CARVER County, MN

Carver County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is mostly farmland and wilderness with many unincorporated townships. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 106,922. Its county seat is Chaska. Carver County is named for explorer Jonathan Carver, who in 1766–67, traveled from Boston to the Minnesota River and wintered among the Sioux near the site of New Ulm. Carver County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Statistics

In 2017, Carver County was ranked by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as the healthiest county in the State of Minnesota for the fifth year in a row. The foundation explained health outcomes represent “how healthy counties are within the state,” whereas health factors represent “an estimate of the future health of counties as compared with other counties within a state,” based on health behaviors, clinical care, and other environmental factors. Carver County continued to rank as the number one healthiest county throughout the state for 2018, 2019, and 2020.

In 2018, Carver County was ranked as the #1 "Happiest Place in America" according to a study conducted by the data firm Smart Asset. Carver County was one of three United States counties to receive a top 5 ranking for the third straight year. The other two counties were Loudoun and Fairfax counties in Virginia. The study compared counties across the country using the following eight factors: unemployment rate, poverty rate, affordability ratio, marriage rate, divorce rate, bankruptcy rate, life expectancy, and physical activity rate. In particular, Carver County scored well thanks to strong economic conditions with an unemployment rate of only 3.1% and a poverty rate of only 4.1%. Additionally, according to the data, 62% of residents were married and only 8% divorced. In each of those metrics, Carver ranked in the top 40 in the country.

Geography

The Minnesota River flows east-northeasterly along the county's southern border. The South Fork of the Crow River flows northeasterly through the upper western and central portions of the county. Carver Creek flows southeasterly from the county's central area, discharging into the Minnesota at the county's southern border. The terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with lakes in the eastern portion. The area is devoted to agriculture.

The terrain slopes to the east and south, with its northwest corner at 1,024' (312m) ASL. A small hill 1.6 miles (2.6 km) northeast of Miller Lake rises to 1,080' (329m) ASL, for the county's highest point.

The county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.8%) is water. It is Minnesota's second-smallest county by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Carver is one of seven southern Minnesota counties with no forest soils; only prairie ecosystems of savannas and prairies can be found in Carver County. It is also one of 17 Minnesota counties where savanna soils dominate.

Lakes

Carver County is home to seven lakes of 235 acres or larger. The largest is Lake Waconia, Minnesota's 73rd largest lake and the Twin Cities' second largest lake, with an area of 2,996 acres.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Chaska have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1970 and a record high of was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in August.

Demographics

thumb|Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 U.S. census data

2010

The ethnic makeup of the county, according to the 2010 census, was the following:

There were 33,486 households, out of which 42.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.22.

The median income for a household in the county was $83,773, and the median income for a family was $96,913. Males had a median income of $66,150 versus $46,696 for females. The per capita income for the county was $37,457. About 3.3% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 70,205 people, 24,356 households, and 18,778 families in the county. The population density was 198/sqmi (76.6/km²). There were 24,883 housing units at an average density of 70.3/sqmi (27.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.95% White, 0.59% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 2.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.3% were of German, 12.1% Norwegian, 7.1% Irish and 6.2% Swedish ancestry.

There were 24,356 households, out of which 45.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.40% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.90% were non-families. 18.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.26.

The county population contained 31.50% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 34.70% from 25 to 44, 19.50% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $65,540, and the median income for a family was $73,577 (these figures had risen to $78,035 and $89,100 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $47,271 versus $32,107 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,486. About 2.30% of families and 3.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.60% of those under age 18 and 6.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Government

Like all counties in Minnesota, Carver is governed by an elected and nonpartisan board of commissioners. Each commissioner represents a district of approximately equal population.

County commissioners

The county commission elects a chair, who presides at meetings.

Commissioners as of January 2020:

Politics

As Carver County becomes more suburban and less rural in character, with 90% of its residents now living in its cities, it is becoming more of a battleground territory, especially in the eastern half of the county and in its two largest cities, Chaska and Chanhassen. Traditionally, the county has tended to vote for Republicans. Since World War II, the county has never voted for a Democratic candidate for president. The last time Carver County voted for a Democrat was in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt's landslide win against incumbent Herbert Hoover, and the only other occurrence since 1896 was Woodrow Wilson in 1912, when the Republicans were bitterly divided. As a measure of how Republican the county has been over the years, it was one of only four counties in the entire state to support Barry Goldwater in 1964 over Lyndon Johnson. This is one of only five times since 1932 that a Democrat has managed 40 percent of the county's vote.

Carver's Republican bent is not limited to presidential elections. The county regularly rejects Democrats in gubernatorial races as well. Since 1944, the only time Carver County voted for a non-Republican candidate in a gubernatorial race was in 1998, Jesse Ventura’s third-party upset.

Carver County is split between two congressional districts. The eastern area, adjacent to Hennepin County and Scott County and including Chaska and Chanhassen, is in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district (CPVI D+6); the remainder of the county is in Minnesota's 6th congressional district (CPVI R+12).

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Notable residents