Rice County, Minnesota

Last updated

Rice County
County
Rice County Courthouse.jpg
Rice County Courthouse
Map of Minnesota highlighting Rice County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota in United States.svg
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°22′N93°18′W / 44.36°N 93.3°W / 44.36; -93.3
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Minnesota.svg  Minnesota
FoundedMarch 5, 1853
Named for Henry Mower Rice
Seat Faribault
Largest cityFaribault
Area
 • Total
516 sq mi (1,340 km2)
 • Land496 sq mi (1,280 km2)
 • Water20 sq mi (50 km2)  3.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
67,097
 • Estimate 
(2023)
67,948 Increase2.svg
 • Density135.3/sq mi (52.2/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts 1st, 2nd
Website www.co.rice.mn.us

Rice County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,097. [1] Its county seat is Faribault. [2]

Contents

Rice County comprises the Faribault-Northfield, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area , which is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI Combined Statistical Area.

History

Rice County was founded on March 5, 1853. [3] It was named for Henry Mower Rice, a fur trader who became instrumental in creation of the Minnesota Territory and its subsequent growth and development. [4]

Geography

The Cannon River flows northeasterly through the center of the county, on its way to discharge into the Mississippi River at Red Wing. The Straight River flows northerly into the county from Steele County to its discharge point into the Cannon River at Faribault. The North Fork of the Zumbro River rises in south-central Rice County, and flows eastward into Goodhue County on its way to discharge into the Mississippi east of Kellogg.

The county terrain consists of low, rolling hills, entirely devoted to agriculture, and dotted with lakes. [5] The county slopes to the east and north; its highest point is near its SE corner, at 1,263 ft (385 m) ASL. [6] The county has an area of 516 square miles (1,340 km2), of which 496 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 20 square miles (52 km2) (3.9%) is water. [7] The Cannon River flows northeastwardly through the county, collecting the Straight River in Faribault. The North Fork of the Zumbro River has its headwaters in the county's southeastern part. [8] Rice is one of 17 Minnesota savanna counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils.

Soils of Rice County Rice Co Pie Chart No Text Version.pdf
Soils of Rice County

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas [5]

  • Cannon Lake Wilderness Area
  • Cannon River Trout Lily Scientific and Natural Area
  • Faribault State Wildlife Management Area
  • Nerstrand Big Woods State Park
  • River Bend Nature Area
  • Sakatah Lake State Park (part)
  • Shager Park
  • Townsend Woods Scientific and Natural Area
  • Whitney Island Scientific and Natural Area

Lakes [5]

  • Cannon Lake
  • Caron Lake
  • Cedar Lake
  • Circle Lake
  • Crystal Lake
  • Duban Lake
  • Dudley Lake
  • Fox Lake
  • French Lake
  • Hatch Lake
  • Horseshoe Lake (part)
  • Hunt Lake
  • Kelly Lake
  • Mazaska Lake
  • Metogga Lake
  • Mud Lake
  • Phelps Lake
  • Rice Lake
  • Roberds Lake
  • Sakatah Lake (part)
  • Shields Lake
  • Sprague Lake
  • Union Lake
  • Weinberger Lake
  • Wells Lake
  • Willing Lake

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860 7,543—
1870 16,083113.2%
1880 22,48139.8%
1890 23,9686.6%
1900 26,0808.8%
1910 25,911−0.6%
1920 28,3079.2%
1930 29,9745.9%
1940 32,1607.3%
1950 36,23512.7%
1960 38,9887.6%
1970 41,5826.7%
1980 46,08710.8%
1990 49,1836.7%
2000 56,66515.2%
2010 64,14213.2%
2020 67,0974.6%
2023 (est.)67,948 [10] 1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [11]
1790-1960 [12] 1900-1990 [13]
1990-2000 [14] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 Census

Rice County Racial Composition [15]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (NH)51,52376.8%
Black or African American (NH)4,3536.5%
Native American (NH)2970.44%
Asian (NH)1,5542.32%
Pacific Islander (NH)100.02%
Other/Mixed (NH)2,5773.84%
Hispanic or Latino 6,78310.11%

2000 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Rice County, from ACS 5-year estimates RiceCountyMn2022PopPyr.png
2022 US Census population pyramid for Rice County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the census of 2000, there were 56,665 people, 18,888 households, and 13,353 families in the county. The population density was 114 per square mile (44/km2). There were 20,061 housing units at an average density of 40.4 per square mile (15.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.59% White, 1.31% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.46% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.87% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 5.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.1% were of German, 14.7% Norwegian, 7.2% Irish and 5.3% Czech ancestry.

There were 18,888 households, out of which 36.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.14.

The county population contained 25.30% under the age of 18, 15.80% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,651, and the median income for a family was $56,407. Males had a median income of $36,771 versus $26,151 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,695. About 4.00% of families and 6.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.70% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Politics

From its first participating election in 1860 through 1960, Rice County was traditionally Republican, voting for the Republican nominee in every election save 1912 (when it voted for Bull Moose nominee and former Republican president Theodore Roosevelt) and Franklin Roosevelt's 1932 and 1936 landslides. [16] From 1964 through 2012, it became a Democratic stronghold, voting for the Democratic nominee in every election save Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide. In 2016, it voted for a Republican for the first time since 1972 (and for a Republican who was not winning a majority of the national popular vote for the first time since 1960), although it gave him only a plurality, with 7.9% voting third party. However, in 2020, with the third party vote sinking to 2.3%, it voted Republican again, making it the first time since 1956 and 1960 that the county has voted Republican two elections in a row (although the Republican margin was only 62 votes out of over 35,000 cast).

United States presidential election results for Rice County, Minnesota [17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 18,26450.16%17,35347.66%7952.18%
2020 17,46448.94%17,40248.76%8202.30%
2016 15,42947.56%14,43744.50%2,5777.94%
2012 14,38444.58%17,05452.85%8292.57%
2008 13,72343.16%17,38154.66%6952.19%
2004 13,88145.15%16,42553.42%4391.43%
2000 10,87641.80%13,14050.50%2,0057.71%
1996 7,01630.09%12,82154.98%3,48314.94%
1992 7,01529.09%10,90845.24%6,19025.67%
1988 9,46044.48%11,57054.40%2371.11%
1984 10,45648.58%10,88050.55%1890.88%
1980 8,16839.51%9,53146.10%2,97414.39%
1976 8,31142.39%10,59054.01%7063.60%
1972 9,19552.62%8,06546.15%2151.23%
1968 7,03745.94%7,78550.82%4973.24%
1964 5,51837.18%9,29962.65%260.18%
1960 8,24854.87%6,75244.92%310.21%
1956 8,47165.24%4,48934.57%240.18%
1952 9,33468.17%4,33031.62%290.21%
1948 6,30151.14%5,83247.33%1881.53%
1944 6,82460.27%4,47039.48%280.25%
1940 8,14363.25%4,68736.40%450.35%
1936 4,88839.65%5,92848.09%1,51112.26%
1932 4,74342.29%6,28956.08%1831.63%
1928 6,57656.50%5,01443.08%490.42%
1924 5,88361.26%1,19912.49%2,52126.25%
1920 6,50074.58%2,04023.41%1752.01%
1916 2,40851.66%2,08344.69%1703.65%
1912 1,02022.19%1,61335.09%1,96442.72%
1908 2,82161.46%1,61435.16%1553.38%
1904 3,16071.36%1,06324.01%2054.63%
1900 2,92460.36%1,68834.85%2324.79%
1896 3,48360.99%2,00235.06%2263.96%
1892 2,24548.29%1,79438.59%61013.12%
County Board of Commissioners [18]
PositionNameDistrictNext Election
CommissionerJim PurfeerstDistrict 12024
CommissionerGalen MalechaDistrict 22024
CommissionerGerry HoisingtonDistrict 32026
CommissionerSteve UnderdahlDistrict 42026
CommissionerJeff DockenDistrict 52024
U.S Congress (2021-2023)
PositionNameAffiliationDistrict
  House of Representatives Brad Finstad [19] Republican 1st
  House of Representatives Angie Craig [20] Democrat 2nd
  Senate Amy Klobuchar [21] Democrat N/A
  Senate Tina Smith [22] Democrat N/A

Education

School districts include: [23]

State-operated schools include:

Private schools:

Tertiary:

