Postal Codes

56537 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 56537 covers Fergus Falls, Minnesota, with a population of about 19,650 and a median household income of $62,279.

Population
19,65069 per square mile
Median age
42.74 points above the US average
Median household income
$62,27929% below the Minnesota median
Poverty rate
8.9%3.5 points below the US average
Typical home value
$250,983up 25.3% in five years
Median rent
$84032% below the Minnesota median
Degree or higher
29.8%5.2 points below the US average
Homeownership
70.6%5.6 points above the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
639

Where 56537 is

Fergus Falls, 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

Population19,650
Median age42.7
Family households57.4%
Born outside the US1.6%
Speaks a language other than English at home2.4%
White (non-Hispanic)90.9%
Black (non-Hispanic)1.1%
Asian (non-Hispanic)1.6%
Hispanic or Latino1.7%
Veterans7.4%
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$62,279
Income per person$36,423
Poverty rate8.9%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance11.5%

Household income distribution

Under $10k5.4%
$10–15k3.1%
$15–20k5.4%
$20–25k3.4%
$25–30k5.0%
$30–35k6.5%
$35–40k5.8%
$40–45k3.4%
$45–50k2.9%
$50–60k7.3%
$60–75k9.0%
$75–100k12.3%
$100–125k12.3%
$125–150k5.5%
$150–200k6.1%
$200k or more6.6%

Income as declared to the IRS

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

Tax returns filed9,120
Mean adjusted gross income$70,534
Returns declaring $200,000 or more4.5%
Returns, under $25k28.7%
Returns, $25k–$50k22.8%
Returns, $50k–$75k15.7%
Returns, $75k–$100k11.2%
Returns, $100k–$200k17.1%
Returns, $200k or more4.5%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$223,000
Median gross rent$840
Rent as a share of household income30.4%
Owner-occupied70.6%
Vacant homes11.1%
Median year built1975

What the homes are

Detached house69.5%
Attached house4.8%
2 to 4 units4.8%
5 to 19 units6.7%
20 or more units10.6%
Mobile home3.5%
Boat, RV or van0.1%
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$250,983as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 4.5%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 25.3%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 76.6%
Typical asking rent$914as of 2026-07
Typical home value since 2000
201220192026$250,983$118,806

$118,806 in 2012 to $250,983 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate5.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher29.8%
High school diploma or higher95.9%
Works from home10.8%
Drives to work alone71.2%
Takes public transport1.8%
Commutes 45 minutes or more7.2%
Health

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

Obesity34.4% 1 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes11.7% same as the national average of 12%
Currently smokes15.6% 2.4 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure32.6% 1.5 pts below the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health18.3% 2 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)7.2% 4.1 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression24.1% 2.2 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity26.3% 0.9 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis28.1% 3 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking16.8% 0.8 pts above the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication80.7% 6 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)10.8% 3.1 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma10.2% 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 year75.8% 0.9 pts below the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening85.7% same as the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability13.5% 1.3 pts below the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening72.9% 8.6 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD7.3% 0.7 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist66.6% 5.3 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability31.3% 0.6 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support20.2% 4.6 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity11.6% 5.5 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps9% 5.3 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability9.2% 2.5 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol37.7% 1.5 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity8.8% 5 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability8.5% same as the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport7.2% 2 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness31.1% 3.3 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use78.2% 2.3 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)15.5% 1.3 pts below the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability14.7% 0.7 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)13.3% same as the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability3.9% same as the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat6% 2.8 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours30.8% 5.6 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4% 0.6 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost11.8% 1.2 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability4.8% 0.8 pts below the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments639
People employed7,666
Annual payroll$366,136,000
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 66.3% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Low to Relatively High across the 7 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss72 out of 100
Community resilience88 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 weather98.5Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide93.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave92.5Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind88.6Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail85.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire84.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado78.9Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding76.4Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning48.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm39.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave19.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake7.4Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought0.1Relatively 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$62,279$87,556$78,538
Income per person$36,423$46,957$43,289
Poverty rate8.9%9.2%12.4%
Median home value$223,000$305,500$303,400
Median gross rent$840$1,235$1,348
Homeownership70.6%72.4%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher29.8%38.8%35%
Unemployment rate5.9%3.9%5.2%
Works from home10.8%15.8%13.5%
Born outside the US1.6%8.6%13.9%
Median age42.738.638.7
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 stationFERGUS FALLS, MN US2.7 km away
Rain in a year27 in

Average high and low by month

January18.4°F / -0.4°F1.29 in rain
February22.3°F / 3.2°F0.83 in rain
March35.6°F / 18.1°F1.15 in rain
April52.9°F / 31.8°F2 in rain
May66.8°F / 45°F3.86 in rain
June76.3°F / 56.3°F4.35 in rain
July80.8°F / 60.7°F3.28 in rain
August79.4°F / 57.1°F2.95 in rain
September70.8°F / 48.9°F3.04 in rain
October55.7°F / 35.1°F2.37 in rain
November38°F / 21.4°F1.04 in rain
December24.4°F / 7.9°F0.71 in rain
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 supermarket4% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarket8% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket13% of this ZIP code's area
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.

Fergus Falls Public School District91.8% of this ZIP code's land area
Underwood Public School District6.2% of this ZIP code's land area
Campbell-Tintah Public School District1.4% 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 vulnerability19more vulnerable than 19% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status17more vulnerable than 17% of US census tracts
Household characteristics30more vulnerable than 30% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status9more vulnerable than 9% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport36more vulnerable than 36% of US census tracts
Walkability4.8 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

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

56538 Fergus Falls, MN1.3 km away
56533 Elizabeth, MN12 km away
56543 Foxhome, MN17.6 km away
56324 Dalton, MN17.6 km away
56586 Underwood, MN19.9 km away
56534 Erhard, MN24.4 km away
56590 Wendell, MN24.5 km away
56515 Battle Lake, MN29.2 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.

Otter Tail County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area283.35 sq mi
Water area22.29 sq mi
Population density69 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude46.2760, -96.0904

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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