Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 199, settled in 1879.
Okabena’s midpoint age is 49.3 years, above both Minnesota’s towns (39.9 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Only 6 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Okabena. Okabena has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 210 in 1940, 203 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1919 and 3 maps from 1960 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Okabena, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Okabena.
Okabena’s mean commuting time stands at 26 minutes, above the Minnesota town median (23 minutes) and near the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Most working residents leave Okabena for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs locally fell by 28 from 2013 to 2023, to 48. Half commute less than 17 miles.
| Okabena | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its two schools are below. Public schools: the Heron Lake-Okabena School District. 137 students attend the town’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johns Lutheran School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 11 | – |
| Heron Lake-Okabena SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 137 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Expect July afternoons of 83° and January nights of 6°, with about 49 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected losses in Okabena break down as 53% from inland flooding and 15% from cold waves. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in the town than in 67% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Okabena after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Children under 18 are 17% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide). Okabena is shrinking: down 2.5% since 2020, to 199 residents (2025 estimate). The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 30%, against 39% across Minnesota.
| Okabena | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 33% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.6 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 71% are men (MN 51%).
| Okabena | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.9% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.9% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.2% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 19.5% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.1% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.4% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.6% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.7% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.7% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.7% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Among adults in Okabena, 30% sleep under 7 hours and 75% had a checkup this year. 29% of adults feel lonely in the town.
| Okabena | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 75% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Okabena | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Okabena; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Okabena residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Okabena’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Minnesota, United States
Okabena ( OH-kə-BEE-nə) is a town in Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 203 at the 2020 census. The community's name is a Dakota term meaning "the nesting place of herons."
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Okabena has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.