Scores by category

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

Safety94#932/15,637
Economy51#7,654/15,631
Housing70#4,446/14,977
Health58#6,596/15,609
Healthcare63#5,765/15,650
Environment98#351/15,453
Education36#10,020/15,649
Infrastructure42#9,032/15,650
Community95#726/15,651
Leisure & amenities63#5,792/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Waseca, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Waseca 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 · high62.0%
99/100Minnesota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWaseca County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Minnesota 36%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAWaseca County value
Traffic deaths · low4.2 /100k
98/100Minnesota 7.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataWaseca County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low94 min
98/100Minnesota 134 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWaseca County value
Social associations · high16.3 /10k
94/100Minnesota 12.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWaseca County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Minnesota 2.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWaseca County value

Weaknesses

Grocery stores · low0.5 /10k
2/100Minnesota 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWaseca County value
Pharmacies · low0.5 /10k
4/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWaseca County value
New business applications · low8.3 /1k
9/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauWaseca County value
Primary care physicians · low27 /100k
9/100Minnesota 90 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWaseca County value
Public EV charging ports · low1.1 /10k
12/100Minnesota 5.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyWaseca County value
Mental health providers · low86 /100k
12/100Minnesota 383 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWaseca County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
0.3 /1k (2021) → 5.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+1,580%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
63.0% (2015-2019) → 43.1% (2020-2024)
−20 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$45,429 (2015-2019) → $64,074 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.8% (2015-2019) → 88.2% (2020-2024)
+7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
11.2% (2015-2019) → 5.3% (2020-2024)
−5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
33.7% (2015-2019) → 28.4% (2020-2024)
−5.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Waseca, Minnesota improved on 4 of 13 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.

Improved4

Rent burden−20 points63.0% → 43.1%
Inequality−0.0790.477 → 0.397
Household income+41%$45,429 → $64,074
Broadband+7.4 points80.8% → 88.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Waseca, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.3 min2015-2019	19.1 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	38%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.6%2015-2019	17.2%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Broadband subscriptions	80.8%2015-2019	88.2%2020-2024	+7.4 points	Improved	46%
Effective property tax rate	1.34%2015-2019	1.45%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
High school diploma or higher	90.9%2015-2019	92.7%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	71%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4772015-2019	0.3972020-2024	−0.079	Improved	92%
Median household income	$45,4292015-2019	$64,0742020-2024	+41%	Improved	75%
Poverty rate	12.1%2015-2019	9.5%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Rent as share of income	33.7%2015-2019	28.4%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Rent-burdened households	63.0%2015-2019	43.1%2020-2024	−20 points	Improved	94%
Unemployment rate	5.0%2015-2019	2.8%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.6%2015-2019	4.1%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	54%

“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 Waseca, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Waseca, 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, Waseca, Minnesota itself moved +12.2 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

9,164 residents (±22)

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

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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

9,164 residents (±22)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

White85%7,746
Black1.7%†159
Hispanic or Latino8.6%787
Asian3.0%†274
American Indian and Alaska Native0.8%74
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races1.4%†124

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Asian (+2.3 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

6,317 residents (±184)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

No high school diploma7.3%†460
High school or GED39%2,472
Some college24%1,500
Associate degree13%797
Bachelor's degree13%851
Graduate degree3.8%†237

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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

3,546 households (±141)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k18%641
$25k–50k23%809
$50k–75k15%†528
$75k–100k15%534
$100k–150k16%†572
$150k–200k11%391
$200k or more2.0%†71

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−10.1 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

3,546 households (±141)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own72%2,549
Rent28%997

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

971 households (±167)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $75040%†387
$750–1,00030%†287
$1,000–1,50026%†256

Home values

2,549 homes (±189)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $150k35%884
$150k–250k36%920
$250k–400k28%719

Age of homes

3,682 homes (±139)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

2010 or later4.2%†155
2000–20097.4%†272
1980–199914%512

Size of homes

3,682 homes (±139)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Studio1.5%†56
1 bedroom12%†440
2 bedrooms29%1,082

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

4,004 workers (±252)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone85%3,396
Carpool9.2%†369
Public transit0.3%†12
Walk2.7%†109
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.8%†112
Other0.2%†6

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other (−2.1 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

3,892 workers (±264)

Waseca, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under 15 min44%1,727
15–29 min32%1,226
30–44 min17%†661

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

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 Waseca County, the county holding most of Waseca's residents.

Waseca County has 426 employer establishments, 224 for every 10,000 residents (0.90× the US rate of 248; 0.83× Minnesota's), with 4,108 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,020. The Census Bureau also counts 1,222 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 426; 1,222 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 224; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 4,108
Average annual pay: $52,020; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	33	17.3	1.12×About typical	154	$89,195	103
Restaurants and other eating places	30	15.8	0.86×About typical	270	$17,311	7
Truck transportation	29	15.2	3.01×More than typical	77	$50,182	58
Religious organizations	23	12.1	2.18×More than typical	149	$17,564	—
Ambulatory health care services	19	10	0.48×Fewer than typical	114	$53,316	28
Building equipment contractors	15	7.9	1.31×More than typical	78	$56,872	17
Construction of buildings	15	7.9	1.04×About typical	61	$53,131	60
Full-service restaurants	15	7.9	1.03×About typical	143	$17,944	4
Limited-service restaurants	13	6.8	0.85×About typical	114	$15,500	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	12	6.3	1.25×More than typical	21	$31,857	25
Insurance agencies and brokerages	11	5.8	1.32×More than typical	18	$42,778	23
Offices of other health practitioners	11	5.8	0.95×About typical	37	$43,541	12

Rank places for an industry Open Waseca County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 19,043 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

In FY2026, an estimated $23.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Waseca, Minnesota: $2.52 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $23.1K; +175% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2.52; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 11%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$19.7K85%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$2,1459.3%
Defense Logistics Agency$1,2035.2%

Top recipients

UNITY GLOBAL TRADING LLC$7,14931%
NITELINES USA INC$6,53428%
WASTE MANAGEMENT OF MINNESOTA, INC.$2,0638.9%
EXCEL ENERGY GROUP, INC.$1,6687.2%
GOVCREST INC$1,6557.2%

Spending by fiscal year

45.3KFY2017
42.3KFY2018
45.2KFY2019
38.5KFY2020
12.2KFY2021
15.1KFY2022
11.1KFY2023
5.2KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Employment services · 5613$8,06535%
Medical and diagnostic laboratories · 6215$7,14931%
Fabric mills · 3132$2,1459.3%
Waste collection · 5621$2,0638.9%
Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration equipment manufacturing · 3334$1,6557.2%
Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Waseca, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

Waseca, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Waseca County, MN ($1.2M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Waseca 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.

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

House

Brad FinstadR-MN-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.9%

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.

Waseca County90100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Waseca 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

JSON · /api/v1/places/2768296

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends