Wabasha County, Minnesota

Wabasha County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,387. Its county seat is Wabasha.

Wabasha County is part of the Rochester, Minnesota, metropolitan area.

History

The recently organized Minnesota Territory legislature created Wabasha County on October 27, 1849, one of nine original counties in the territory. An area on the Mississippi River's west bank, originally called Cratte's Landing, had grown into a town named Wabasha, then a city, and when the legislature created the county west of the river around this city, Wabasha was designated the county seat. The city had been named for three successive chiefs of Mississippi bands of Dakota Indians.

Wabasha County's area was reduced in 1853 when sections were partitioned off to create Fillmore, Goodhue, and Rice counties. More area was partitioned off in 1854 to create Winona County, and another part in 1855 to create Olmsted County. The county boundaries have remained the same since 1855.

Geography

Wabasha County lies on Minnesota's border with Wisconsin (across the Mississippi River. The Mississippi flows southeast along the county's eastern line. The North Fork of the Whitewater River flows east through the southern part of the county, then discharges into the Whitewater in Olmsted County. The combined Whitewater then enters the southeastern part of Wabasha County, flowing northeast to its discharge point into the Mississippi. The Zumbro River flows east-northeast through the county to its discharge point into the Mississippi. East Indian Creek and Miller Creek drain the northern part of the county into the Mississippi. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, considerably rutted by drainages, with all available area devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east and south, with its highest point on its upper west border at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.8%) is water. Wabasha is one of 17 Minnesota counties with more savanna soils than either forest or prairie soils.

Major highways

20px U.S. Highway 61
20px U.S. Highway 63
20px Minnesota State Highway 42
20px Minnesota State Highway 60
20px Minnesota State Highway 74
20px Minnesota State Highway 247

Adjacent counties

Pepin County, Wisconsin - northeast
Buffalo County, Wisconsin - east
Winona County - southeast
Olmsted County - south
Goodhue County - west, northwest

Protected areas

Source:

Zumbro Falls Woods Scientific and Natural Area

Lakes

Source:

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br>1790-1960 1900-1990<br>1990-2000

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|19,204

|19,518

|20,968

|20,712

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19,921

|99.32%

|98.86%

|97.03%

|95.55%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |93.15%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|11

|53

|80

|style='background: #ffffe6; |121

|0.03%

|0.06%

|0.25%

|0.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.57%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|24

|47

|46

|29

|style='background: #ffffe6; |32

|0.12%

|0.24%

|0.21%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.15%

|Asian alone (NH)

|38

|89

|93

|style='background: #ffffe6; |97

|0.20%

|0.45%

|0.43%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.45%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |20

|0.05%

|0.00%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.09%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|80

|162

|style='background: #ffffe6; |482

|0.37%

|0.75%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.25%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|55

|79

|364

|592

|style='background: #ffffe6; |708

|0.28%

|0.40%

|1.68%

|2.73%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.31%

|Total

|19,335

|19,744

|21,610

|21,676

|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,387

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 21,387. The median age was 45.5 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.3% of the population.

There were 8,923 households in the county, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.4% were married-couple households, 18.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

References

External links

Wabasha-Kellogg (Minnesota) Convention and Visitors Bureau
Wabasha County government's website
Wabasha County Health and Demographic Data