List of counties in Minnesota
Encyclopedia
This is a List of counties in Minnesota. There are 87 counties in the U.S. state
of Minnesota
. There are also several historical counties.
On October 27, 1849 nine large Minnesota counties were created. Among them were Benton, Dahkotah, Itasca, Ramsey, Mahkahta, Pembina, Wabasha, Washington, and Wahnata. Of those Benton, Dakota, Itasca, Ramsey, Wabasha, and Washington still exist as their original name. With the creation of Kittson County on March 9, 1878, Pembina County no longer existed. When Minnesota was organized as a state, 57 of the present 87 counties were established. The last county to be created was Lake of the Woods County in 1923.
The names of many of the counties pay tribute to the long history of exploration. Over ten counties names pay tribute to the state's various Native American groups that are resident in parts of what is now Minnesota. Another fifteen counties are named after physical geographic features, with the remainder being named after politicians.
The FIPS county code is the five-digit Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code which uniquely identifies counties and county equivalents in the United States. The three-digit number is unique to each individual county within a state, but to be unique within the entire United States, it must be prefixed by the state code. This means that, for example, while Aitkin County
, Minnesota
is 001, Adams County
, Wisconsin
and Adair County, Iowa
are also 001. To uniquely identify Aitkin County, Minnesota, one must use the state code of 27 plus the county code of 001; therefore, the unique nationwide identifier for Aitkin County, Minnesota is 27001. The links in the column FIPS County Code
are to the Census Bureau Info page for that county.
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U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. There are also several historical counties.
On October 27, 1849 nine large Minnesota counties were created. Among them were Benton, Dahkotah, Itasca, Ramsey, Mahkahta, Pembina, Wabasha, Washington, and Wahnata. Of those Benton, Dakota, Itasca, Ramsey, Wabasha, and Washington still exist as their original name. With the creation of Kittson County on March 9, 1878, Pembina County no longer existed. When Minnesota was organized as a state, 57 of the present 87 counties were established. The last county to be created was Lake of the Woods County in 1923.
The names of many of the counties pay tribute to the long history of exploration. Over ten counties names pay tribute to the state's various Native American groups that are resident in parts of what is now Minnesota. Another fifteen counties are named after physical geographic features, with the remainder being named after politicians.
The FIPS county code is the five-digit Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code which uniquely identifies counties and county equivalents in the United States. The three-digit number is unique to each individual county within a state, but to be unique within the entire United States, it must be prefixed by the state code. This means that, for example, while Aitkin County
Aitkin County, Minnesota
Aitkin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population is 16,202. Its county seat is Aitkin. A portion of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in the county.-History:...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
is 001, Adams County
Adams County, Wisconsin
Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Sources differ as to whether its name is in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams, or his son, the sixth President, John Quincy Adams. As of 2000, the population of Adams County was 18,643. Its county seat is...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Adair County, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
are also 001. To uniquely identify Aitkin County, Minnesota, one must use the state code of 27 plus the county code of 001; therefore, the unique nationwide identifier for Aitkin County, Minnesota is 27001. The links in the column FIPS County Code
FIPS county code
The FIPS county code is a five-digit Federal Information Processing Standard code which uniquely identifies counties and county equivalents in the United States, certain U.S. possessions, and certain freely associated states. The first two digits are the FIPS state code and the last three are...
are to the Census Bureau Info page for that county.
Alphabetical listing
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Historical counties
- St. Clair County, Indiana (1801-12) (Transferred to Illinois in 1809)
- St. Charles County, Louisiana (1809-13) (Transferred to Missouri in 1812)
- Madison County (IL) (1812-18) Formed from St. Clair County (IL)
- Michilimackinac County, Michigan Territory (1818-37)
- Crawford County, Michigan and Wisconsin Territories (1818-40)
- Chippewa CountyChippewa County, Michigan-National protected areas:* Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge* Hiawatha National Forest * Whitefish Point Unit of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
, Michigan Territory (1827-37) - Dubuque County (MI) (1834-37)
- Fayette County (WI) (1837-49)
- St. Croix CountySt. Croix County, WisconsinSt. Croix County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2010, the population was 84,345. Its county seat is Hudson. St. Croix County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area . It is the fastest growing county in Wisconsin.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, Wisconsin Territory (1840-49) - La Pointe CountyLa Pointe County, WisconsinLa Pointe County, , was created on February 19, 1845 by the Territory of Wisconsin. from the northern portion of the existing territorial St...
