City · Minnesota
Verndale, Minnesota
Verndale, city, in Wadena County, Minnesota. Verndale had 508 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.4% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 511 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 452 (±99). GEOID 2766874.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
508
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 511 · ACS 2020-2024: 452 ±99
Median household income
$49,063
±$11,310 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $89,062
Median home value
$104,600
±$13,394 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $329,300
Median gross rent
$708
±$108 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $1,280
Where is Verndale and what county is it in?
Verndale is a city in Wadena County, Minnesota. It covers 1.0 square miles of land, 495 residents per square mile in 2020.
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Verndale, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 508 people lived in Verndale on July 1, 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, while Minnesota grew 2.2%. The 2020 Census counted 511 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 452 (±99).
| Measure | Verndale | Wadena County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 452 ±99 | 14,256 | no clear change |
| Households | 221 ±44 | 6,081 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.05 ±0.31 | 2.28 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 247 ±49 | 7,021 | no clear change |
Verndale's population since 2000
From 575 in 2000 to 508 in 2025: down 11.7%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Verndale as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Verndale?
The median resident of Verndale is 36.8 years old; 23.5% are under 18 and 19.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 92.5%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 4.2%.
| Measure | Verndale | Wadena County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.8 ±5.9 | 40.0 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 23.5% ±6.8 pts | 26.1% | – |
| 65 years and over | 19.2% ±6.7 pts | 20.2% | – |
| Male | 56.9% ±6.4 pts | 50.0% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.0% ±4.9 pts | 2.4% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 92.5% ±5.7 pts | 86.1% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 4.2% ±4.5 pts | 1.7% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.2% ±0.4 pts | 0.3% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±4.9 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±4.9 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 3.1% ±3.5 pts | 9.1% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±4.9 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.2% ±0.4 pts | 1.1% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.9% ±1.6 pts | 2.6% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 6.9% ±3.6 pts | 8.0% | – |
| With a disability | 21.7% ±7.2 pts | 15.3% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 1.3% ±1.2 pts | 5.5% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 89.8% ±6.3 pts | 92.6% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 13.6% ±5.2 pts | 19.8% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 4.1% ±2.5 pts | 4.9% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 97.1% ±2.2 pts | 89.3% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.2% ±0.6 pts | 1.1% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Verndale earn?
Half of Verndale's 221 households earn less than $49,063 a year (±$11,310), against $61,467 in Wadena County and $89,062 in Minnesota. In 2015-2019 it was $50,546 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 16.2% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Verndale | Wadena County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,063 ±$11,310 | $61,467 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $104,792 ±$35,618 | $77,288 | – |
| Per capita income | $50,330 ±$18,890 | $32,541 | +$23,292 |
| People below the poverty line | 16.2% ±8.9 pts | 12.5% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 31.1% ±23.0 pts | 14.0% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 14.0% ±9.1 pts | 14.3% | – |
| Households with a computer | 92.8% ±5.0 pts | 92.6% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 82.8% ±9.5 pts | 84.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Verndale?
Owners occupy 88.7% of Verndale's occupied homes and renters 11.3%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $104,600 by its owner (±$13,394). The median renter pays $708 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Verndale | Wadena County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $104,600 ±$13,394 | $173,000 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $708 ±$108 | $746 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 9.1% ±14.0 pts | 26.2% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,143 ±$77 | $1,223 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 88.7% ±4.7 pts | 73.6% | +24.0 pts |
| Renter-occupied homes | 11.3% ±4.7 pts | 26.4% | – |
| Housing units | 247 ±49 | 7,021 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 4.4% ±6.7 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 20.0% ±27.2 pts | 1.3% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 80.2% ±9.5 pts | 77.4% | – |
| Mobile homes | 13.8% ±8.6 pts | 6.9% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±8.7 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 0.0% ±8.7 pts | 9.0% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 35.2% ±11.1 pts | 19.3% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 0.9% ±2.1 pts | 7.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Verndale building?
Builders took permits for 0 new housing units in Verndale in 2025 (0 in single-family houses), 0.0 per 1,000 residents against 3.6 across Minnesota.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Verndale work and get to work?
77.5% of Verndale's workers drive alone and 7.0% work from home. The average trip to work takes 31.0 minutes.
| Measure | Verndale | Wadena County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 58.4% ±10.8 pts | 62.4% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% ±4.0 pts | 5.5% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 77.5% ±11.8 pts | 77.7% | – |
| Carpooled | 9.5% ±10.0 pts | 9.2% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±10.6 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Walked | 3.5% ±3.0 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Worked from home | 7.0% ±3.6 pts | 8.4% | no clear change |
| Mean travel time to work | 31.0 min ±10.9 | 21.3 min | +12.7 min |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Verndale?
No census tract lies mostly in Verndale; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 4802Wadena County | 5,524 | $64,048 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Verndale) · Census block assignment files
How does Verndale compare with other places in Minnesota?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Verndale is the 13,128th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 492nd-most populous of 855 in Minnesota.
Verndale is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 492nd | 855 |
Verndale's figures with every place in Minnesota (CSV)
Every place in Minnesota, sortable · Compare Verndale with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Verndale?
22 of the 57 figures for Verndale on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Verndale are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Verndale.