POLK County, MN

Polk County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 31,192 at the 2020 United States Census. Its county seat is Crookston, and the largest community is East Grand Forks.

Polk County is part of the Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

In one of its early acts as a state entity, the Minnesota legislature created the county on July 20, 1858, but did not organize it at that time. The county was named for the 11th president of the United States, James Knox Polk, who signed the Congressional Act that organized the Minnesota Territory. The county was organized in 1872 and 1873, with the newly settled community of Crookston as the county seat.

Geography

Polk County lies on Minnesota's border with North Dakota (across the Red River). The Red Lake River flows west through the upper central part of the county, discharging into the Red at Grand Forks. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, devoted to agriculture. The county slopes to the west and north, with its highest point near its southeast corner, at 1,519' (463m) ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water.

USGS surveys show the county's high point to be 1575 feet, 1 km south of U.S. 2, about 2 km east of Spring Lake, at 47.5197°N, 95.5906°W.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 31,369 people, 12,070 households, and 8,050 families in the county. The population density was 15.9/sqmi (6.14/km²). There were 14,008 housing units at an average density of 7.11/sqmi (2.74/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.18% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 1.30% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.57% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 4.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 41.7% were of Norwegian, 19.7% German and 5.8% French ancestry.

There were 12,070 households, of which 32.3% had children under age 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07.

The county population contained 25.9% under 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household was $35,105, and the median income for a family was $44,310. Males had a median income of $31,472 versus $21,535 for females. The per capita income was $17,279. About 7.3% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Government and politics

Polk County has been a swing district for several decades. As of 2020 it has selected the Republican nominee in presidential elections in 56% of elections since 1980.