Ortonville, MN · standard
ZIP Code 56278
Big Stone County, Minnesota - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 2,601
- 8/sq mi Low-density area
- $63,203
- Median income Near-median income area
- $202,800
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 27.8%
- Bachelor's or higher Near-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Ortonville pairs a below-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 35th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 44th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 8
- people per sq mi
- 82%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 56278 against every reporting US ZIP.
FHFA HPI release change
What changed in the latest House Price Index year
- FHFA House Price Index values in ZIP 56278 (Ortonville, MN) rose +10.5% from 2023 to 2024.
ZIP code 56278 covers 333.5 square miles in Ortonville, Big Stone County, Minnesota (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 2,601 residents on file, a density of 8 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 56278 reports a modest median household income of $63,203 (23% below the average Minnesota ZIP), while per-capita income is $39,485. The poverty rate is 10.0%, with unemployment at 2.0%; those measures add context to the income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $202,800 (21% below the average Minnesota ZIP), and median rent is $748; owner occupancy is 81.7%.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 27.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 48.8, and the average commute is 14 minutes. The page also surfaces 3 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Big Stone County, so 56278 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Top industries in ZIP 56278
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Ortonville, MN
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 56278.
- Other services (except public administration)
Other services (except public administration)
19 establishments
- Retail trade
Retail trade
18 establishments
- Health care and social assistance
Health care and social assistance
15 establishments
- Construction
Construction
9 establishments
- Accommodation and food services
Accommodation and food services
9 establishments
What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 56278, Ortonville, MN · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
2,601
Population
333.5
Area (sq mi)
8
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 56278?
48.8
Median Age
49.6%
Male
50.4%
Female
2.0%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$63,203
Median Household Income
-23% vs state ZIP avg
$39,485
Per Capita Income
10.0%
Poverty Rate
2.0%
Unemployment Rate
13.8 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 56278 ranks among Minnesota ZIPs
Ortonville, MN household income vs. every Minnesota ZIP code
Median household income among 864 reporting Minnesota ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$63,203 18th percentile higher than 18% of 864 Minnesota ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Minnesota ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
1,609housing units
1,609
Total Housing Units
1,149
Occupied Units
460
Vacant Units
2.26
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$202,800
Median Home Value
-21% vs state ZIP avg
$748
Median Rent
1958
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 102 business establishments in ZIP 56278, employing approximately 902 people with a combined annual payroll of $37,026,000.
102
Businesses
902
Employees
$37.0M
Annual Payroll
10
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Other services (except public administration) | 19 | 18.6% |
| Retail trade | 18 | 17.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 15 | 14.7% |
| Construction | 9 | 8.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 9 | 8.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 6 | 5.9% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 6 | 5.9% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 5 | 4.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 3 | 2.9% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 3 | 2.9% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 56278 vs 56225 →
ZIP 56278 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 56278
Ortonville (56278)
2,601 residents
- 57216
Big Stone City (57216)
1,044 residents
- 56225 834
Clinton (56225)
834 residents
- 56276 298
Odessa (56276)
298 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 56278 ranks the most populous - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 56278 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 56225
Clinton (56225)
$95,978 median income
- 57216
Big Stone City (57216)
$88,203 median income
- 56276
Odessa (56276)
$76,250 median income
- 56278
Ortonville (56278)
$63,203 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 56278 ranks #4 of 4 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 56278, both outside MN so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (2,601 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Big Stone County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 56278 in?
ZIP code 56278 (Ortonville) is located in Big Stone County, Minnesota. Big Stone County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/big-stone-mn.
What is the population of ZIP code 56278?
ZIP code 56278 in Ortonville, MN has a population of 2,601 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 56278?
The median household income in ZIP 56278 is $63,203, which is 17% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 56278?
The median home value in ZIP 56278 is $202,800, which is 27% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 56278?
The largest racial group in ZIP 56278 is White at 95.6%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 2.1% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 56278?
ZIP code 56278 has 102 business establishments employing approximately 902 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 56278?
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 56278 are: Other services (except public administration) (19), Retail trade (18), Health care and social assistance (15). There are 10 industry sectors represented in total.
What is the education level in ZIP code 56278?
In ZIP code 56278, 62.9% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 27.8% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the average commute time in ZIP 56278?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 56278 is 13.8 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 56278?
In ZIP code 56278, approximately 81.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 18.3% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 56278?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 56278 is 10.0% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 56278's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 56278 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Ortonville, MN ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.