Rock County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Minnesota. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,704. The county seat is Luverne. It is located within the Sioux Falls MSA.
History
The county was established on May 23, 1857, by an act of the territorial legislature, although it was not organized at that time. Originally, the area was designated as Pipestone County, and the name Rock County was given to what is now Pipestone County. However, in 1862, the Minnesota state legislature changed the designations, assigning the present names to the respective counties. On March 5, 1870, the state legislature passed an act that finalized the organization of Rock County and designated Luverne as its county seat. The county derived its name from the Rock River, which was named after a prominent rocky outcrop referred to as "The Rock" on an 1843 map of the area. This outcrop is composed of reddish-gray quartzite and is located approximately north of Luverne. The mound stands out dramatically amidst the surrounding low prairie. Another source suggests that the county's name is attributed to its rocky soil.
Geography
Rock County is located at the southwestern corner of Minnesota. Its western border shares a boundary with the eastern border of South Dakota, while its southern border is adjacent to the northern border of Iowa. The county is characterized by the flow of the Rock River, which runs southward through its east central part, and Beaver Creek, which flows southward through its west central region. The landscape primarily consists of low rolling hills with various drainages. The county's predominant land use is agriculture. The terrain gradually slopes southward, with the highest point situated near the midpoint of the county's northern boundary, reaching an elevation of above sea level. Rock County spans an area of , of which is land and (0.06%) is water. The entire county falls within the hot summer humid continental climate zone (Dfa). thumb|right|Soils of Rock County
Lakes
One of Minnesota's nicknames is "Land of 10,000 Lakes", and it is speckled with bodies of water large and small. But four of the state's counties do not contain a natural lake; Rock County is one of them. Rock County did host a manmade lake from 1938 until 2014: a WPA work project constructed a small dam (the "Lower Dam") on Blue Mounds Creek in 1938, creating a small lake in Blue Mounds State Park. This continued until June 2014, when the dam was damaged by rain and floodwaters, allowing the pond to drain. In June 2016 the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced its decision not to rebuild the dam.
Major highways
- 20px Interstate 90
- 20px U.S. Highway 75
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 23
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 269
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 270
Adjacent counties
Source:
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br/>1990-2000 2010-2020
!Pop 1990
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|10,636
|9,713
|9,396
|9,239
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,886
|99.37%
|99.05%
|96.66%
|95.38%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |91.57%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|6
|12
|52
|58
|style='background: #ffffe6; |50
|0.06%
|0.12%
|0.53%
|0.60%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.52%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|13
|33
|41
|31
|style='background: #ffffe6; |48
|0.12%
|0.34%
|0.42%
|0.32%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.49%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|25
|19
|58
|53
|style='background: #ffffe6; |62
|0.23%
|0.19%
|0.60%
|0.55%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.64%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|1
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10
|x
|x
|0.01%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.10%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|3
|0
|2
|4
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.03%
|0.00%
|0.02%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|47
|104
|style='background: #ffffe6; |284
|x
|x
|0.48%
|1.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.93%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|20
|29
|124
|197
|style='background: #ffffe6; |364
|0.19%
|0.30%
|1.28%
|2.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.75%
|-
|Total
|10,703
|9,806
|9,721
|9,687
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,704
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,704. The median age was 41.5 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 92.7% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.8% of the population.
There were 3,892 households in the county, of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.9% were married-couple households, 17.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
!Position
!Name
!District
|-
|Commissioner
|Gary Overgaard
|District 1
|-
|Commissioner
|Stan Williamson
|District 2
|-
|Commissioner
|Greg Burger
|District 3
|-
|Commissioner
|Sherri Thompson
|District 4
|-
|Commissioner
|Jody Reisch
|District 5
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+State Legislature (2025-2027)
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!Affiliation
!District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Bill Weber
|Republican
|21
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|Joe Schomacker
|Republican
|21A
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+U.S Congress (2025-2027)
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!Affiliation
!District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|Brad Finstad
|Republican
|1st
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Amy Klobuchar
|Democrat
|N/A
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Tina Smith
|Democrat
|N/A
|}
National politics
Rock County traditionally votes Republican. In no presidential election since 1964 has it selected the Democratic candidate. Along with its northern neighbor Pipestone County, it was one of only two Minnesota counties Amy Klobuchar did not win in her 2012 Senate race.
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See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Rock County, Minnesota
References
External links
- Rock County government website
- The Rock County Star Herald newspaper website
- Vanished Towns of Rock County