, Wisconsin Territory (1845-49) Formed from St. Croix - Mahkatah County (1849-51) (Mahkahto) (One of Original 9 counties) Dissolved to Pembina and Cass
- Wahnata County (1849-51) (One of Original 9 counties) Dissolved to Pembina and Cass
- Buchanan CountyBuchanan County, MinnesotaBuchanan County is a former county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was established May 23, 1857, as a county in the Minnesota Territory, named after President James Buchanan. It comprised the 24 northern townships, now forming the northern half of Pine County, Minnesota. The Buchanan County...
(1857-61) Formed from Pine County, Dissolved back to Pine - Pierce CountyPierce County, MinnesotaPierce County was a county in Minnesota, created on March 5, 1853, from Dakota County. It was originally bounded by the Minnesota River to the west and the south, Nicollet County to the east, north fork of the Crow River to the north, and Pembina County in the northwest. It was fully dissolved and...
(1853-62) Formed from Dakota County - Superior CountyLake County, MinnesotaLake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 10,866. Its county seat is Two Harbors. Lake County was founded on February 20, 1855, as Superior County, though its name was changed on March 3, of that year to St. Louis County. On March 1, 1856, St...
Name change to St. Louis then to Lake. - Davis CountyDavis County, MinnesotaDavis County was a county in Minnesota, created in 1855 from Cass, Nicollet, Pierce and Sibley Counties. In 1862 the county was disbanded and what was left was merged into Chippewa and Lac qui Parle Counties. Davis County was attached to Stearns and Lac qui Parle Counties for county and or judicial...
(1855-62) Formed from Cass, Nicollett and Sibley Counties - Toombs CountyWilkin County, Minnesota-External links:*...
(1858-62) Formed from Pembina. Name Changed to Andy Johnson. - Newton County (1855-6) Formed from Itasca County and Un-Organized. Name Changed from Doty CountySt. Louis County, MinnesotaSt. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 200,226. Its county seat is Duluth. It is the largest county by total area in Minnesota, and the second largest in the United States east of the Mississippi River; in land area alone, after Aroostook...
, then to St. Louis County. - Monroe CountyMille Lacs County, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 22,330 people, 8,638 households, and 6,003 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 10,467 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
merged with Mille Lacs. - Lincoln CountyHistoric Lincoln County, MinnesotaHistoric Lincoln County was a county located in the state of Minnesota. It was located on the north-eastern area of Renville County. The old county was created when it was split off from Renville County in 1861...
(1861-8) Formed from Renville County - Lac qui Parle CountyHistoric Lac qui Parle County, MinnesotaHistoric Lac qui Parle County was a county located in the state of Minnesota. It was located on the north side of the Minnesota River, across the river from the mouth of the Lac qui Parle River. The old county was created when it was split off from Pierce County in 1862...
(1862-8) Formed from Davis - Manomin CountyManomin County, MinnesotaManomin County was a county in Minnesota that existed separately for about one year from 1857 to 1858. The land shifted hands among three other counties for the next decade. When it was formed, it was the smallest county in the United States at roughly 18 square miles...
(1857-69) Formed from Ramsey and dissolved to Anoka - Monongalia CountyMonongalia County, MinnesotaMonongalia County is a former county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was identified in 1858, although the Dakota War of 1862 delayed its organization until 1861. The county seat was at New London,after a brief staying at Columbia....
(1861-70)Formed from Ramsey County, Pierce County and un-Origanized. Dissolved to Kandiyohi County. - Aiken County (1857-72) Formed from Pine and Ramsey Counties, Change name to Aitkin County
- Pembina CountyKittson County, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 5,285 people, 2,167 households, and 1,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were 2,719 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
-(1849-78) (One of Original 9 counties) Name Change to Kittson County - St. Louis CountyLake County, MinnesotaLake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 10,866. Its county seat is Two Harbors. Lake County was founded on February 20, 1855, as Superior County, though its name was changed on March 3, of that year to St. Louis County. On March 1, 1856, St...
. Name change from Superior, then to Lake. - Breckenridge CountyClay County, MinnesotaClay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 58,999. Its name is in honor of American statesman Henry Clay, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. Its county seat is Moorhead...
(1858-62) Formed from Pembina. Name Change to Clay in 1862 - Andy Johnson CountyWilkin County, Minnesota-External links:*...
(1862-8) Formally Toombs county. Named changed to Wilkin.