| Watonwan 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 25, 1860 [1] |
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| Named for | Taken from the Dakota word, "watanwan," meaning "fish bait," or "where fish bait abounds." |
| Seat | St. James |
| Largest city | St. James |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
439.92 sq mi (1,139 km²) 434.51 sq mi (1,125 km²) 5.40 sq mi (14 km²), 1.23% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
11,211 27/sq mi (11/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www.co.watonwan.mn.us |
Watonwan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 11,211.[1] Its county seat is St. James[2]. The county was organized in 1860, two years after Minnesota was granted statehood.
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According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 439.92 square miles (1,139.4 km2), of which 434.51 square miles (1,125.4 km2) (or 98.77%) is land and 5.40 square miles (14.0 km2) (or 1.23%) is water.[3] The county is drained by the Watonwan River and its tributaries; the river flows eastwardly through the northern part of the county.[4]
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 2,426 |
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| 1880 | 5,104 | 110.4% | |
| 1890 | 7,746 | 51.8% | |
| 1900 | 11,496 | 48.4% | |
| 1910 | 11,332 | −1.4% | |
| 1920 | 12,457 | 9.9% | |
| 1930 | 12,802 | 2.8% | |
| 1940 | 13,902 | 8.6% | |
| 1950 | 13,881 | −0.2% | |
| 1960 | 14,460 | 4.2% | |
| 1970 | 13,298 | −8.0% | |
| 1980 | 12,361 | −7.0% | |
| 1990 | 11,682 | −5.5% | |
| 2000 | 11,876 | 1.7% | |
| 2010 | 11,211 | −5.6% | |
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As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 11,876 people, 4,627 households, and 3,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.54% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 8.78% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 15.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 40.9% were of German, 17.3% Norwegian and 5.8% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 4,627 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.60% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,441, and the median income for a family was $42,321. Males had a median income of $29,242 versus $19,788 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,413. About 7.80% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
| Cities | Townships | Unincorporated | |
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† Ormsby is located in both Watonwan and Martin County.
| Brown County | ||||
| Cottonwood County | Blue Earth County | |||
| Watonwan County, Minnesota | ||||
| Jackson County | Martin County |
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