56542 ZIP Code — Fosston, MN

Polk County, Minnesota

ZIP code 56542 is located in Fosston, Minnesota, within Polk County. It covers approximately 180.16 square miles and serves a population of 2,434 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 218.

About ZIP code 56542

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $164,100. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 75%.

Median household income is $54,205. 43% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 18 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 25% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

2,434

population

180.16

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

56542 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 56542

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 56542. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Fosston	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

56651 Lengby (6.7 mi) 56556 Mcintosh (9 mi) 56592 Winger (12.4 mi) 56516 Bejou (12.6 mi) 56535 Erskine (14 mi) 56557 Mahnomen (15.5 mi) 56646 Gully (15.8 mi) 56742 Oklee (16.1 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	2,434
Population density	14 / sq mi
State FIPS	27
County FIPS	119

Geography
Land area	180.16 sq mi
Water area	10.09 sq mi
Latitude	47.5864
Longitude	-95.7464
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	218

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	50.0%	44.0%	33.6%
$50k – $100k	28.1%	31.7%	31.5%
$100k – $200k	20.0%	20.9%	26.5%
Over $200k	1.9%	3.3%	8.5%

Demographics & statistics

2,434

Population

People per sq mi

48.3

Median age

$54,205

Median household income

$31,322

Per capita income

$164,100

Median home value

$850

Median monthly rent

74.9%

Home ownership

15.8%

Poverty rate

5.1%

Unemployment

957

Housing units

24.5%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

Under 5

5–9

10–14

15–19

20–24

116

25–34

115

136

35–44

134

102

45–54

101

55–59

60–64

177

65–74

175

75–84

85+

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	543	22.3%
18 and over	1,891	77.7%
65 and over	666	27.4%
Median age	48.3 years

Race & ethnicity

White 90.9%

Two or more races 4.3%

Hispanic or Latino 1.3%

Other race 1.2%

American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%

Black or African American 0.7%

Asian 0.4%

Group	Count	%
White	2,243	90.9%
Two or more races	107	4.3%
Hispanic or Latino	33	1.3%
Other race	30	1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	26	1.1%
Black or African American	18	0.7%
Asian	10	0.4%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	50.0%	44.0%	33.6%
$50k – $100k	28.1%	31.7%	31.5%
$100k – $200k	20.0%	20.9%	26.5%
Over $200k	1.9%	3.3%	8.5%

Under $10k 6.8%

$10k–$15k 4.9%

$15k–$25k 10.4%

$25k–$35k 13.0%

$35k–$50k 10.9%

$50k–$75k 15.5%

$75k–$100k 13.9%

$100k–$150k 14.7%

$150k–$200k 6.2%

$200k+ 3.8%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	6.8%
$10k–$15k	4.9%
$15k–$25k	10.4%
$25k–$35k	13.0%
$35k–$50k	10.9%
$50k–$75k	15.5%
$75k–$100k	13.9%
$100k–$150k	14.7%
$150k–$200k	6.2%
$200k+	3.8%
Median income	$54,205

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 6.7%

$50k–$100k 18.5%

$100k–$150k 15.7%

$150k–$200k 23.8%

$200k–$300k 18.6%

$300k–$500k 11.3%

$500k–$1M 5.4%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$164,100
Median rent / month	$850
Owner occupied	74.9%
Renter occupied	25.1%
Vacant	15.1%
Single-family detached	82.6%
Large apartment buildings	1.5%
Mobile homes	6.7%
Median rooms	6.1
Avg household size (owned)	2.32

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	5.3%
2000–2009	5.7%
1990–1999	10.0%
1980–1989	13.1%
1970–1979	13.1%
1960–1969	11.8%
1950–1959	8.5%
1940–1949	5.3%
1939 or earlier	27.4%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.1%
1 bedroom	9.4%
2 bedrooms	21.7%
3 bedrooms	38.5%
4 bedrooms	21.2%
5+ bedrooms	8.1%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	5.9%
1 vehicle	28.3%
2 vehicles	35.0%
3 or more	30.8%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	39.9%
Electricity	24.3%
Propane / LP gas	19.0%
Fuel oil	10.3%
Wood	4.1%
Solar	0.5%
No fuel used	1.3%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	524	50.8%
Cohabiting couple	60	5.8%
Male householder, no spouse	208	20.2%
Female householder, no spouse	240	23.3%
Households with children under 18	259	25.1%
Households with seniors (65+)	399	38.7%
Average household size	2.22

