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Waterville, MN

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,947
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

43.8
years ∙ half population younger than 43.8, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
22.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.7%
foreign-born population
99.3%Native
0.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Waterville is a city within Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States.
Location
City in Le Sueur County, MN, US
Co-ordinates
DEC44.221886° N, 93.572571° W
DMS44° 13′ 18.79″ N, 93° 34′ 21.26″ W

Population Density & area

1,152/sq mi (445.5/km²)
Total Area
2.07 sq mi (5.34 km²)
Land Area
1.69 sq mi (4.37 km²) · 81.8%
Water Area
0.38 sq mi (0.97 km²) · 18.2%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.6% male
Male 48.6%
Female 51.4%
males per 100 females
Waterville 94.7
Le Sueur County 104.7
Minnesota 100.4

Nativity

0.7%
foreign-born population
99.3%Native
0.7% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Waterville 0.7%
Le Sueur County 3.3%
Minnesota 8.7%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

43.8
years ∙ half population younger than 43.8, half older
Waterville
43.8
Le Sueur County
41.8
Minnesota
38.8

Dependency ratio

Low High
65.8
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Waterville 65.8
Le Sueur County 71.8
Minnesota 67.1

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Waterville Le Sueur County Minnesota
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 18% 23% 22.9%
Working age (18-64) 60.3% 58.2% 59.8%
Senior (65+) 21.7% 18.8% 17.3%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 65.8 71.8 67.1
Child dependency ratio 29.9 39.4 38.2
Old-age dependency ratio 35.9 32.4 28.9
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
87.9%
Black
1.3%
Asian
0.5%
Hispanic
7.2%
Other
3.1%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
22.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Waterville 22.2%
Le Sueur County 20.2%
Minnesota 41%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Waterville population
Waterville Le Sueur County Minnesota
Hispanic or Latino 7.2% 6.9% 6.4%
Mexican 5% 6.1% 3.9%
Puerto Rican 1.2% 0.1% 0.3%
Cuban 0% 0% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1% 0.7% 2%
Not Hispanic or Latino 92.8% 93.1% 93.6%
One race 91.3% 90.7% 89.1%
White 87.9% 89% 75.9%
Black or African American 1.3% 0.8% 6.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.4% 0.2% 0.7%
Asian 0.5% 0.5% 5.1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0.1% 0.2% 0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 1.5% 2.4% 4.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

63.4% family
Family 63.4%
Non family 36.6%
% family households
Waterville 63.4%
Le Sueur County 69.7%
Minnesota 62.3%

Average household size

2.16
persons per household
Waterville
2.16
Le Sueur County
2.47
Minnesota
2.43

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Waterville population
Waterville Le Sueur County Minnesota
Total households 889 11,650 2,307,955
Average houshold size 2.16 2.47 2.43
Family households 564 8,122 1,438,404
Average family size 2.51 2.94 3.04
Married couple family 419 6,792 1,129,003
Other families 145 1,330 309,401
Male householder 58 588 102,922
Female householder 87 742 206,479
Non-family households 325 3,528 869,551
One-person households 242 2,873 686,475
Male householder 111 1,513 320,418
Senior (65+) living alone 56 533 97,557
Female householder 131 1,360 366,057
Senior (65+) living alone 65 809 186,557
Other living arrangements 83 655 183,076

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

1,050
housing units
Waterville 1,050
Le Sueur County 13,054
Minnesota 2,545,030

Occupancy status

84.7% occupied
Occupied 84.7%
Vacant 15.3%
vacancy rate
Waterville 15.3%
Le Sueur County 10.8%
Minnesota 9.3%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

79.9%
Single family houses
Single family houses
79.9%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
19%
Mobile homes
1%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1968
Half of houses were built before 1968, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
28.2%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
23.4%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
37.8%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
10.6%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Waterville Le Sueur County Minnesota
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.4 6.8 6.1
1–3 rooms 10.2% 9.3% 14.9%
4–6 rooms 42.1% 37% 41.4%
7+ rooms 47.5% 53.7% 43.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 3.9% 2% 2.7%
1 bedroom 7.9% 6.2% 11.4%
2 bedrooms 28.9% 21.8% 24.5%
3 bedrooms 35.1% 38.4% 32.2%
4+ bedrooms 24.2% 31.5% 29.1%
At a glance
Median year built 1968 1975 1979
Total housing units 1,050 13,054 2,545,030
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

76.3% owners
Renter-occupied 23.7%
Owner-occupied 76.3%
homeownership rate
Waterville 76.3%
Le Sueur County 81%
Minnesota 72.2%

Average household size

2.25
Owner-occupied
1.85
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Waterville 2.25
Le Sueur County 2.58
Minnesota 2.59

