REDWOOD County, MN

Redwood County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 15,425. Its county seat is Redwood Falls, along the Redwood River near its confluence with the Minnesota River.

The Lower Sioux Indian Reservation (also known as the Mdewakankton Tribal Reservation) is entirely within the county, along the southern bank of the Minnesota River in Paxton and Sherman townships. In the 2000 census it had a population of 335.

History

The Minnesota Legislature created the county on February 8, 1862, with Redwood Falls as the county seat. It was named for the Redwood River, which flows eastward through the county.

Geography

The Minnesota River flows southeast along the county's northeastern border. The Redwood River flows east through the upper part of the county, draining into the Minnesota near Redwood Falls. The Cottonwood River flows east through the lower part of the county, entering adjacent Brown County before discharging into the Minnesota. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, carved with drainages and sprinkled with lakes. The largely rural area is devoted to commodity crops of corn and soybeans. The terrain slopes to the east, with its highest point in the southwest corner at 1,450' (442m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.

Airports

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Lakes

Protected areas

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, the county had 16,815 people, 6,674 households, and 4,524 families. The population density was 19.1/sqmi (7.39/km²). There were 7,230 housing units at an average density of 8.23/sqmi (3.18/km²). The county's racial makeup was 94.97% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 3.24% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 55.8% were of German and 13.7% Norwegian ancestry.

There were 6,674 households, of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.20% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02.

26.50% of the county's population was under age 18, 6.60% was from age 18 to 24, 24.80% was from age 25 to 44, 22.70% was from age 45 to 64, and 19.30% was age 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.50 males.

The county's median household income was $37,352, and the median family income was $46,250. Males had a median income of $30,251 versus $21,481 for females. The county's per capita income was $18,903. About 5.50% of families and 7.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.30% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

thumb|right|300px|Cities and townships of Redwood County

Cities

Unincorporated Communities

Townships

Politics

Redwood County is a reliably Republican precinct. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).