Watkins is a city in Meeker County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. The population was 991 at the 2020 census.

History

A post office has been in operation at Watkins since 1887. Watkins was named by railroad officials.

Geography

Watkins is in northeastern Meeker County, south and west of the Stearns County line. Minnesota State Highway 55 passes through the southern part of the city, leading east to Kimball and west to Eden Valley. Litchfield, the Meeker

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, is to the southwest. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Watkins has a total area of , all land. The city sits at the headwaters of the Clearwater River, which flows southeast, then northeast to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

at the city of Clearwater.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 962 people, 398 households, and 236 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 438 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 0.3% from other races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.4% of the population. There were 398 households, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 21.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 880 people, 336 households, and 206 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 367 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.32%

, 0.34%

, 0.11% Asian, and 0.23% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population. There were 336 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 15.6% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $41,786. Males had a median income of $35,435 versus $19,318 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,950. About 6.7% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

* Eugene McCarthy, U.S. senator and 1968 presidential candidate

References

External links

*
Eden Valley – Watkins Schools site
{{authority control Cities in Meeker County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota