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Home care support in Stearns and Kandiyohi Counties
Outside the seven-county metro, the assessment still starts with your county. Here are the contacts and local facts for Stearns and Kandiyohi.
Stearns County
Stearns County Human Services
705 Courthouse Square, St. Cloud, MN 56303320-656-6000
Call Stearns County Human Services at 320-656-6000 and ask for a MnCHOICES assessment (long-term care consultation). The state directory says to request an assessment by calling your county; the office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. You can also call Minnesota Aging Pathways (formerly the Senior LinkAge Line) at 800-333-2433.
Stearns County had an estimated 164,110 residents on July 1, 2025, up 3.7% from the April 2020 base, and 18.3% were age 65 or older. About 8.3% of residents under 65 have a disability (2020-2024). Stearns County is large and mostly rural outside St. Cloud: 1,342.83 square miles of land at about 118 people per square mile (2020).
Median household income in Stearns County is $77,066 (2020-2024), 11.7% of residents are in poverty, and 67.9% of homes are owner-occupied. Stearns County has 61,403 households averaging 2.50 people (2020-2024), and 7.9% of residents are foreign-born.
Stearns County is served by the Central Minnesota Council on Aging, the area agency on aging for a 14-county central Minnesota region that also includes Benton, Sherburne and Wright counties. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud runs senior dining and Meals on Wheels for adults 60 and older, including a Whitney Senior Center site at 1527 Northway Drive in St. Cloud.
Kandiyohi County
Kandiyohi County Family Services (Health and Human Services)
2200 23rd Street NE, Suite 1020, Willmar, MN 56201320-231-7800
Call 320-231-7800 and ask for a MnCHOICES assessment or long-term care consultation. The office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Minnesota Aging Pathways (formerly the Senior LinkAge Line), 800-333-2433, can also help.
Kandiyohi County had an estimated 44,720 residents on July 1, 2025 (43,732 in the 2020 Census). 21.5% were age 65 or older, and 10.1% of residents under 65 have a disability. Kandiyohi County has 17,603 households averaging 2.43 people (2020-2024), and 72.5% of homes are owner-occupied.
Median household income in Kandiyohi County is $76,592 (2020-2024), and 14.3% of residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home. The county is rural, with 797.37 square miles of land and about 55 people per square mile (2020), though mean travel time to work is only 17.5 minutes.
Kandiyohi County is served by the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging in Mankato, which covers 27 southwestern Minnesota counties including Kandiyohi. Meals on Wheels and senior dining operate out of the Willmar Community Center at 624 Highway 71 NE in Willmar, according to the state aging and disability resource directory.
The agency directory covers the Twin Cities counties only. To find an agency in Stearns or Kandiyohi, ask your county or health plan, or call Minnesota Aging Pathways at 800-333-2433.
Questions
How do I ask for an assessment in Stearns County?
Call Stearns County Human Services at 320-656-6000 and ask for a MnCHOICES assessment (long-term care consultation). The state directory says to request an assessment by calling your county; the office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. You can also call Minnesota Aging Pathways (formerly the Senior LinkAge Line) at 800-333-2433.
How do I ask for an assessment in Kandiyohi County?
Call 320-231-7800 and ask for a MnCHOICES assessment or long-term care consultation. The office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Minnesota Aging Pathways (formerly the Senior LinkAge Line), 800-333-2433, can also help.
Which agencies on aging cover these counties?
Stearns County is served by the Central Minnesota Council on Aging, the area agency on aging for a 14-county central Minnesota region that also includes Benton, Sherburne and Wright counties. Kandiyohi County is served by the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging in Mankato, which covers 27 southwestern Minnesota counties including Kandiyohi.
Where do I report suspected abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult?
Call the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center at 844-880-1574, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 911 first in an emergency.
Sources: [1] mn.gov [2] census.gov [3] mn.gov [4] mn.gov [5] census.gov [6] mn.gov