City · McLeod County, Minnesota

Winsted, Minnesota

Winsted is a city in McLeod County, Minnesota, part of the Hutchinson, MN metro area. It has 2,181 residents. Winsted, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 82 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,774 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #211 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on new homes permitted (high), high school diploma or higher (high) and drought exposure (low). It ranks worst on preventable hospital stays (high), mental health care shortage (high) and adult obesity (high).

82Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,774 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #211 of 364 in MN
Population: 2,181 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,149.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 2771086

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.

Safety85#2,420/15,637
Economy59#6,421/15,631
Housing61#5,863/14,977
Health66#5,290/15,609
Healthcare62#5,998/15,650
Environment99#87/15,453
Education68#4,933/15,649
Infrastructure42#9,060/15,650
Community94#931/15,651
Leisure & amenities51#7,727/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Winsted, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “McLeod 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

New homes permitted · high45.8 /1k
99/100Minnesota 3.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
High school diploma or higher · high95.0%
97/100Minnesota 93.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Drought exposure · low0%
96/100Minnesota 36%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAMcLeod County value
Social associations · high16.6 /10k
95/100Minnesota 12.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMcLeod County value
Unemployment rate · low0.8%
93/100Minnesota 3.9%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Minnesota 4.3United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMcLeod County value

Weaknesses

Preventable hospital stays · high5,398 /100k
1/100Minnesota 2,419 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMcLeod County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMcLeod County value
Adult obesity · high42.1%
12/100Minnesota 37.1%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
New business applications · low9.0 /1k
15/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMcLeod County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low16.9%
24/100Minnesota 39.4%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
27/100Minnesota 1.8%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
2.1 /1k (2021) → 45.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+2,092%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.2% (2015-2019) → 89.9% (2020-2024)
+8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
52.6% (2015-2019) → 59.3% (2020-2024)
+6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
9.5% (2015-2019) → 4.3% (2020-2024)
−5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
High school diploma or higherImproving
90.9% (2015-2019) → 95.0% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.388 (2015-2019) → 0.456 (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

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, Winsted, Minnesota improved on 2 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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.

Improved2

High school++4.1 points90.9% → 95.0%
Broadband+8.7 points81.2% → 89.9%

Declined1

Inequality+0.0680.388 → 0.456

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Winsted, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	31.3 min2015-2019	27.0 min2020-2024	−4.3 min	Within the margin of error	87%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.6%2015-2019	16.9%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Broadband subscriptions	81.2%2015-2019	89.9%2020-2024	+8.7 points	Improved	53%
Effective property tax rate	1.49%2015-2019	1.21%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	72%
High school diploma or higher	90.9%2015-2019	95.0%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Improved	77%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	60%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3882015-2019	0.4562020-2024	+0.068	Declined	11%
Median household income	$59,2862015-2019	$67,2002020-2024	+13%	Within the margin of error	21%
Poverty rate	9.2%2015-2019	11.3%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Rent as share of income	32.5%2015-2019	35.4%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Rent-burdened households	52.6%2015-2019	59.3%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Within the margin of error	32%

“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 Winsted, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Winsted, 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, Winsted, Minnesota itself moved −3.2 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

2,181 residents (±304)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

978 households (±167)

Winsted, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k22%†217
$25k–50k19%†190
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

978 households (±167)

Winsted, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own79%773
Rent21%†205

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,257 workers (±180)

Winsted, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone75%940
Carpool13%†167
Public transit0.0%0

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 Hutchinson, 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 McLeod County, the county holding most of Winsted's residents.

McLeod County has 956 employer establishments, 259 for every 10,000 residents (1.04× the US rate of 248; 0.97× Minnesota's), with 14,890 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,607. The Census Bureau also counts 2,574 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 956; 2,574 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 259; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 14,890
Average annual pay: $52,607; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	75	20.3	1.31×More than typical	457	$76,217	241
Ambulatory health care services	66	17.9	0.86×About typical	758	$72,708	77
Restaurants and other eating places	50	13.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,047	$18,698	4
Religious organizations	39	10.6	1.91×More than typical	259	$21,537	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	36	9.8	2.22×More than typical	127	$60,110	47
Offices of other health practitioners	30	8.1	1.34×More than typical	96	$47,396	40
Automotive repair and maintenance	28	7.6	1.51×More than typical	93	$40,441	41
Building equipment contractors	28	7.6	1.26×More than typical	181	$72,928	30
Services to buildings and dwellings	28	7.6	1.13×About typical	108	$46,778	171
Truck transportation	28	7.6	1.50×More than typical	198	$51,434	103
Construction of buildings	27	7.3	0.97×About typical	105	$81,010	90
Lessors of real estate	26	7.1	0.57×Fewer than typical	83	$32,518	277

Rank places for an industry Open McLeod County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 36,861 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 $11K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Winsted, Minnesota: $5.06 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $11K
Per resident: $5.06; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$6,02055%
Department of Veterans Affairs$5,02545%

Top recipients

AJC SERVICES LLC$11K100%

Spending by fiscal year

1.4KFY2017
1.4KFY2021
4KFY2023
11KFY2026

What was bought

Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles$11K100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Other transportation equipment manufacturing · 3369$6,02055%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$5,02545%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Winsted, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

Winsted, Minnesota's figures are part of those of McLeod County, MN ($525.6K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in McLeod 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.

Winsted, 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.

McLeod County96100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Hutchinson, MN94

Other cities and towns in McLeod 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/2771086

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends