Olmsted County, Minnesota

Olmsted County
County
Olmsted County Government Center (pre-expansion)
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°00′N92°24′W / 44°N 92.4°W / 44; -92.4
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1855
Named for	David Olmsted
Seat	Rochester
Largest city	Rochester
Area
• Total	655 sq mi (1,700 km2)
• Land	653 sq mi (1,690 km2)
• Water	1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	162,847
• Estimate  (2023)	164,784
• Density	249/sq mi (96/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.olmstedcounty.gov

Olmsted County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population is 162,847. ^[1] Its county seat and most populous city is Rochester. ^[2]

Olmsted County is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The Wisconsin Territory was established by the federal government effective July 3, 1836, and existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as Wisconsin) in 1848. Therefore, the federal government set up the Minnesota Territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. One of those original counties, Wabasha, had portions partitioned off in 1853 to create Fillmore and Rice counties. Then on February 20, 1855, ^[3] portions of Rice, Wabasha, and Fillmore counties were partitioned off to create the present county, with Rochester (which was also platted that year) as county seat. The county name recognized David Olmsted (1822-1861), ^[4] a member of the first territorial council and the fourth mayor of St. Paul. ^{[5] [6]}

The county boundaries have remained unchanged since 1855.

Geography

Olmsted County is a fairly unusual mix of urban and rural areas in that there's no transition or buffer between the two environments. Rochester, Minnesota's third largest city of roughly 118,000 people, sits in the Zumbro River valley at the center of the county. Outside the valley however, with the exception of a small amount of urban growth in the last few years, remains farmland with small agricultural based communities and no directly adjacent suburbs. Stewartville, the county's second largest city, is slightly over 1/20th the size at roughly 6,000 people, an unusually large gap for a metropolitan area.

Olmsted County is drained by three rivers, all flowing to the Mississippi. The Zumbro River flows northward through the west central part of the county, into Wabasha County. The Whitewater flows northeast from the northeast part of the county into Winona County, and the Root flows east-southeastward through the lower part of the county into Fillmore County. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, etched by drainage gullies and marked by occasional buttes. The available area is devoted to agriculture or is developed for other productive uses. ^[7] The county terrain slopes to the east and north, ^[8] and its highest point is a hill 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west of Stewartville, at 1,380 ft (420 m) ASL. ^[9] The county has a total area of 655 square miles (1,700 km²), of which 653 square miles (1,690 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) (0.2%) is water. ^[10]

Soils of Olmsted County

It is one of four counties in Minnesota that does not have any natural lakes (the other three being Mower, Pipestone, and Rock).

Transit

• Jefferson Lines
• Rochester Public Transit

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• U.S. Highway 14
• U.S. Highway 52
• U.S. Highway 63
• Minnesota State Highway 30
• Minnesota State Highway 42
• Minnesota State Highway 74
• Minnesota State Highway 247
• Olmsted County Highway 22

Airports

• Mid-Continent Airport ^[7]
• Rochester International Airport (RST)

Adjacent counties

• Wabasha County - north
• Winona County - east
• Fillmore County - south
• Mower County - southwest
• Dodge County - west
• Goodhue County - northwest

Protected areas ^[7]

• Chester Woods Park
• High Forest Wildlife Management Area
• Keller Wildlife Management Area
• Marian Marshall Wildlife Management Area
• Nelson Fen Wildlife Management Area
• Oronoco Scientific and Natural Area
• Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo
• Root River Park
• Schumann State Wildlife Management Area
• Suess State Wildlife Management Area
• Whitewater Wildlife Management Area (part)

Lakes

Though Olmsted County does not have any natural lakes, it does have six reservoirs created by dams:

• Chester Lake: Eyota Township
• Lake Florence: High Forest Township
• Lake George: Rochester Township
• Mayowood Lake: Rochester Township
• Silver Lake: Haverhill Township and Cascade Township
• Lake Zumbro (part): Oronoco Township

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	9,524		—
1870	19,793		107.8%
1880	21,543		8.8%
1890	19,806		−8.1%
1900	23,119		16.7%
1910	22,497		−2.7%
1920	28,014		24.5%
1930	35,426		26.5%
1940	42,658		20.4%
1950	48,228		13.1%
1960	65,532		35.9%
1970	84,104		28.3%
1980	92,006		9.4%
1990	106,470		15.7%
2000	124,277		16.7%
2010	144,248		16.1%
2020	162,847		12.9%
2023 (est.)	164,784	[12]	1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [13] 1790-1960 [14] 1900-1990 [15] 1990-2000 [16] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, ^[17] the population was 162,847. The population density was 249.2 inhabitants per square mile (96.2/km²). There were 69,270 housing units at an average density of 106.0 per square mile (40.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.8% White, 6.8% Black or African American, 6.3% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 6.1% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 5.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

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

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 124,277 people, 47,807 households, and 32,317 families in the county. The population density was 190 per square mile (73/km²). There were 49,422 housing units at an average density of 75.7 per square mile (29.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.33% White, 2.68% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 4.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.92% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. 2.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 47,807 households, out of which 35.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.09.

The county population contained 27.00% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 32.20% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $51,316, and the median income for a family was $61,610. Males had a median income of $40,196 versus $29,994 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,939. About 3.80% of families and 6.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.70% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Olmsted has historically been a Republican-leaning county. However, rapid population growth in Rochester has made it more competitive in recent years. In 2020, Joe Biden won it by nearly 11 points, the best performance of any Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Since 2000, Olmsted County has voted for the winning presidential candidate in five of the six elections. The exception is 2016, where national electoral winner Donald Trump lost Olmsted County by only 0.75% and a slim margin of 600 votes.

Although it has trended Democratic at the presidential level, Olmsted County continues to lean Republican in state and local races, with split ticket voting becoming more common locally. Two of the county's three seats in the Minnesota Senate are held by Republicans, as well as two of the five seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Since 1970, Olmsted County has only voted for the DFL candidate for governor thrice: in 1974, 2018 and 2022. In 2018, then-Representative Tim Walz benefitted from high recognition in the district with a reputation at the time of being a moderate politician. Despite Walz winning a majority of the county's vote that election, Republican candidate Doug Wardlow concurrently won the greatest number of votes in Olmsted County in the 2018 Minnesota Attorney General election.

US House of Representatives

Name	Congressional District	Assumed office	Party
Brad Finstad	1st District	2022	Republican

Minnesota Senate

Name	District	Assumed office	Party
Steve Drazkowski	District 20	2023	Republican
Carla Nelson	District 24	2011	Republican
Liz Boldon	District 25	2023	DFL

Minnesota House of Representatives

Name	District	Assumed office	Party
Steve Jacob	District 20A	2023	Republican
Duane Quam	District 24A	2011	Republican
Tina Liebling	District 24B	2005	DFL
Kim Hicks	District 25A	2023	DFL
Andy Smith	District 25B	2023	DFL

United States presidential election results for Olmsted County, Minnesota ^{[18] [19]}

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	39,692	43.43%	49,491	54.16%	2,202	2.41%
2016	35,668	44.51%	36,268	45.26%	8,193	10.22%
2012	36,832	47.03%	39,338	50.23%	2,146	2.74%
2008	36,202	47.34%	38,711	50.62%	1,557	2.04%
2004	37,371	52.21%	33,285	46.50%	919	1.28%
2000	30,641	51.59%	25,822	43.48%	2,929	4.93%
1996	22,860	43.92%	22,857	43.92%	6,327	12.16%
1992	23,404	41.30%	19,039	33.60%	14,219	25.09%
1988	27,683	58.28%	19,423	40.89%	398	0.84%
1984	28,129	62.76%	16,335	36.44%	359	0.80%
1980	22,704	55.50%	13,983	34.18%	4,224	10.32%
1976	24,030	60.66%	14,676	37.04%	911	2.30%
1972	23,806	68.96%	9,817	28.44%	898	2.60%
1968	17,292	54.31%	13,417	42.14%	1,131	3.55%
1964	12,699	43.87%	16,195	55.94%	56	0.19%
1960	16,080	59.41%	10,918	40.34%	67	0.25%
1956	13,789	65.62%	7,172	34.13%	51	0.24%
1952	14,566	67.92%	6,792	31.67%	89	0.41%
1948	8,131	46.55%	9,155	52.41%	181	1.04%
1944	8,355	54.70%	6,873	45.00%	46	0.30%
1940	9,096	51.83%	8,393	47.82%	62	0.35%
1936	5,316	35.63%	8,958	60.04%	645	4.32%
1932	5,254	40.81%	7,340	57.01%	280	2.17%
1928	8,334	63.63%	4,720	36.04%	44	0.34%
1924	5,722	56.50%	857	8.46%	3,548	35.04%
1920	7,130	77.12%	1,756	18.99%	359	3.88%
1916	2,101	49.67%	1,926	45.53%	203	4.80%
1912	720	18.21%	1,542	39.01%	1,691	42.78%
1908	2,472	58.03%	1,621	38.05%	167	3.92%
1904	2,745	68.54%	1,140	28.46%	120	3.00%
1900	2,818	61.62%	1,597	34.92%	158	3.46%
1896	3,201	62.83%	1,741	34.17%	153	3.00%
1892	2,344	50.79%	1,931	41.84%	340	7.37%

Communities

The Helleckson Homestead, built about 1850, preserved in Olmsted County Oxbow Park (Destroyed in 2019 floods)

Cities

• Byron
• Chatfield (part)
• Dover
• Eyota
• Oronoco
• Pine Island (part)
• Rochester (county seat)
• Stewartville

Unincorporated communities

• Chester
• Cummingsville
• Danesville (part)
• Douglas
• Genoa
• High Forest
• Judge
• Marion
• Pleasant Grove
• Post Town
• Potsdam
• Predmore
• Ringe
• Rock Dell
• Salem Corners
• Shanty Town
• Simpson
• Viola

Townships

• Cascade Township
• Dover Township
• Elmira Township
• Eyota Township
• Farmington Township
• Haverhill Township
• High Forest Township
• Kalmar Township
• Marion Township
• New Haven Township
• Orion Township
• Oronoco Township
• Pleasant Grove Township
• Quincy Township
• Rochester Township
• Rock Dell Township
• Salem Township
• Viola Township

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Olmsted County, Minnesota
• Musical Artist Yung Gravy is from Rochester

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
4. Upham, Warren. Minnesota Geographic Names (1920), p. 385 (accessed April 26, 2019)
5. "History of Olmsted County". www.co.olmsted.mn.us. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
6. "Minnesota Government Series, State Counties". Minnesota House of Representatives. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2008.
7. Olmsted County MN Google Maps (accessed April 26, 2019)
8. ""Find an Altitude/Olmsted County MN" Google Maps (accessed 26 April 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
9. Olmsted County High Point - PeakBagger.com (accessed April 26, 2019)
10. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
11. Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 43 - 48. ISBN   978-0-615-50320-2.
12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023" . Retrieved March 18, 2024.
13. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
15. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
16. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
17. "2020 Decennial Census: Olmsted County, Minnesota". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
18. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
19. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 1,467 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 112 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 93 votes, and Socialist Labor candidate Arthur Reimer received 19 votes.

External links

• County website

44°00′N92°24′W / 44.00°N 92.40°W / 44.00; -92.40