Willmar, Minnesota

Willmar ( WIL-mər) is a city in, and the county seat of, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 21,015 at the 2020 census. History Agricultural expansion and Willmar's establishment as a division point on the Great Northern Railway determined its growth. The first settlers arrived during the 1850s, attracted to the fertile land and abundant timber and game. The Dakota War of 1862 left the township abandoned for several years. The advent of the railroad in Kandiyohi County in 1869 brought new settlers. Many were of Swedish and Norwegian origin; residents of Scandinavian heritage are still a majority. In 1870, Leon (Chadwick) Willmar, a Belgian acting as an agent for the European bondholder of the Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad, bought the title to Section 1 of Willmar Township. Willmar was established as the county seat in 1871 and was incorporated as a village in 1874 and as a city in 1901. Willmar was the site of a bank robbery by the Machine Gun Kelly gang on July 15, 1930. They robbed the Bank of Willmar (later Otto Bremer Trust) of about $70,000 (equivalent to $1,349,000 in 2025) and wounded three people. The Willmar Memorial Auditorium, designed by architect William Ingemann, was the largest assembly hall within 70 miles when completed in 1938. It was funded by the city of Willmar and the state and federal governments as a Depression-era works project. It contains several murals by Richard Haines commissioned by the Federal Art Project, and wood paneling in the oak doors by WPA artists. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. From 1977 to 1979, Willmar was the site of the Willmar 8, a strike of female workers confronting sexual discrimination at a local bank. The strike was reported in mainstream media and a documentary. Bradley Joseph's music draws inspiration from his childhood in Willmar, and his company, Robbins Island Music, is named after a Willmar city park. Willmar was home to the annual Sonshine Festival, a Christian music festival, from 1982 to 2014. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 15.95 square miles (41.31 km2), of which 14.15 square miles (36.65 km2) is land and 1.80 square miles (4.66 km2) is water. The 45° latitude line passes just south of Willmar, placing it approximately halfway between the equator and the North Pole. Climate Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Willmar had a population of 21,015. The median age was 34.2 years. 27.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.3 males age 18 and over. 99.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.6% lived in rural areas. There were 7,875 households in Willmar, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.4% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 8,425 housing units, of which 6.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.8%. 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 19,610 people, 7,677 households, and 4,538 families living in the city. The population density was 1,385.9 inhabitants per square mile (535.1/km2). There were 8,123 housing units at an average density of 574.1 per square mile (221.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.9% White; 4.8% Black, primarily Somali; 0.5% Native American; 0.6% Asian; 0.1% Pacific Islander; 5.4% from other races; and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.9% of the population. There were 7,677 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.9% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in the city was 33.8 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 18,351 people, 7,302 households, and 4,461 families living in the city. The population density was 1,549.9 inhabitants per square mile (598.4/km2). There were 7,789 housing units at an average density of 657.8 per square mile (254.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.12% White, 0.90% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 8.52% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.86% of the population. There were 7,302 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,455, and the median income for a family was $45,415. Males had a median income of $31,575 versus $22,158 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,515. About 8.4% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.0% of those 65 and older. Immigration Since 1989, Willmar has had a large influx of immigrants from Latin America and Northeast Africa, mostly due to demand for labor at the Jennie-O poultry plant. In 2001, the National Civic League recognized Willmar as an "All America City", in part for its success as growing numbers of immigrants became part of the community. In 2005, the city received attention from national media after several Somali-American high school students gave Willmar High School its first cross-country state championship in 20 years. The team won the state tournament and attended the Nike Nationals in both 2005 and 2006. The city gained attention from Sports Illustrated, and NBC Nightly News ran a story on Willmar's changing complexion and acceptance of its new citizens. Willmar received more national attention when an opinion piece about immigration and Willmar by Thomas Friedman appeared in the New York Times on May 14, 2019. On January 16, 2026, national news outlets—including MS NOW—reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents ate a meal at a Mexican restaurant in Willmar, then returned later in the day to arrest the employees who had provided their meal. Education Willmar is home to Ridgewater College, a community and technical college on the site of a former military base. It has a sister college in Hutchinson. Ridgewater enrolls over 5,500 students and provides a moderate range of programs, in addition to providing access to some four-year programs through relationships with universities in the MnSCU system. It is also home to Willmar High School and Willmar Community Christian School. Transportation U.S. Highways 12 and 71 and Minnesota State Highways 23 and 40 are four of the main routes in the city. Willmar greatly benefited from being at the junction of multiple railway lines. From Willmar, the Great Northern Railway had lines radiating east to Minneapolis and St. Paul, northwest to Fargo and Seattle, northeast to St. Cloud and Duluth, and southwest to Sioux Falls and Yankton. Willmar was served by numerous passenger trains over the years. The last passenger train left Willmar station in 1979. Sports Media Newspapers West Central Tribune La Gran America (Trilingual newspaper) Magazines Seasons of Minnesota Television stations UHF-TV Inc. WRAC TV - Regional Access Channel Broadcast Pay television services Charter Communications DirecTV Dish Network Radio stations Notable people Thomas K. Berg – politician and lawyer Wallace Gustafson – lawyer and politician Olof Hanson – architect Bonnie Henrickson – head women's college basketball coach at UC Santa Barbara Roy C. Jensen – farmer and politician Dean Johnson – politician Robert George Johnson – politician Carl O. Jorgenson – politician Bradley Joseph – composer and recording artist Pinky Nelson – astronaut Alec G. Olson – politician Earl B. Olson – founder of the Jennie-O Turkey company Kenneth L. Olson – United States Army soldier Jim Pederson – professional football player Henrik Shipstead – politician Curt Swan – illustrator of Superman comics from the 1950s to the 1980s Rick Swenson – dog musher and Iditarod participant Alan Welle – politician and businessman Henry G. Young – lawyer and politician Sister city Willmar has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International: Vileyka, Belarus References External links City of Willmar – Official Website The Official Willmar Lakes Area Community site The Official Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce Official website of the Willmar Public School District