Winona, Minnesota

Area Profile

26,009 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Winona, in Winona County.

52out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 25% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 13 sources
Opportunity3,576th of 4,199 cities measured38
Schools3,078th of 4,162 cities measured31
GrowthTop 42% of 4,224 cities measured54
Housing affordability2,342nd of 4,218 cities measured64
Climate3,911th of 4,225 cities measured56
Physical resilience2,123rd of 4,226 cities measured57
Access2,578th of 4,226 cities measured89
Economic stability2,274th of 4,226 cities measured56
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 4.2% and the Opportunity signal places Winona in the bottom 15%.

In the public schools here, 45% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.3 students for every teacher.

Rent takes 35% of renter income here, above the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 2.3 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
26,009
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$56,337
Bottom 33% nationally
Density
1,370/sq mi
19 sq mi of land
Median age
31.3
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Minnesota
Micro area
Nearest major airport
LSE
24 mi · La Crosse Rgnl
Median home value
$201,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.2%, lower than in 55% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment fell 3.8% over the past year, to 14,479 employed residents.

36% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 77% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsWinona County, MN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$49,7837th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftWinona County, MN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$54,04013th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$2,9142024 ACS 5-Year$56,337Bottom 33%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,0432024 ACS 5-Year$34,531Top 48%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year14.7%Bottom 36%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year15.5 minTop 6%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year36.3%Top 23%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year75.1%43rd percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202614,479Bottom 12%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−2.5%Bottom 19%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−3.8%Bottom 3%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202615,11812th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year85.2%Top 24%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year0.7%81st percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.5%Bottom 19%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.2%Top 45%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year9.0%56th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/074.21.3
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.2% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202456k49k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $56,337 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

45% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 49% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.3 students for every full-time teacher across 12 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
13
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.3
across 12 of them
Math proficiency
45.1%
Bottom 22% in Minnesota
Reading proficiency
49.0%
Bottom 15% in Minnesota
The 12 largest of 13 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Winona Senior HighWINONA AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT84918.132%47%
Winona MiddleWINONA AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT66514.148%53%
Jefferson ElementaryWINONA AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT32212.457%47%
Washington-Kosciusko ElementaryWINONA AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT23110.557%42%
Bluffview Montessori · charterBLUFFVIEW MONTESSORI2097.052%72%
Goodview ElementaryWINONA AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT20914.967%42%
Winona Area Learning CenterWINONA AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT9215.3——
Winona Early Childhood Special Ed.WINONA AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT767.6——
Riverway Secondary · charterRiverway Learning Community Charter6331.530%30%
Riverway Learning Community Charter · charterRiverway Learning Community Charter6110.25%35%
River Valley Academy AlcHiawatha Valley Education District5217.3——
Hved EcseHiawatha Valley Education District4715.7——

44.9% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Minnesota’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota is up 43% over five years, and up 3.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,891 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.94% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,066, some 21% above the $882 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,066 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $42,600 a year, about 76% of the median household income here of $56,337.

The typical renter household here spends 35% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $882 a month.

A median home at $201,800 costs 2.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $89,337, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
34.5%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.3×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,066
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$882
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$201,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Winona’s median household income of $56,337, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+3.8%63rd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+42.5%49th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+88.5%44th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year2.3Top 42%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year58.0%18th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±2692024 ACS 5-Year11,54095th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$868Top 12%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,336Top 9%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,066Top 12%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$682024 ACS 5-Year$882Top 40%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$9,2082024 ACS 5-Year$201,80054th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1102024 ACS 5-Year$1,89154th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$5,9432024 ACS 5-Year$89,337Top 37%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year0.94%48th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year34.5%Bottom 22%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1182024 ACS 5-Year14192nd percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year1.2%64th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year5.3%41st percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2742024 ACS 5-Year75493rd percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

54/ 100
Top 42% of 4,224 published city profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2022 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 26,173 in 2024.

Permitting has turned upward after moving the other way the year before: 19 units authorized in 2025, against 10 the year before.

Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 26,173 residents in 2024, up 0.4% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.

Federal tax returns show Winona County, which contains Winona, lost about 0.3% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $49,783, below the $54,040 of households that moved out.

At 1.4 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
37
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.4
Bottom 33% nationally
Year over year
+363%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
37.8%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202426k26k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 2 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.3%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
51%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$49,783
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$54,040
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Olmsted County, MN 221 people · 14% of arrivals
  2. La Crosse County, WI 115 people · 7.1% of arrivals
  3. Hennepin County, MN 77 people · 4.8% of arrivals
  4. Fillmore County, MN 73 people · 4.5% of arrivals
  5. Buffalo County, WI 64 people · 4.0% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Olmsted County, MN 239 people · 14% of departures
  2. La Crosse County, WI 137 people · 8.0% of departures
  3. Hennepin County, MN 102 people · 6.0% of departures
  4. Houston County, MN 83 people · 4.8% of departures
  5. Fillmore County, MN 73 people · 4.3% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Winona County, MN. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

2022202320242025765.0
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2022 (+280%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 85°F and January a low of 11°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 35.2 inches, including 46.3 inches of snow.

0°20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station LA CROSSE MUNI AP, 23.8 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND5.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals35.2"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals46.3"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals11°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals85°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals56°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

57 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and tornado, with inland flooding alone responsible for 65% of it. Cold wave is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

HailModerate
Inland floodingElevated
TornadoElevated
LightningModerate
Strong windModerate

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, cold wave, winter weather, heat wave, drought, ice storm, wildfire, earthquake, hurricane, avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
156
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
2,281
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Winona's police department reported 156 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 2,281.

Winona County records 0.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 8.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at about 12.5 per 100,000 residents in Winona County.

Homicide
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
8.1
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Drug overdose
12.5
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Suicide
15.1
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Winona’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Winona (Winona County) rather than Winona itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest La Crosse Rgnl at 24 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year93.4%Top 33%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle24 miBottom 37%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle4Bottom 38%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year2.8%Top 24%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
La Crosse RgnlLSE24 mi8,742 ft
Rochester IntlRST43 mi9,034 ft
Chippewa Valley RgnlEAU57 mi8,101 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Winona

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Winona with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Winona closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
5598734,072$61,624$221,800—