Postal Codes

56137 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 56137 covers Heron Lake, Minnesota, with a population of about 1,091 and a median household income of $68,500.

Population
1,09110 per square mile
Median age
42.43.7 points above the US average
Median household income
$68,50022% below the Minnesota median
Poverty rate
8.9%3.5 points below the US average
Typical home value
$194,328up 44.6% in five years
Median rent
$73840% below the Minnesota median
Degree or higher
18.2%16.8 points below the US average
Homeownership
84.1%19.1 points above the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
24

Where 56137 is

Heron Lake, Minnesota — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population1,091
Median age42.4
Family households63.4%
Born outside the US3.3%
Speaks a language other than English at home6.4%
White (non-Hispanic)83.3%
Black (non-Hispanic)0%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.5%
Hispanic or Latino10.5%
Veterans11.2%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$68,500
Income per person$36,284
Poverty rate8.9%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance8.4%

Household income distribution

Under $10k4.3%
$10–15k4.1%
$15–20k5.6%
$20–25k0.9%
$25–30k2.2%
$30–35k3.9%
$35–40k1.5%
$40–45k1.7%
$45–50k7.5%
$50–60k12.3%
$60–75k9.3%
$75–100k15.3%
$100–125k11.0%
$125–150k8.6%
$150–200k7.8%
$200k or more4.1%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed540
Mean adjusted gross income$71,359
Returns declaring $200,000 or more5.6%
Returns, under $25k24.1%
Returns, $25k–$50k25.9%
Returns, $50k–$75k16.7%
Returns, $75k–$100k11.1%
Returns, $100k–$200k16.7%
Returns, $200k or more5.6%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$114,400
Median gross rent$738
Rent as a share of household income18.2%
Owner-occupied84.1%
Vacant homes9.9%
Median year built1949

What the homes are

Detached house93.4%
5 to 19 units0.6%
20 or more units1%
Mobile home4.7%
Boat, RV or van0.4%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$194,328as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 3.6%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 44.6%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 110.8%
Typical home value since 2000
201320192026$194,328$67,029

$67,029 in 2013 to $194,328 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate0.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher18.2%
High school diploma or higher95.3%
Works from home4.5%
Drives to work alone66.2%
Takes public transport0%
Commutes 45 minutes or more4.8%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity35.9% 2.5 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes11.9% same as the national average of 12%
Currently smokes13.4% same as the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure36% 1.9 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health16.8% 3.5 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)7.7% 3.6 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression22.4% 0.5 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity25.1% same as the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis27.2% 2.1 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking16.4% same as the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication80.5% 5.8 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)10.9% 3.2 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma9.7% 0.7 pts below the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease7.7% 1.5 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year77.2% 0.5 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening87.4% 1.5 pts above the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability12.3% 2.5 pts below the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening72.4% 8.1 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD6.5% same as the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist67.8% 6.5 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability30.3% same as the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support20.1% 4.7 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity9.8% 7.3 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps6.8% 7.5 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability8.9% 2.2 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol37.1% 0.9 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity8.1% 5.7 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability7.2% 1.2 pts below the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport6.2% 3 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness27.4% 7 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use78% 2.1 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)14.1% 2.7 pts below the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability13.9% same as the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)12.6% 0.9 pts below the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability3.5% 0.5 pts below the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat4.9% 3.9 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours28.9% 7.5 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke3.8% same as the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost9.2% 3.8 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability4.3% 1.3 pts below the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments24
People employed116
Annual payroll$6,259,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 76.8% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Moderate
Expected annual loss82.3 out of 100
Community resilience64.2 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Winter weather97.6Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail96.4Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought96.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave93.1Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm89.9Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind85.7Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding82.5Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire79.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado77Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide75.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave51.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning50.8Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake9.3Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Minnesota and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPMinnesotaUnited States
Median household income$68,500$87,556$78,538
Income per person$36,284$46,957$43,289
Poverty rate8.9%9.2%12.4%
Median home value$114,400$305,500$303,400
Median gross rent$738$1,235$1,348
Homeownership84.1%72.4%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher18.2%38.8%35%
Unemployment rate0.2%3.9%5.2%
Works from home4.5%15.8%13.5%
Born outside the US3.3%8.6%13.9%
Median age42.438.638.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationLAKEFIELD 2NE, MN US17.6 km away
Rain in a year30 in
Snow in a year48 in

Average high and low by month

January22°F / 4.7°F0.62 in rain, 9.2 in snow
February26.7°F / 8.4°F0.67 in rain, 9.3 in snow
March39.4°F / 20.7°F1.53 in rain, 7.8 in snow
April54.9°F / 32.5°F3.03 in rain, 5.4 in snow
May67.9°F / 45.8°F4.48 in rain, 0.3 in snow
June78.2°F / 56.9°F4.47 in rain
July81.4°F / 60.3°F4.16 in rain
August78.9°F / 57.5°F4.1 in rain
September72.7°F / 48.9°F3.11 in rain
October58.7°F / 35.9°F2.28 in rain, 1.1 in snow
November41.6°F / 22.5°F1.24 in rain, 5.2 in snow
December27.5°F / 11°F0.79 in rain, 10.2 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
Far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
No vehicle and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 4 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Heron Lake-Okabena School District72.1% of this ZIP code's land area
Windom Public School District20.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Red Rock Central School District5.3% of this ZIP code's land area
Jackson County Central School District1.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability25more vulnerable than 25% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status15more vulnerable than 15% of US census tracts
Household characteristics45more vulnerable than 45% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status14more vulnerable than 14% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport50more vulnerable than 50% of US census tracts
Walkability4.9 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

56161 Okabena, MN8.4 km away
56119 Brewster, MN16.2 km away
56101 Windom, MN17.9 km away
56150 Lakefield, MN19.6 km away
56131 Fulda, MN23.4 km away
56118 Bingham Lake, MN24.9 km away
56167 Round Lake, MN28 km away
56174 Storden, MN28.4 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Jackson County64.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Cottonwood County35.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area112.88 sq mi
Water area3.8 sq mi
Population density10 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude43.7979, -95.3267

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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