| Steele County, Minnesota | |
Location in the state of Minnesota |
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Minnesota's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | February 20, 1855 [1] |
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| Named for | Franklin Steele, a prominent pioneer of Minneapolis. |
| Seat | Owatonna |
| Largest city | Owatonna |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
432.16 sq mi (1,119 km²) 429.55 sq mi (1,113 km²) 2.62 sq mi (7 km²), 0.61% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
36,576 78/sq mi (30/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www.co.steele.mn.us |
Steele County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was named for Franklin Steele, a prominent early resident of the state. As of 2010, the population was 36,576.[1] Its county seat is Owatonna.[2]
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According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 432.16 square miles (1,119.3 km2), of which 429.55 square miles (1,112.5 km2) (or 99.40%) is land and 2.62 square miles (6.8 km2) (or 0.61%) is water.[3] The Straight River flows northwardly through the county, and the Le Sueur River flows through its southwestern corner. The Middle Fork of the Zumbro River has its headwaters in the northeastern part of the county.[4]
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 2,863 |
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| 1870 | 8,271 | 188.9% | |
| 1880 | 12,400 | 49.9% | |
| 1890 | 13,232 | 6.7% | |
| 1900 | 16,524 | 24.9% | |
| 1910 | 16,146 | −2.3% | |
| 1920 | 18,061 | 11.9% | |
| 1930 | 18,475 | 2.3% | |
| 1940 | 19,749 | 6.9% | |
| 1950 | 21,155 | 7.1% | |
| 1960 | 25,029 | 18.3% | |
| 1970 | 26,931 | 7.6% | |
| 1980 | 30,328 | 12.6% | |
| 1990 | 30,729 | 1.3% | |
| 2000 | 33,680 | 9.6% | |
| 2010 | 36,575 | 8.6% | |
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As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 33,680 people, 12,846 households, and 9,082 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile (30/km²). There were 13,306 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.19% White, 1.07% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.65% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 3.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.6% were of German, 18.5% Norwegian, 5.2% Czech and 5.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 12,846 households out of which 35.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $46,106, and the median income for a family was $53,981. Males had a median income of $36,366 versus $25,054 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,328. About 4.20% of families and 6.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.
| Cities | Townships | |
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† A small part of Bloomong Prairie extends into Dodge County.
| Rice County | ||||
| Waseca County | Dodge County | |||
| Steele County, Minnesota | ||||
| Freeborn County | Mower County |
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