Steele County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,406. Its county seat is Owatonna.

Steele County comprises the Owatonna Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was created by the Minnesota Territory legislature on February 20, 1855, using areas partitioned from Rice, Blue Earth, and Le Sueur counties. Owatonna, the settlement of which had commenced in 1854, was named the county seat. The county was named for Franklin Steele, a prominent early resident of the territory.

Geography

The Straight River rises in Freeborn County and flows northward through the central part of Steele County, continuing into Rice County on the north. The South Branch of the Middle Fork of the Zumbro River rises in Steele County and flows eastward into Dodge County. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, etched with drainages, completely devoted to agriculture where possible. The terrain slopes to the east and north, with its highest point near the midpoint of its south border, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which are land and (0.6%) are water.

The Straight River flows northward through the county, and the Le Sueur River flows through its southwestern corner. The Middle Fork of the Zumbro River rises in NE Steele County.

Transit

  • Southern Minnesota Area Rural Transit

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 35 – runs north–south through west-central portion of county. Passes Medford, Clinton Falls, Owatonna, Hope and Ellendale.
  • 20px U.S. Route 14 – runs east–west through upper central portion of county; passes Owatonna.
  • 20px U.S. Route 218 – runs north-northwest from southeast corner of county to intersection with US 14, southeast of Owatonna.
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 30 – runs east–west across south part of county; passes Ellendale.

Airports

  • Owatonna Degner Regional Airport (OWA) - northwest of Owatonna

| 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)

|29,916

|29,934

|31,414

|32,544

|style='background: #ffffe6; |31,376

|98.64%

|97.41%

|93.27%

|88.98%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |83.88%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|13

|51

|357

|1,003

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,359

|0.04%

|0.17%

|1.06%

|2.74%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.63%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|26

|45

|30

|66

|style='background: #ffffe6; |65

|0.09%

|0.15%

|0.09%

|0.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.17%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|117

|149

|284

|278

|style='background: #ffffe6; |330

|0.39%

|0.48%

|0.84%

|0.76%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.88%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|0

|8

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18

|x

|x

|0.00%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|3

|6

|23

|18

|style='background: #ffffe6; |58

|0.01%

|0.02%

|0.07%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|306

|377

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,060

|x

|x

|0.91%

|1.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.83%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|253

|544

|1,266

|2,282

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,140

|0.83%

|1.77%

|3.76%

|6.24%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.39%

|-

|Total

|30,328

|30,729

|33,680

|36,576

|style='background: #ffffe6; |37,406

|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 37,406. The median age was 39.9 years. 25.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.5 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 86.0% White, 3.7% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.8% from some other race, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.4% of the population.

There were 14,823 households in the county, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.2% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

|Republican

|District 24

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|Senate

|Gene Dornink

|Republican

|District 27

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|House of Representatives

|John Petersburg

|Republican

|District 24A

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|House of Representatives

|Brian Daniels

|Republican

|District 24A

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+U.S Congress (2021-2023)

! colspan="2" |Position

!Name

!Affiliation

!District

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

|House of Representatives

|Brad Finstad

|Republican

|1st

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

|Senate

|Amy Klobuchar

|Democrat

|

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

|Senate

|Tina Smith

|Democrat

|

|}

<!-- PresRow should be -->

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Steele County, Minnesota

References

  • Steele County government's website
  • Steele County Historical Society
  • City of Owatonna
  • City of Medford
  • City of Blooming Prairie
  • City of Ellendale
  • Rice Lake State Park