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Waterville Le Sueur County Minnesota
Total occupied units 889 11,650 2,307,955
Year moved in
2020 or later 24.5% 18.5% 23.8%
2010 to 2019 29.5% 38.6% 38.9%
2000 to 2009 25% 18% 16.1%
1999 or earlier 21% 24.8% 21.2%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 99% 97.7%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 0.6% 1.5%
1.51 or more 0% 0.4% 0.8%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 4.4% 3.5% 6.7%
1 vehicle 30% 22% 30.8%
2 vehicles 31.2% 37.3% 39.5%
3 or more vehicles 34.4% 37.2% 23.1%
House heating fuel used
Gas 86.3% 83.1% 75.9%
Electricity 13% 11.6% 19.4%
Solar 0% 0% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.6% 1.3%
All other fuels 0.7% 4% 2.5%
No fuel used 0% 0.7% 0.9%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.6% 0.2% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 1% 0.5% 0.7%
No telephone service available 0% 0.4% 0.7%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$236,000
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Waterville
$236,000
Le Sueur County
$316,500
Minnesota
$329,300

Housing Cost Burden

42.9%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
42.9%
Owners without a mortgage
9.2%
Renters
42.9%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Waterville Le Sueur County Minnesota
Property value
Median Value $236,000 $316,500 $329,300
Under $100,000 9.6% 5.7% 7.7%
$100,000 - $200,000 24.5% 15.4% 13.3%
$200,000 - $300,000 36.9% 25.3% 22.6%
$300,000 - $500,000 26.5% 37% 36.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 2.5% 14.6% 17%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 2% 2.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 63.3% 62.7% 64%
Without a mortgage 36.7% 37.3% 36%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,730 $1,898 $1,947
Without a mortgage $622 $699 $698
Gross rent
Median rent $884 $942 $1,280

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

19%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Waterville 19%
Le Sueur County 26.3%
Minnesota 39.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

6.9%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Waterville 6.9%
Le Sueur County 5.4%
Minnesota 6.1%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

349
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
5.4%
K–12
80.8%
College / Undergraduate
13.8%
Graduate / Professional
0%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

10.7%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Waterville
10.7%
Le Sueur County
17.8%
Minnesota
39.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Waterville Le Sueur County Minnesota
Total enrolled (age 3+) 349 6,429 1,385,086
Nursery / preschool 5.4% 4.7% 6.2%
K–12 80.8% 81.6% 69.9%
Kindergarten 5.7% 6.2% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 30.7% 21.9% 20.6%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 15.8% 25.6% 21.7%
High School: Grades 9–12 28.7% 28% 22.4%
College or graduate school 13.8% 13.7% 23.9%
College, undergraduate 13.8% 9.5% 18.8%
Graduate, professional school 0% 4.2% 5.1%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 10.7% 17.8% 39.1%
School type
Public school 97.7% 89.2% 83.3%
Private school 2.3% 10.8% 16.7%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

1,437
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
1.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
5%
HS graduate
36.3%
Some college no degree
25.3%
Associates degree
12.5%
Bachelors degree
12.9%
Graduate or professional degree
6.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
88.9% · 11.1%
9th-12th, no diploma
55.6% · 44.4%
HS graduate
60.3% · 39.7%
Some college no degree
37.4% · 62.6%
Associates degree
30.7% · 69.3%
Bachelors degree
44.6% · 55.4%
Graduate or professional degree
56.3% · 43.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Waterville Le Sueur County Minnesota
Population (25+) 1,437 20,356 3,923,744
Less than 9th grade 1.9% 1.6% 2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 5% 3.8% 3.4%
High school diploma or GED 36.3% 31.3% 23.3%
Some college, no degree 25.3% 22.1% 19.5%
Associate's degree 12.5% 14.9% 11.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 19% 26.3% 39.4%
Bachelor's degree 12.9% 18.8% 25.6%
Graduate or professional 6.1% 7.5% 13.8%
High School or higher 93.1% 94.6% 93.9%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$44,954
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$42,917
Some college or associates
$47,875
Bachelors degree
$61,250
Graduate or professional degree
$70,156

Poverty Rate

5.5%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
40.4%
HS graduate
6.7%
Some college or associates
8.7%
Bachelors degree or higher
5.5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Waterville Le Sueur County Minnesota
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $44,954 $56,148 $58,615
Less than high school graduate $— $38,450 $36,257
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $42,917 $46,908 $42,951
Some college or associate's degree $47,875 $55,613 $51,845
Bachelor's degree $61,250 $73,130 $73,301
Graduate or professional degree $70,156 $85,284 $89,644
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 40.4% 20.5% 23.7%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 6.7% 7.6% 12.3%
Some college or associate's degree 8.7% 5.4% 7.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 5.5% 2.8% 3.2%

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