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	24.2%	19.2%
Married	55.6%	53.3%
Separated	0.8%	1.6%
Widowed	6.4%	15.9%
Divorced	13.0%	9.9%

Education

Less than 9th grade 4.4%

Some HS, no diploma 5.9%

HS graduate 35.3%

Some college, no degree 18.3%

Associate's degree 11.6%

Bachelor's degree 16.4%

Graduate / professional 8.1%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	89.7%
Bachelor's or higher	24.5%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	21	4.4%
Kindergarten	13	2.7%
Elementary school	278	57.8%
High school	127	26.4%
College / grad school	42	8.7%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 31.9%

Retail trade 14.3%

Manufacturing 11.0%

Construction 8.7%

Agriculture & mining 6.7%

Professional & management 6.4%

Other services 4.6%

Public administration 3.9%

Wholesale trade 3.2%

Arts, food & hospitality 3.2%

Finance & real estate 2.5%

Transportation & utilities 2.4%

Information 1.2%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	35.5%
Service	16.8%
Sales & office	20.0%
Natural resources & construction	12.2%
Production & transportation	15.6%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	74.6%
Government	16.6%
Self-employed	8.5%
Unpaid family workers	0.3%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	74.4%
Carpool	6.5%
Public transit	0.7%
Walk	8.2%
Work from home	5.5%
Other means	4.7%
Avg commute (minutes)	18.0

Poverty

All people 15.8%

Under 18 years 24.4%

18 and over 13.2%

Married-couple families 6.3%

Female-led households 47.5%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	42.5%
Retirement income	23.7%
Supplemental Security	5.5%
Cash public assistance	7.1%
Food stamps / SNAP	14.0%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	38.1%
High blood pressure	35.4%
High cholesterol	33.9%
Diabetes	11.7%
Heart disease	8.3%
Stroke	3.9%
Asthma	9.3%
Arthritis	29.0%
Kidney disease	3.6%
Pulmonary disease	7.4%
Cancer	8.8%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	19.1%
Binge drinking	17.1%
No physical activity	25.3%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	29.7%
Depression	22.2%
Fair or poor health	14.8%
Poor mental health	13.3%
Poor physical health	11.4%
No health insurance	11.1%
Visited doctor (checkup)	74.7%
Visited dentist	65.6%
Cholesterol screening	90.5%
Teeth loss	12.9%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	199	10.5%

Disability	%
Any disability	15.7%
Under 18	3.7%
18–64 years	15.0%
65 and over	28.7%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	59.2%
Public insurance	55.1%
No insurance	5.8%
Uninsured under 19	9.9%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	2,304	94.7%
Spanish	31	1.3%
Other Indo-European	23	1.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander	8	0.3%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	2,385	98.0%
Born in same state	2,382	97.9%
Born in different state	1,834	75.3%
Foreign born	3	0.1%
Naturalized citizen	49	2.0%
Not a US citizen	17	34.7%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Polish	945	38.8%
Italian	141	5.8%
French	119	4.9%
English	60	2.5%

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	46	1.9%
Dutch	33	1.4%
German	29	1.2%
Irish	1	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	42.4%
Internet access	89.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 56542

What city is ZIP code 56542 in?

ZIP code 56542 is primarily assigned to Fosston, Minnesota.

What county is ZIP code 56542 in?

ZIP code 56542 falls within Polk County, Minnesota.

Does ZIP code 56542 have an older population?

27% of residents in ZIP code 56542 are 65 or older, above the national average of ~17%.

Does ZIP code 56542 have a large retiree population?

43% of households in ZIP code 56542 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 56542?

16% of residents in ZIP code 56542 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Does ZIP code 56542 have a large veteran population?

11% of civilians in ZIP code 56542 are veterans, above the national average of ~7%.

What timezone is ZIP code 56542 in?

ZIP code 56542 observes the CST timezone.