Marshall County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,040. Its county seat is Warren.
History
The Minnesota legislature created the county on February 25, 1879, with territory partitioned from the southern half of Kittson County, with Warren (which was first platted that same year) as the county seat. It was named for William Rainey Marshall, who served as Minnesota governor from 1866 to 1870.
Marshall County was the location of a claimed UFO incident in 1979, the Val Johnson incident.
Geography
Marshall County lies on Minnesota's border with North Dakota (across the Red River, which flows north along the county's western border). The Snake River rises in Polk County and flows north through the western part of the county to its confluence with the Red. The Tamarac River rises in Marshall County and flows west through the county's northern area to its confluence with the Red. The Middle River also rises in Marshall County and flows west through the southern part of the county, discharging into the Snake just upstream of the Snake/Red confluence. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved with drainages, completely devoted to agriculture where possible. The terrain slopes to the west and north, with its highest point near the midpoint of its eastern border, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (2.1%) is water. Marshall is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties where savanna soils predominate. The true high point is in the northeast of the county: CalTopo displays 1237 ft at 48.5339°N, -96.0167°Wthumb|right|Soils of Marshall County
thumb|Soils of Old Mill State Park
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Highway 59
- 20px U.S. Highway 75
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 1
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 32
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 89
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 219
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 220
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 317
Airports
- Stephen Municipal Airport (D41) - northeast of Stephen
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br>1790-1960 1900-1990<br>1990-2000 2010-2020
The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.3% of the population.
There were 3,836 households in the county, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.8% were married-couple households, 21.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|White (NH)
|8,332
|92.2%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|12
|0.13%
|-
|Native American (NH)
|29
|0.32%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|19
|0.21%
|-
|Pacific Islander (NH)
|0
|0%
|-
|Other/Mixed (NH)
|258
|2.9%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino
|390
|4.31%
|}
2000 census
thumb|right|2022 US Census [[population pyramid for Marshall County, from ACS 5-year estimates]]
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,155 people, 4,101 households and 2,837 families in the county. The population density was . There were 4,791 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.22% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 1.62% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 2.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 43.2% were of Norwegian, 12.1% Polish, 11.7% German and 9.6% Swedish ancestry.
There were 4,101 households, of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.20% were married couples living together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.
The county population contained 25.40% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 103.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.10 males.
The median household income was $34,804, and the median family income was $41,908. Males had a median income of $30,051 versus $20,600 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,317. About 6.90% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.30% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
- Alvarado
- Argyle
- Grygla
- Holt
- Middle River
- Newfolden
- Oslo
- Stephen
- Strandquist
- Viking
- Warren (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
- Big Woods
- Englund
- Espelie
- Florian
- Gatzke
- Luna
- March
- Radium
- Rosewood
Townships
- Agder Township
- Alma Township
- Augsburg Township
- Big Woods Township
- Bloomer Township
- Boxville Township
- Cedar Township
- Como Township
- Comstock Township
- Donnelly Township
- Eagle Point Township
- East Park Township
- East Valley Township
- Eckvoll Township
- Espelie Township
- Excel Township
- Foldahl Township
- Fork Township
- Grand Plain Township
- Holt Township
- Huntly Township
- Lincoln Township
- Linsell Township
- Marsh Grove Township
- McCrea Township
- Middle River Township
- Moose River Township
- Moylan Township
- Nelson Park Township
- New Folden Township
- New Maine Township
- New Solum Township
- Oak Park Township
- Parker Township
- Rollis Township
- Sinnott Township
- Spruce Valley Township
- Tamarac Township
- Thief Lake Township
- Valley Township
- Vega Township
- Veldt Township
- Viking Township
- Wanger Township
- Warrenton Township
- West Valley Township
- Whiteford Township
- Wright Township
Unorganized territory
- Mud Lake
Government and politics
Marshall County has voted Republican in presidential elections since 2000, except in 2008, when Barack Obama won the county by 26 votes, or less than one percentage point. In 2024, Donald Trump became the first Republican to reach three-quarters of the county's vote since Warren G. Harding in 1920.
<!-- PresRow should be -->
{| class="wikitable"
|+County Board of Commissioners
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!District
!Next Election
|-
|
|Commissioner and Chairperson
|Jim Duckstad
|District 1
|2026
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Rolland Miller
|District 2
|2024
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Larry Nybladh
|District 3
|2024
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Sharon Bring
|District 4
|2024
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Gary Kiesow
|District 5
|2026
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+State Legislature (2023-2025)
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!Affiliation
!District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Mark Johnson
|Republican
|District 1
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|John Burkel
|Republican
|District 1A
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+U.S Congress (2023-2025)
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!Affiliation
!District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|Michelle Fischbach
|Democrat
|7th
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Amy Klobuchar
|Democrat
|N/A
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Tina Smith
|Democrat
|N/A
|}
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Marshall County, Minnesota
- Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge