Traverse County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,360, making it the least-populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat is Wheaton. The county was founded in 1862 and organized in 1881.
Geography
Traverse County lies on the western edge of Minnesota. Its western border abuts the eastern borders of the states of North and South Dakota. The Red River flows northward along the county's western line. The Mustinka River flows southwestward through the county's upper portion, discharging into Lake Traverse. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, fully devoted to agriculture except in developed areas. The terrain slopes to the west and north, with its highest point at the southeastern corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.0%) is water.
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Route 75
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 9
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 27
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 28
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 117
Adjacent counties
- Wilkin County - north
- Grant County - northeast
- Stevens County - southeast
- Big Stone County - south
- Roberts County, South Dakota - southwest
- Richland County, North Dakota - northwest
Protected areas
- Reservation Dam State Wildlife Management Area
- White Rock Dam State Wildlife Management Area
Lakes
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)
|5,427
|4,314
|3,946
|3,324
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,851
|97.92%
|96.66%
|95.45%
|93.42%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |84.85%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|4
|0
|1
|12
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21
|0.07%
|0.00%
|0.02%
|0.34%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.63%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|78
|125
|110
|129
|style='background: #ffffe6; |183
|1.41%
|2.80%
|2.66%
|3.63%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.45%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|16
|16
|11
|4
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.29%
|0.36%
|0.27%
|0.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|2
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|x
|x
|0.05%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|8
|0
|0
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5
|0.14%
|0.00%
|0.00%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.15%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|14
|37
|style='background: #ffffe6; |103
|x
|x
|0.34%
|1.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.07%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|9
|8
|50
|50
|style='background: #ffffe6; |197
|0.16%
|0.18%
|1.21%
|1.41%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.86%
|-
|Total
|5,542
|4,463
|4,134
|3,558
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,360
|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 3,360. The median age was 46.8 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.3% 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 101.6 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 85.4% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 6.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, <0.1% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.4% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.9% of the population.
There were 1,439 households in the county, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.2% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% 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
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Chad Metz
|District 1
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Kayla Schmidt
|District 2
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Mark Gail
|District 3
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Jerrel Olson
|District 4
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Dwight Nelson
|District 5
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+State Legislature (2020–2022)
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!Affiliation
!District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Torrey Westrom
|Republican
|District 12
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|Jeff Backer
|Republican
|District 12A
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+U.S Congress (2020–2022)
! 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 Traverse County, Minnesota