0%2015-2019	95.3%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	47%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3202015-2019	0.3472020-2024	+0.027	Within the margin of error	29%
Median household income	$54,9262015-2019	$71,0422020-2024	+29%	Within the margin of error	54%
Rent as share of income	21.0%2015-2019	21.3%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Atwater, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Atwater, Minnesota in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Atwater, Minnesota itself moved −4.4 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,203 residents (±263)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 women (−6.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,203 residents (±263)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

White87%1,041
Black0.4%†5
Hispanic or Latino1.8%†22

Education

688 residents (±119)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

No high school diploma4.7%†32
High school or GED38%262
Some college21%144

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

422 households (±63)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k15%†65
$25k–50k19%†82
$50k–75k18%†75
$75k–100k19%†80
$100k–150k20%86
$150k–200k7.1%†30
$200k or more0.9%†4

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+9.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

422 households (±63)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own80%339
Rent20%†83

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

77 households (±36)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $75039%†30
$750–1,00035%†27
$1,000–1,50017%†13

Home values

339 homes (±54)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $150k46%†156
$150k–250k40%†135
$250k–400k14%†48

Age of homes

450 homes (±67)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

2010 or later4.4%†20
2000–20098.0%†36
1980–199926%†117

Size of homes

450 homes (±67)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Studio2.0%†9
1 bedroom4.4%†20
2 bedrooms34%†153

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

596 workers (±100)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone90%537
Carpool3.9%†23
Public transit0.5%†3
Walk0.5%†3
Bike0.0%0
Work from home4.0%†24
Other1.0%†6

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (+11.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

572 workers (±94)

Atwater, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under 15 min26%†151
15–29 min54%310
30–44 min9.1%†52

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Willmar, MN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Kandiyohi County, the county holding most of Atwater's residents.

Kandiyohi County has 1,416 employer establishments, 319 for every 10,000 residents (1.28× the US rate of 248; 1.19× Minnesota's), with 18,568 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,009. The Census Bureau also counts 3,306 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,416; 3,306 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 319; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 18,568
Average annual pay: $51,009; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Kandiyohi County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	134	30.2	1.95×More than typical	612	$63,208	233
Ambulatory health care services	77	17.3	0.83×About typical	1,479	$75,318	89
Restaurants and other eating places	66	14.9	0.81×About typical	1,172	$19,675	13
Religious organizations	60	13.5	2.44×More than typical	471	$24,047	—
Building equipment contractors	54	12.2	2.02×More than typical	351	$59,578	35
Construction of buildings	48	10.8	1.43×More than typical	333	$75,153	126
Services to buildings and dwellings	46	10.4	1.54×More than typical	308	$31,841	202
Automotive repair and maintenance	43	9.7	1.92×More than typical	205	$52,332	64
Truck transportation	41	9.2	1.83×More than typical	166	$56,120	284
Lessors of real estate	40	9	0.73×Fewer than typical	83	$42,675	451
Insurance agencies and brokerages	37	8.3	1.90×More than typical	108	$56,611	46
Other specialty trade contractors	30	6.8	2.69×More than typical	91	$59,648	80

Rank places for an industry Open Kandiyohi County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 44,387 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Atwater is mostly in Kandiyohi County.

See federal money in Kandiyohi County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Atwater, Minnesota is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Michelle FischbachR-MN-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.4%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Kandiyohi County87100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Willmar, MN90

Other cities and towns in Kandiyohi County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

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