Houston County, Minnesota, a core county of the La Crosse-Onalaska-Sparta, WI-MN market, holds $534M in deposits across 5 insured institutions and 9 branches. Merchants Bank, National Association is the largest deposit holder at 58.4% share. The top three institutions hold 94.4% of deposits, which places the county in the concentrated band. Deposits have grown 22.7% since 2020. It produces $635M of output, ranking #1,307 of the 1,523 counties within a CSA or MSA by economic output.
Deposit trend
Branches: 9 in 2020 to 9 in 2025. Institutions: 5 to 5. Top-three share: 82.4% to 94.4%.
Leading institutions by deposits
| Institution | Deposits | Share | 5‑yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merchants Bank, National Association | $312M | 58.4% | +46% |
| ESB Bank | $160M | 29.9% | +56% |
| BMO Bank National Association | $32M | 6.1% | -19% |
| Alerus Financial, National Association | $30M | 5.6% | no 2020 presence |
| Rushford State Bank (Incorporated) | $0M | 0.0% | no 2020 presence |
The 5 insured institutions with a branch presence in this county, as of June 30, 2025. Five-year change compares the same institution’s county deposits in 2020 and 2025. Institutions are tracked by FDIC certificate number, and where an institution acquired another bank, the acquired bank’s prior deposits are folded into the baseline so the change reflects the combined, continuing franchise rather than reading as new. Even so, a large gain can reflect acquisition rather than competitive growth; “no 2020 presence” means neither the institution nor a bank it later absorbed reported deposits in this county that year.
Part of the La Crosse-Onalaska-Sparta market
Houston County is one of 4 counties that make up the La Crosse-Onalaska-Sparta, WI-MN market, a Combined Statistical Area (ranked #178 of 293 U.S. markets by economic output). It produces 5.4% of the market’s output and holds 9.3% of its deposits.
| Measure | Houston County | Share of La Crosse-Onalaska-Sparta market |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 GDP | $635M | 5.4% |
| Deposits | $534M | 9.3% |
| Population | 18,400 | 8.4% |
View the full La Crosse-Onalaska-Sparta market profile →
Recruiting in Houston County
Deposits are held closely by the largest banks, which often means the bankers worth recruiting are inside a small number of institutions. Who holds the deposits, and how contested the market is, shapes both the runway for growth and the competition you would be recruiting against. We recruit commercial relationship managers, banking teams, and market leaders for banks building in markets like Houston County, on a retained basis.
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