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Traverse County, Minnesota

County in Minnesota, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Traverse County (locally /ˈtrævərs/ TRAV-ərss) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,360,[2] making it the least-populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat is Wheaton.[3] The county was founded in 1862 and organized in 1881.[4]

Country United States
FoundedFebruary 20, 1862 (created)
1881 (organized)
Quick facts Country, State ...
Traverse County, Minnesota
Old District No. 44 School
Old District No. 44 School
Map of Minnesota highlighting Traverse County
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Coordinates: 45°46′N 96°28′W
Country United States
State Minnesota
FoundedFebruary 20, 1862 (created)
1881 (organized)
Named forLake Traverse[1]
SeatWheaton
Largest cityWheaton
Area
  Total
586 sq mi (1,520 km2)
  Land574 sq mi (1,490 km2)
  Water12 sq mi (31 km2)  2.0%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
3,360
  Estimate 
(2025)
3,130 Decrease
  Density5.9/sq mi (2.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district7th
Websitetraversecountymn.gov
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Geography

Traverse County lies on the western edge of Minnesota. Its western border abuts the eastern borders of the states of North and South Dakota. The Red River flows northward along the county's western line. The Mustinka River flows southwestward through the county's upper portion, discharging into Lake Traverse. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, fully devoted to agriculture except in developed areas.[5] The terrain slopes to the west and north, with its highest point at the southeastern corner, at 1,119 ft (341 m) ASL.[6] The county has a total area of 586 square miles (1,520 km2), of which 574 square miles (1,490 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (2.0%) is water.[7]

Soils of Traverse County[8]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

  • Reservation Dam State Wildlife Management Area
  • White Rock Dam State Wildlife Management Area

Lakes

Source:[5]

Demographics

More information Census, Pop. ...
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
187013
18801,50711,492.3%
18904,516199.7%
19007,57367.7%
19108,0496.3%
19207,943−1.3%
19307,938−0.1%
19408,2834.3%
19508,053−2.8%
19607,503−6.8%
19706,254−16.6%
19805,542−11.4%
19904,463−19.5%
20004,134−7.4%
20103,558−13.9%
20203,360−5.6%
2025 (est.)3,130[9] Decrease−6.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[2]
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Racial and ethnic composition

More information Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic), Pop 1980 ...
Traverse County, Minnesota – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[14] Pop 1990[15] Pop 2000[16] Pop 2010[17] Pop 2020[18] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 5,427 4,314 3,946 3,324 2,851 97.92% 96.66% 95.45% 93.42% 84.85%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4 0 1 12 21 0.07% 0.00% 0.02% 0.34% 0.63%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 78 125 110 129 183 1.41% 2.80% 2.66% 3.63% 5.45%
Asian alone (NH) 16 16 11 4 0 0.29% 0.36% 0.27% 0.11% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [19] x [20] 2 1 0 x x 0.05% 0.03% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 8 0 0 1 5 0.14% 0.00% 0.00% 0.03% 0.15%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [21] x [22] 14 37 103 x x 0.34% 1.04% 3.07%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 9 8 50 50 197 0.16% 0.18% 1.21% 1.41% 5.86%
Total 5,542 4,463 4,134 3,558 3,360 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,360. The median age was 46.8 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.6 males age 18 and over.[23][24]

The racial makeup of the county was 85.4% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 6.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, <0.1% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.4% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.9% of the population.[24]

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[25]

There were 1,439 households in the county, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.2% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[23]

There were 1,877 housing units, of which 23.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.5% were owner-occupied and 21.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.5%.[23]

2000 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Traverse County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,134 people, 1,717 households, and 1,129 families in the county. The population density was 7.2 per square mile (2.8/km2). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 3.83 per square mile (1.48/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.42% White, 0.02% Black or African American, 2.81% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. 1.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.2% were of German, 13.0% Norwegian, 7.6% Swedish and 5.4% Irish ancestry.

There were 1,717 households, out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.20% were non-families. 32.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97.

The county population contained 25.30% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 21.70% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 26.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,617, and the median income for a family was $39,655. Males had a median income of $29,821 versus $20,100 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,378. About 9.30% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 10.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Government and politics

Traverse County was historically a swing county, although in recent years it has swung substantially Republican. Since 1980 the county has selected the Republican Party candidate 58% of the time in national elections (as of 2024).

More information Year, Republican ...
United States presidential election results for Traverse County, Minnesota[26]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.%No.%No.%
1892 413 39.33% 317 30.19% 320 30.48%
1896 589 36.65% 963 59.93% 55 3.42%
1900 768 50.29% 720 47.15% 39 2.55%
1904 885 77.50% 247 21.63% 10 0.88%
1908 685 54.93% 514 41.22% 48 3.85%
1912 131 10.34% 561 44.28% 575 45.38%
1916 774 48.71% 779 49.02% 36 2.27%
1920 1,759 73.20% 550 22.89% 94 3.91%
1924 1,002 39.32% 202 7.93% 1,344 52.75%
1928 1,214 38.79% 1,899 60.67% 17 0.54%
1932 608 18.53% 2,633 80.23% 41 1.25%
1936 761 24.20% 2,297 73.06% 86 2.74%
1940 1,434 40.50% 2,094 59.14% 13 0.37%
1944 1,296 42.76% 1,721 56.78% 14 0.46%
1948 1,008 31.28% 2,151 66.74% 64 1.99%
1952 1,809 50.63% 1,756 49.15% 8 0.22%
1956 1,467 45.87% 1,724 53.91% 7 0.22%
1960 1,463 40.75% 2,122 59.11% 5 0.14%
1964 1,073 32.30% 2,247 67.64% 2 0.06%
1968 1,277 41.41% 1,669 54.12% 138 4.47%
1972 1,276 41.77% 1,744 57.09% 35 1.15%
1976 1,130 35.24% 2,020 62.99% 57 1.78%
1980 1,574 51.95% 1,258 41.52% 198 6.53%
1984 1,399 51.00% 1,325 48.30% 19 0.69%
1988 1,061 42.85% 1,399 56.50% 16 0.65%
1992 841 33.86% 1,053 42.39% 590 23.75%
1996 775 34.77% 1,135 50.92% 319 14.31%
2000 1,074 51.00% 884 41.98% 148 7.03%
2004 1,076 50.26% 1,026 47.92% 39 1.82%
2008 933 45.85% 1,043 51.25% 59 2.90%
2012 861 46.62% 943 51.06% 43 2.33%
2016 1,049 58.34% 630 35.04% 119 6.62%
2020 1,172 62.88% 661 35.46% 31 1.66%
2024 1,165 64.65% 597 33.13% 40 2.22%
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More information Position, Name ...
County Board of Commissioners[27]
Position Name District
Commissioner Chad Metz District 1
Commissioner Kayla Schmidt District 2
Commissioner Mark Gail District 3
Commissioner Jerrel Olson District 4
Commissioner Dwight Nelson District 5
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More information Position, Name ...
State Legislature (2020–2022)
Position Name Affiliation District
  Senate Torrey Westrom[28] Republican District 12
  House of Representatives Jeff Backer[29] Republican District 12A
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More information Position, Name ...
U.S Congress (2020–2022)
Position Name Affiliation District
  House of Representatives Michelle Fischbach Republican 7th
  Senate Amy Klobuchar[30] Democrat N/A
  Senate Tina Smith[31] Democrat N/A
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See also

References

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