Town guide

Ottertail, Minnesota

Ottertail is a city in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, home to about 490 people across 4.3 square miles. Its ZIP code is 56571.

Homes sold for a median of $291 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.

Population490114 per sq mi
Median home value$332,900Census, as estimated by owners
Price per sq ft$291Sold homes, 3 months to August 2026
Sold over asking9%Latest 3 months

ZIP codes in Ottertail

1 ZIP code

Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Ottertail. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology

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  • Things to do

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Around Ottertail

Distances

Nearest major airportMinneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP)154 miles away
Closer regional airportBrainerd Lakes Regional Airport (BRD)67 miles away
Nearest city of 250,000+Minneapolis, MN149 miles away
Nearest city of 1 million+Chicago, IL502 miles away

Straight-line distances from the center of Ottertail; driving is longer.

Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Who represents Ottertail

Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.

Population over time

Ottertail had 629 residents in the 2020 census, up 39% since 2000.

It’s the 1083rd largest of 2,727 towns in Minnesota by population.

Otter Tail County grew from 45,375 residents in 1900 to 60,081 in 2020.

Ottertail population by census2000: 451, 2010: 572, 2020: 629451200057220106292020

Otter Tail County, 1900–2020

Otter Tail County population, 1900 to 20201900: 45,375, 1910: 46,036, 1920: 50,818, 1930: 51,006, 1940: 53,192, 1950: 51,320, 1960: 48,960, 1970: 46,097, 1980: 51,937, 1990: 50,714, 2000: 57,159, 2010: 57,303, 2020: 60,08145K’00’1051K’20’3053K’40’5049K’60’7052K’80’9057K’00’1060K’20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).

Weather by month

Average highs peak around 79°F in summer, and winter lows average -2°F. About 28.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.

Average high and low temperature and precipitation by month near OttertailJan: high 17°F, low -2°F, 0.6 in; Feb: high 23°F, low 2°F, 0.6 in; Mar: high 36°F, low 15°F, 1.2 in; Apr: high 52°F, low 30°F, 2.2 in; May: high 65°F, low 44°F, 3.4 in; Jun: high 75°F, low 56°F, 4.8 in; Jul: high 79°F, low 60°F, 4.3 in; Aug: high 77°F, low 59°F, 3.3 in; Sep: high 69°F, low 49°F, 3.2 in; Oct: high 54°F, low 35°F, 2.7 in; Nov: high 37°F, low 21°F, 1.1 in; Dec: high 23°F, low 7°F, 0.8 in17°-2°Jan0.623°2°Feb0.636°15°Mar1.252°30°Apr2.265°44°May3.475°56°Jun4.879°60°Jul4.377°59°Aug3.369°49°Sep3.254°35°Oct2.737°21°Nov1.123°7°Dec0.8Rain and melted snow, inches

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ottertail, MN weather station (about a mile away).

Jobs in Otter Tail County

18,813 jobs at 1,730 businesses in Otter Tail County. The biggest industries by employees:

Largest industries in Otter Tail CountyManufacturing: 4,135 jobs; Health care and social assistance: 3,883 jobs; Retail trade: 2,798 jobs; Hotels and restaurants: 1,713 jobs; Construction: 1,048 jobs; Other services: 999 jobs; Administrative and support: 773 jobs; Wholesale trade: 535 jobsManufacturing 22% Health care and social assistance 21% Retail trade 15% Hotels and restaurants 9% Construction 6% Other services 5% Administrative and support 4% Wholesale trade 3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).

Health care

2 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Ottertail.

Nearest hospitals

  • Perham HealthCritical access hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 3 of 5 · Perham12.2 miles
  • Astera HealthCritical access hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 3 of 5 · Wadena18.6 miles
  • Essentia Health St. Marys - Detroit LakesGeneral hospital · no emergency room · CMS rating 4 of 5 · Detroit Lakes31.0 miles

Providers with an office here

Primary care doctors1
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants1
Pharmacies2

Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.

Places in and around Ottertail

Grocery stores

  • Carr's Lake Country Supermarket2.1 mi

Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.

Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.

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Where Ottertail is

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Towns near Ottertail

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Shares ZIP codes with Otter Tail, Leaf Lake, Rush Lake and Otto.

Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.