Library:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waseca County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Waseca County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,968. Its county seat is Waseca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadena County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Wadena County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,065. Its county seat is Wadena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Scott County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 150,928. Its county seat is Shakopee. Shakopee is also the largest city in Scott County, the twenty-first-largest city in Minnesota, and the sixteenth-largest Twin Cities suburb. The county was organized in 1853 and named in honor of General Winfield Scott. Scott County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is a member of the Metropolitan Council, and shares many of the council's concerns about responsible growth management, advocating for progressive development concepts such as clustering, open-space design, and the preservation of open space and rural/agricultural land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

St. Louis County is a county located in the Arrowhead Region of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 200,231. Its county seat is Duluth. It is the largest county in Minnesota by land area, and the largest in the United States by total area east of the Mississippi River. St. Louis County is included in the Duluth, MN–Superior, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olmsted County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicollet County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Nicollet County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,454. Its county seat is St. Peter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mower County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Mower County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,029. The county seat is Austin. Mower County comprises the Austin Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Rochester-Austin Combined Statistical Area. Lake Louise State Park is in southeastern Mower County, near Le Roy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morrison County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Morrison County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,010. Its county seat is Little Falls. Camp Ripley Military Reservation occupies a significant area in north-central Morrison County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Le Sueur County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Le Sueur County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,674. Its county seat is Le Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodhue County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Goodhue County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,582. Its county seat is Red Wing. Nearly all of Prairie Island Indian Community is within the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeborn County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Freeborn County is a county in the state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,895. Its county seat is Albert Lea. Freeborn County comprises the Albert Lea Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faribault County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Faribault County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,921. Its county seat is Blue Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakota County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Dakota County is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota, located in the east central portion of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 439,882. The population of Dakota County was estimated to be 447,440 in 2023. The county seat is Hastings. Dakota County is named for the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who inhabited the area. The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in the United States Census records until 1851. Dakota County is included in the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with about 3.71 million residents. The largest city in Dakota County is the city of Lakeville, the ninth-largest city in Minnesota and fifth-largest Twin Cities suburb. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearwater County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Clearwater County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,524. Its county seat is Bagley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Stone County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Big Stone County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,166. Its county seat is Ortonville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faribault, Minnesota</span> City in Minnesota, United States

Faribault is a city in, and the county seat of, Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 24,453 at the 2020 census. Faribault is approximately 50 miles (80 km) south of Minneapolis–Saint Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannon River (Minnesota)</span> River in Minnesota, United States

The Cannon River is a tributary of the Mississippi River that flows 112 miles (180 km) from Shields Lake near Shieldsville to Red Wing in the U.S. state of Minnesota, where it joins the Mississippi River. It drains a watershed approximately 1460 square miles (3,780 km²) in size. The river flows through the counties of Le Sueur, Rice, Dakota, and Goodhue.

Stanton is an unincorporated community in Stanton Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States.

Minnesota's 2nd congressional district covers the south Twin Cities metro area and contains all of Scott, Dakota, and Le Sueur counties. It also contains part of northern and eastern Rice County including the city of Northfield, as well as southern Washington County including the city of Cottage Grove. Lakeville and Eagan are the largest cities in the district. Historically, for many decades in the mid 20th century the 2nd congressional district covered the southwest corner of the state, while the 1st congressional district covered most of this part of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warsaw, Minnesota</span> Unincorporated community in Minnesota, US

Warsaw is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Warsaw Township, Rice County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 627.

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ Fedo, Michael (2002). Pocket Guide to Minnesota Place Names. Canada: Minnesota Historical Society Press. p. 127. ISBN   0-87351-424-6. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 Rice County MN Google Maps (accessed April 3, 2019)
  6. ↑ "Find an Altitude/Rice County MN" Google Maps (accessed April 3, 2019)
  7. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  8. ↑ Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth ME: DeLorme. 1994. p. 33. ISBN   0-89933-222-6.
  9. ↑ Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 43-48. ISBN   978-0-615-50320-2.
  10. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023" . Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. ↑ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Rice County, Minnesota".
  16. ↑ "County winners, 1836-2016". Google Docs. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  17. ↑ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Board of Commissioners | Rice County, MN". www.co.rice.mn.us. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Republican Rep. Brad Finstad sworn in to finish Hagedorn's House term". August 12, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Representative Angie Craig". Representative Angie Craig. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  21. ↑ "U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar". www.klobuchar.senate.gov. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Home". Senator Tina Smith. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  23. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Rice County, MN" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved November 29, 2024. - Text list

44°22′N93°18′W / 44.36°N 93.30°W / 44.36; -93.30

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.