Wilkin County is a county in Minnesota, United States, on the Red River of the North along the North Dakota line. It had a population of 6,506 at the 2020 census and covers 751 square miles (1,950 km2) centred near 46°22′N 96°28′W.
Breckenridge is the county seat, and its postal code is 56520. The county has seven incorporated cities (one, Rothsay, only partly within its borders), six unincorporated communities, and 22 organized townships. Wilkin County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Wilkin County
Every incorporated place in Wilkin County sits on the flat Red River Valley floor, laid out along the rail lines and section roads that opened the county to wheat and sugar-beet farming in the 1870s and 1880s.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breckenridge | City · seat | Breckenridge | 3,430 | 56520 |
| Campbell | City | Campbell | — | — |
| Doran | City | Manston | — | — |
| Foxhome | City | Foxhome | — | — |
| Kent | City | Mitchell | — | — |
| Nashua | City | Nordick | — | — |
| Wolverton | City | Wolverton | — | — |
| Rothsay (part) | City | Prairie View | — | — |
| Brushvale | Unincorp. | McCauleyville | — | — |
| Childs | Unincorp. | Deerhorn | — | — |
| Everdell | Unincorp. | Andrea | — | — |
| Lawndale | Unincorp. | Tanberg | — | — |
| McCauleyville | Unincorp. | McCauleyville | — | — |
| Tenney | Unincorp. | Akron | — | — |
Townships
Wilkin County is organized into 22 civil townships, each governing the open farmland between the incorporated cities.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Akron | — | Tenney |
| Andrea | — | Everdell |
| Atherton | — | open farmland |
| Bradford | — | open farmland |
| Brandrup | — | open farmland |
| Breckenridge | — | surrounds the city of Breckenridge |
| Campbell | — | Campbell |
| Champion | — | open farmland |
| Connelly | — | open farmland |
| Deerhorn | — | Childs |
| Foxhome | — | Foxhome |
| Manston | — | Doran |
| McCauleyville | — | Brushvale, McCauleyville |
| Meadows | — | open farmland |
| Mitchell | — | Kent |
| Nilsen | — | open farmland |
| Nordick | — | Nashua |
| Prairie View | — | part of Rothsay |
| Roberts | — | open farmland |
| Sunnyside | — | open farmland |
| Tanberg | — | Lawndale |
| Wolverton | — | Wolverton |
ZIP Codes
- 56520 — Breckenridge (also serves the surrounding townships and McCauleyville)
The county’s smaller cities and unincorporated communities are served by post offices in neighboring counties or across the Red River in North Dakota; this page does not list a ZIP for those places rather than publish an unverified one.
Geography
Wilkin County lies in the Red River Valley, a lakebed left by glacial Lake Agassiz, and its terrain is low, flat, and almost entirely given over to row-crop and sugar-beet farming. The Bois de Sioux River forms the county’s western edge before joining the Otter Tail River at Breckenridge to create the Red River of the North, which then carries the boundary north.
Wilkin County borders:
- Clay County, Minnesota to the north
- Otter Tail County, Minnesota to the east
- Grant County, Minnesota to the south
- Traverse County, Minnesota to the south
- Richland County, North Dakota to the west
Demographics
Wilkin County had 6,506 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of 8.7 people per square mile (3.4 per km2) — one of the more sparsely settled counties in western Minnesota. Breckenridge is by far the largest community, followed by Campbell. The county’s Minnesota state median household income is $85,086 (2023 ACS); no reliable county-level figure newer than the 2000 census was available to publish here, so it is omitted rather than guessed.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the county economy: the flat, fertile valley floor supports wheat, corn, soybeans, and sugar beets, with growers delivering beets to processing plants across the river in the Wahpeton-Breckenridge area. Grain elevators and farm-supply businesses line the rail spurs through Breckenridge, Campbell, and Foxhome. Breckenridge and its twin city, Wahpeton, North Dakota, function as the county’s shared retail and service hub, straddling the state line where the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers meet.
History
The county was first organized in 1858 as Toombs County, named for Georgia politician Robert Toombs. Voters renamed it Andy Johnson County in 1863, then settled on its present name on March 6, 1868, honoring Colonel Alexander Wilkin, a Minnesota attorney who served as the territory’s secretary and U.S. marshal before he was killed in the Civil War. Breckenridge grew up at the river confluence as a fur-trade and steamboat landing before the railroad reached it in the 1870s, cementing its role as county seat.
Getting There
Interstate 94 crosses the county’s northeastern corner, and U.S. Routes 52 and 75 run through Breckenridge; Minnesota Highways 9, 55, 108, and 210 connect the smaller towns.
- Fargo, North Dakota — about 45 miles north
- Moorhead, Minnesota — about 45 miles north
- Wahpeton, North Dakota — adjoins Breckenridge directly across the river
- Fergus Falls, Minnesota — about 40 miles east
Hector International Airport in Fargo is the nearest commercial airport. Amtrak’s Empire Builder stops in Fargo, roughly 45 miles from Breckenridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Wilkin County?
In far western Minnesota, on the North Dakota border along the Red River of the North and the Bois de Sioux River.
What is the Breckenridge postcode?
56520.
What is the county seat of Wilkin County?
Breckenridge is the county seat.
How many people live in Wilkin County?
6,506 people at the 2020 census, making it one of Minnesota’s least populous counties.
How big is Wilkin County?
751 square miles (1,950 km2), almost entirely land.
What is Wilkin County named after?
Colonel Alexander Wilkin, a Minnesota attorney and U.S. marshal killed in the Civil War, whom the county was renamed for in 1868.
What is the closest city to Wilkin County?
Wahpeton, North Dakota, sits directly across the river from Breckenridge; Fargo-Moorhead is about 45 miles north.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Minnesota.