Postal Codes

56296 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 56296 covers Wheaton, Minnesota, with a population of about 1,861 and a median household income of $57,051.

Population
1,8618 per square mile
Median age
46.67.9 points above the US average
Median household income
$57,05135% below the Minnesota median
Poverty rate
10.6%1.8 points below the US average
Typical home value
$128,441up 35% in five years
Median rent
$58353% below the Minnesota median
Degree or higher
19.3%15.7 points below the US average
Homeownership
80.5%15.5 points above the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
76

Where 56296 is

Wheaton, 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

Population1,861
Median age46.6
Family households49.3%
Born outside the US2.7%
Speaks a language other than English at home9.4%
White (non-Hispanic)85.4%
Black (non-Hispanic)0.9%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.3%
Hispanic or Latino9%
Veterans8.1%
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$57,051
Income per person$40,287
Poverty rate10.6%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance19.2%

Household income distribution

Under $10k3.9%
$10–15k5.0%
$15–20k10.6%
$20–25k4.0%
$25–30k6.1%
$30–35k3.8%
$35–40k3.7%
$40–45k1.9%
$45–50k2.4%
$50–60k10.4%
$60–75k6.0%
$75–100k14.9%
$100–125k8.0%
$125–150k4.5%
$150–200k7.2%
$200k or more7.6%

Income as declared to the IRS

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

Tax returns filed900
Mean adjusted gross income$75,967
Returns declaring $200,000 or more6.7%
Returns, under $25k25.6%
Returns, $25k–$50k20.0%
Returns, $50k–$75k16.7%
Returns, $75k–$100k13.3%
Returns, $100k–$200k17.8%
Returns, $200k or more6.7%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$98,600
Median gross rent$583
Rent as a share of household income30.9%
Owner-occupied80.5%
Vacant homes16.4%
Median year built1965

What the homes are

Detached house79.4%
Attached house0.1%
2 to 4 units3.9%
5 to 19 units12.6%
20 or more units2.1%
Mobile home1.9%
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$128,441as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 11.8%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 35%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 67.6%
Typical home value since 2000
201420202026$128,441$70,961

$74,672 in 2014 to $128,441 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate6.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher19.3%
High school diploma or higher94.5%
Works from home12.1%
Drives to work alone74.2%
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.

Obesity38.3% 4.9 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes13.1% 1.1 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes15.1% 1.9 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure38% 3.9 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health19.8% 0.5 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)9.3% 2 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression23% 1.1 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity28.4% 3 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis29.5% 4.4 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking16.4% same as the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication81% 6.3 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)11.5% 3.8 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma9.9% 0.5 pts below the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease9% 2.8 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year76.8% same as the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening86.2% same as the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability13.8% 1 pts below the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening70.2% 5.9 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD7.8% 1.2 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist62.8% 1.5 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability34.5% 3.8 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support20.9% 3.9 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity12.2% 4.9 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps9.1% 5.2 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability10.5% 3.8 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol38.1% 1.9 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity9.3% 4.5 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability8.7% same as the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport7.3% 1.9 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness29.2% 5.2 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use75% 0.9 pts below the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)14.7% 2.1 pts below the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability16.5% 2.5 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)14% 0.5 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4.2% same as the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat5.9% 2.9 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours30.8% 5.6 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4.5% 1.1 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost11.7% 1.3 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability5.3% same as the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments76
People employed519
Annual payroll$28,565,000
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 71% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Low to Relatively Moderate across the 2 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss66.7 out of 100
Community resilience35.9 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 weather98.3Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind97.1Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail96Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave93.5Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding77Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire74.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide68.9Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm66.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado65.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning48.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave41.3Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake13.7Very 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$57,051$87,556$78,538
Income per person$40,287$46,957$43,289
Poverty rate10.6%9.2%12.4%
Median home value$98,600$305,500$303,400
Median gross rent$583$1,235$1,348
Homeownership80.5%72.4%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher19.3%38.8%35%
Unemployment rate6.2%3.9%5.2%
Works from home12.1%15.8%13.5%
Born outside the US2.7%8.6%13.9%
Median age46.638.638.7
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 stationWHEATON, MN US1.4 km away
Rain in a year25 in
Snow in a year43 in

Average high and low by month

January20.1°F / 2.7°F0.78 in rain, 8 in snow
February24.9°F / 6°F0.71 in rain, 9 in snow
March38.2°F / 19.7°F1.18 in rain, 7.1 in snow
April54.5°F / 33.2°F2.3 in rain, 5.3 in snow
May68.5°F / 46.9°F2.8 in rain
June78.2°F / 58.6°F4.22 in rain
July82.4°F / 62.4°F3.52 in rain
August80.6°F / 59.7°F2.72 in rain
September72.9°F / 50.2°F2.9 in rain
October57.7°F / 36.7°F2.27 in rain, 1 in snow
November40.5°F / 22.8°F1.08 in rain, 3.9 in snow
December25.6°F / 9.9°F0.82 in rain, 8.6 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 3 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Wheaton Area Public School District85.9% of this ZIP code's land area
Campbell-Tintah Public School District9.8% of this ZIP code's land area
Herman-Norcross School District4.2% 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 vulnerability50more vulnerable than 50% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status26more vulnerable than 26% of US census tracts
Household characteristics66more vulnerable than 66% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status21more vulnerable than 21% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport80more vulnerable than 80% of US census tracts
Walkability6.5 out of 20Below average
Nearby ZIP codes

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

56236 Dumont, MN16.7 km away
57260 Rosholt, SD19.3 km away
56583 Tintah, MN23.9 km away
56248 Herman, MN26.6 km away
58030 Fairmount, ND28.1 km away
56240 Graceville, MN28.4 km away
56274 Norcross, MN28.5 km away
56210 Barry, MN28.6 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.

Traverse County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area236.97 sq mi
Water area4.29 sq mi
Population density8 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude45.8111, -96.4866

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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