Postal Codes

56481 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 56481 covers Verndale, Minnesota, with a population of about 2,333 and a median household income of $69,688.

Population
2,33317 per square mile
Median age
38.3about the US average
Median household income
$69,68820% below the Minnesota median
Poverty rate
5%7.4 points below the US average
Typical home value
$267,067up 22.9% in five years
Median rent
$58553% below the Minnesota median
Degree or higher
16%19 points below the US average
Homeownership
87.3%22.3 points above the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
32

Where 56481 is

Verndale, 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

Population2,333
Median age38.3
Family households68.4%
Born outside the US0.6%
Speaks a language other than English at home1.4%
White (non-Hispanic)87.2%
Black (non-Hispanic)0.5%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.5%
Hispanic or Latino0.8%
Veterans6.9%
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$69,688
Income per person$32,522
Poverty rate5%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance11.7%

Household income distribution

Under $10k2.4%
$10–15k1.7%
$15–20k4.2%
$20–25k5.5%
$25–30k3.7%
$30–35k4.8%
$35–40k4.1%
$40–45k6.8%
$45–50k3.4%
$50–60k8.1%
$60–75k8.9%
$75–100k21.7%
$100–125k11.4%
$125–150k5.2%
$150–200k5.4%
$200k or more2.5%

Income as declared to the IRS

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

Tax returns filed920
Mean adjusted gross income$60,441
Returns declaring $200,000 or more3.3%
Returns, under $25k27.2%
Returns, $25k–$50k28.3%
Returns, $50k–$75k15.2%
Returns, $75k–$100k12.0%
Returns, $100k–$200k14.1%
Returns, $200k or more3.3%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$165,600
Median gross rent$585
Rent as a share of household income12.5%
Owner-occupied87.3%
Vacant homes14.1%
Median year built1976

What the homes are

Detached house84.9%
Attached house0.3%
5 to 19 units0.8%
Mobile home12.6%
Boat, RV or van1.4%
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$267,067as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 5.4%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 22.9%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 82.9%
Typical home value since 2000
200920172026$267,067$102,563

$113,097 in 2009 to $267,067 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate7%
Bachelor's degree or higher16%
High school diploma or higher92.7%
Works from home6.4%
Drives to work alone77.9%
Takes public transport0.5%
Commutes 45 minutes or more18.4%
Health

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

Obesity38.5% 5.1 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes12.8% 0.8 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes17.4% 4.2 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure35.5% 1.4 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health19.6% 0.7 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)8.5% 2.8 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression25.2% 3.3 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity28.3% 2.9 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis28.2% 3.1 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking17% 1 pts above the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication79.1% 4.4 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)9.9% 2.2 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma10.5% same as the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease7.9% 1.7 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year75.1% 1.6 pts below the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening85% 0.9 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability14.6% same as the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening68.9% 4.6 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD7.9% 1.3 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist62.6% 1.3 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability33.5% 2.8 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support21.4% 3.4 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity13.1% 4 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps10.2% 4.1 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability9% 2.3 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol35.6% 0.6 pts below the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity9.7% 4.1 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability8.7% same as the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport7.7% 1.5 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness30.9% 3.5 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use78.4% 2.5 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)16.4% same as the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability15.4% 1.4 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)14.1% 0.6 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4.1% same as the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat6.4% 2.4 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours30.9% 5.5 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4% 0.6 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost12.3% 0.7 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability4.9% 0.7 pts below the national average of 5.6%
Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments32
People employed130
Annual payroll$4,326,000
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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 71.4% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Low to Relatively Moderate across the 4 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss64.9 out of 100
Community resilience74.7 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.

Drought95.9Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind94.2Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire91.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather91.1Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning89Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave85.6Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide85.1Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding82.5Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail82.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado70.3Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave34.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm15.3Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake8Very 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$69,688$87,556$78,538
Income per person$32,522$46,957$43,289
Poverty rate5%9.2%12.4%
Median home value$165,600$305,500$303,400
Median gross rent$585$1,235$1,348
Homeownership87.3%72.4%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher16%38.8%35%
Unemployment rate7%3.9%5.2%
Works from home6.4%15.8%13.5%
Born outside the US0.6%8.6%13.9%
Median age38.338.638.7
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 stationWADENA 3 S, MN US18.7 km away
Rain in a year29 in
Snow in a year51 in

Average high and low by month

January17.8°F / -1.5°F0.87 in rain, 12.2 in snow
February23°F / 1.8°F0.77 in rain, 7.9 in snow
March35.5°F / 15.4°F1.35 in rain, 8.9 in snow
April51.8°F / 29.2°F2.58 in rain, 4.5 in snow
May65.4°F / 42.3°F3.53 in rain
June73.9°F / 53.5°F4.43 in rain
July78°F / 57.6°F4.27 in rain
August76.5°F / 54.8°F3.64 in rain
September68.6°F / 46.5°F2.86 in rain
October53.9°F / 33.7°F2.84 in rain, 1.1 in snow
November37.1°F / 20.3°F1.28 in rain, 7.5 in snow
December23.5°F / 7.4°F0.9 in rain, 8.7 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 supermarket96% of this ZIP code's area
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 5 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Verndale Public School District64.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Sebeka Public School District19.2% of this ZIP code's land area
Staples-Motley School District10% of this ZIP code's land area
Bertha-Hewitt Public School District4.9% of this ZIP code's land area
Wadena-Deer Creek School District1.1% 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 vulnerability61more vulnerable than 61% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status46more vulnerable than 46% of US census tracts
Household characteristics65more vulnerable than 65% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status15more vulnerable than 15% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport84more vulnerable than 84% of US census tracts
Walkability4.5 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

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

56434 Aldrich, MN14.3 km away
56482 Wadena, MN14.4 km away
56477 Sebeka, MN15.8 km away
56518 Bluffton, MN19.7 km away
56453 Hewitt, MN21.2 km away
56479 Staples, MN23.1 km away
56437 Bertha, MN28.8 km away
56464 Menahga, MN29 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.

Wadena County74.1% of this ZIP code's land area
Todd County18.2% of this ZIP code's land area
Cass County7.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area141.13 sq mi
Water area0.1 sq mi
Population density17 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude46.5065, -94.9676

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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