ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Winona County, Minnesota

FIPS 27169 · Winona, MN · Population 49,779
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$70,744
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.2%
Unemployment
4% national
$3B
GDP
32.7%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$70,744
Per Capita
$38,508
Mean Household
$92,678
Poverty Rate
14.8%
Median Income Comparison
Winona County$70,744
Minnesota$89,062
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 18.7% (9,325 residents) 55-64: 12.2% (6,094 residents) 35-54: 20.5% (10,210 residents) 18-34: 30.9% (15,381 residents) Under 18: 17.6% (8,769 residents) 36 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 17.6%
18-34 · 30.9%
35-54 · 20.5%
55-64 · 12.2%
65+ · 18.7%
Race & Ethnicity
White89.8%
Black or African American1.9%
Asian2.2%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)3.9%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94.1%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.5 pts
32.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 3.0 pts
10.7%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 3.4 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
49,779
Population
28,644
Labor Force
Employed
27,949
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.2% ▲ +0.7 pts YoY
Mean Commute 9 min below national avg
17.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10%
Key Takeaways
  • Elevated poverty: At 14.8%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$3B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Winona County, Minnesota, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Manufacturing
5,354 30.0%
$71,452
2Health Care and Social Assistance
2,754 15.4%
$50,344
3Retail Trade
2,586 14.5%
$34,045
4Accommodation and Food Services
2,585 14.5%
$23,741
5Transportation and Warehousing
1,237 6.9%
$66,316
6Educational Services
1,147 6.4%
$42,198
7Construction
677 3.8%
$65,038
8Finance and Insurance
558 3.1%
$74,498
9Other Services (except Public Administration)
524 2.9%
$34,802
10Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
413 2.3%
$17,315
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 5,354 workers (30% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $71,452.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $3B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $74,498 while Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation averages $17,315, a 4.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
11.67x
1,790
Animal Production and Aquaculture
10.13x
420
Chemical Manufacturing
6.75x
926
Primary Metal Manufacturing
5.21x
290
Textile Product Mills
3.65x
52
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
2.62x
422
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.52x
552
Educational Services
2.30x
1,147
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
2.23x
148
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
1.98x
1,039

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
3,758
Cluster Employment
11.67x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
11.67x 1,790
Animal Production and Aquaculture
10.13x 420
Chemical Manufacturing
6.75x 926
Primary Metal Manufacturing
5.21x 290
Textile Product Mills
3.65x 52
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
2.62x 422
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.52x 552
Educational Services
2.30x 1,147
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
2.23x 148
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
1.98x 1,039

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.22x
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
89 employed
0.30x
Real Estate
84 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing concentrates at 11.67x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
  • Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Winona County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$235,400
Median Home Value vs 2019
$907
Rent/Mo
69.5%
Owner-Occ
7.3%
Vacancy
3.3x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$791/mo
1 Bedroom
$868/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,066/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,336/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,543/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,769/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.3x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,769/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
31,685
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 9 min below national avg
17.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
90.1%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 69.8% of working-age population (18-64) 70% Participation
▼ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
32.7%
HS Diploma+
94.1%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
49,702/yr
Capella University 14,847/yr
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 13,676/yr
Walden University 12,870/yr
Minnesota State University-Mankato 3,728/yr
University of Minnesota-Duluth 2,468/yr
Century College 2,113/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
19.2%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
39.5%
Service
15.1%
Sales & Office
18.2%
Construction / Maint.
9%
Production / Transport
18.3%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 27,949 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Short commutes: 17.6-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
  • Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 41,393 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources

Sample AI Insight

Winona County shows strong potential for computer and electronic product manufacturing attraction, with a 11.67x concentration and 1,790 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.

The interconnected base across computer and electronic product manufacturing, animal production and aquaculture, and chemical manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Winona County, Minnesota, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Winona County, Minnesota?

49,779 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Winona County, Minnesota?

$70,744 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Winona County, Minnesota?

3.2% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Winona County, Minnesota?

$3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).