Norman County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,441, and was estimated to be 6,336 in 2025. The county is in Minnesota's Red River Valley region.
History
Norwegians started settling in Norman County in the early 1870s and up until December 27, 1906 that also included what is now Mahnomen County (Ojibwe for "wild rice"). The county was created by the Minnesota legislature on March 17, 1881, with Ada (which had been founded in 1874) as county seat. Even though Twin Valley was much closer to the geographic center of the county Ada was chosen as the county seat, sparking a 6 year legal battle.
It was named in recognition of the many settlers who came from Scandinavian countries, especially Norway. Another source posits that it was named for Norman Kittson, an early historical figure of the region.
Geography
Norman County lies on Minnesota's western border, abutting North Dakota across the Red River, which flows north along (and defines) the county's west line. The Wild Rice River flows west through the lower part of the county, discharging into the Red slightly north of the county's southwest corner. The Marsh River rises in central Norman County and flows northwest into the Red near the county's northwest corner. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved by drainages and lightly dotted with lakes and swampy areas. The terrain is devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the north and west with its highest point near its southeast corner, at ASL.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.45%) is water. It is the 26th largest county in Minnesota by total area.
Flom Township contains a prominent, irregular hill of morainic drift known as Frenchman's Bluff. It rises above the shoreline of the former Lake Agassis, to the northwest.]]
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Highway 75
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 9
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 32
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 113
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 200
Adjacent counties
- Polk County - north
- Mahnomen County - east
- Becker County - southeast
- Clay County - south
- Cass County, North Dakota - southwest
- Traill County, North Dakota - west
Protected areas
Source:
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br>1790–1960 1900–1990<br>1990–2000 2010–2020
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 2,676 estimated households in Norman County with an average of 2.34 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $69,833. Approximately 12.3% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Norman County has an estimated 63.4% employment rate, with 20.9% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.4% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (95.9%), Spanish (2.2%), Indo-European (0.7%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.9%), and Other (0.4%).
Racial and ethnic composition
Norman County, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Race / ethnicity <small>(NH = non-Hispanic)</small>
! Pop. 1980 !! Pop. 1990 !! Pop. 2000 !! Pop. 2010 !!
|-
| White alone (NH)
| 9,267<br>(98.81%) || 7,816<br>(98.01%) || 6,957<br>(93.48%) || 6,293<br>(91.84%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |5,702<br>(88.53%)
|-
| Black or African American alone (NH)
| 0<br>(0.00%) || 4<br>(0.05%) || 7<br>(0.09%) || 11<br>(0.16%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |17<br>(0.26%)
|-
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
| 47<br>(0.50%) || 67<br>(0.84%) || 121<br>(1.63%) || 100<br>(1.46%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |115<br>(1.79%)
|-
| Asian alone (NH)
| 32<br>(0.34%) || 16<br>(0.20%) || 23<br>(0.31%) || 25<br>(0.36%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |18<br>(0.28%)
|-
| Pacific Islander alone (NH)
| — || — || 0<br>(0.00%) || 0<br>(0.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |0<br>(0.00%)
|-
| Other race alone (NH)
| 0<br>(0.00%) || 0<br>(0.00% || 12<br>(0.16%) || 4<br>(0.06%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |32<br>(0.50%)
|-
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)
| — || — || 95<br>(1.28%) || 143<br>(2.09%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |269<br>(4.18%)
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (any race)
| 33<br>(0.35%) || 72<br>(0.90%) || 227<br>(3.05%) || 276<br>(4.03%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |288<br>(4.47%)
|-
| Total
| 9,379<br>(100.00%) || 7,975<br>(100.00%) || 7,442<br>(100.00%) || 6,852<br>(100.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |6,441<br>(100.00%)
|}
2024 estimate
thumb|right|2022 US Census [[population pyramid for Norman County, from ACS 5-year estimates]]
As of the 2024 estimate, there were 6,284 people and 2,676 households residing in the county. There were 3,249 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.6% White (87.7% NH White), 0.9% African American, 2.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.9% of the population.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 6,441. The median age was 44.9 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 106.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.6 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 90.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 1.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.5% from some other race, and 5.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.5% of the population.
There were 2,733 households in the county, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.4% were married-couple households, 21.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
<!-- PresRow should be -->
{| class="wikitable"
|+County Board of Commissioners
! colspan="2" | Position
! Name
! District (City)
|-
|
| Commissioner
| Timothy Oistad
| District 1 (Gary)
|-
|
| Commissioner
| Jesse Lee
| District 2 (Ada)
|-
|
| Commissioner
| Steve Jacobson
| District 3 (Hendrum)
|-
|
| Commissioner and Chairperson
| Lee Ann Hall
| District 4 (Ada)
|-
|
| Commissioner
| Darren Andersen
| District 5 (Twin Valley)
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+State Legislature (2023-2026)
! colspan="2" | Position
! Name
! Affiliation
! District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| Senate
| Mark T. Johnson
| Republican
| District 01, R
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| House of Representatives
| Steve Gander
| Republican
| District 01, B
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+U.S Congress (2023-2024)
! colspan="2" | Position
! Name
! Affiliation
! District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| House of Representatives
| Michelle Fischbach
| Republican
| 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 Norman County, Minnesota
References
External links
- Norman County – official website