| Winona 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 23, 1854 [1] |
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| Named for | Winona, a female cousin of Wabasha, who was the last of three successive chiefs of the Mississippi band of Dakota with that name. |
| Seat | Winona |
| Largest city | Winona |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
641.59 sq mi (1,662 km²) 626.30 sq mi (1,622 km²) 15.29 sq mi (40 km²), 2.38% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
51,461 80/sq mi (31/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www.co.winona.mn.us |
Winona County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 51,461.[1] Its county seat is Winona[2].
Although its population exceeded 50,000 in the 2010 census, Winona County still belongs to the Winona, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. Winona County could receive Metropolitan Statistical Area status when the OMB issues new definitions in 2013.[3][4]
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The name of the county is said to derive from a Dakota legend regarding a woman, referred to Winona, who was betrothed to marry a warrior whom she did not love. Rather than marry him, she is said to have leapt to her death from a rock now called "Maiden's Rock" on Lake Pepin. This legend is colloquially referred to as the Princess Winona legend.
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 641.59 square miles (1,661.7 km2), of which 626.30 square miles (1,622.1 km2) (or 97.62%) is land and 15.29 square miles (39.6 km2) (or 2.38%) is water.[5]
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 9,208 |
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| 1870 | 22,319 | 142.4% | |
| 1880 | 27,107 | 21.5% | |
| 1890 | 33,797 | 24.7% | |
| 1900 | 35,686 | 5.6% | |
| 1910 | 33,398 | −6.4% | |
| 1920 | 33,653 | 0.8% | |
| 1930 | 35,144 | 4.4% | |
| 1940 | 37,795 | 7.5% | |
| 1950 | 39,841 | 5.4% | |
| 1960 | 40,937 | 2.8% | |
| 1970 | 44,409 | 8.5% | |
| 1980 | 46,256 | 4.2% | |
| 1990 | 47,828 | 3.4% | |
| 2000 | 49,985 | 4.5% | |
| 2010 | 51,461 | 3.0% | |
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As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 49,985 people, 18,744 households, and 11,696 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile (31/km²). There were 19,551 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.80% White, 0.77% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.87% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. 1.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 41.8% were of German, 13.9% Norwegian, 9.9% Polish and 7.4% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 18,744 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.30% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.60% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county the population was spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18, 18.60% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,700, and the median income for a family was $49,845. Males had a median income of $31,926 versus $23,406 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,077. About 5.60% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.80% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | GOP | Dems |
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| 2004 | 46.3% 12,686 | 51.9% 14,231 |
| 2000 | 45.0% 10,773 | 46.3% 11,069 |
| 1996 | 36.8% 7,955 | 47.5% 10,272 |
| 1992 | 35.0% 8,585 | 39.6% 9,707 |
| 1988 | 50.9% 11,012 | 47.7% 10,310 |
| 1984 | 55.0% 11,981 | 44.0% 9,577 |
| 1980 | 45.1% 10,332 | 42.9% 9,814 |
| 1976 | 47.6% 10,436 | 49.9% 10,939 |
| 1972 | 56.4% 10,910 | 41.8% 8,080 |
| 1968 | 45.9% 7,998 | 49.5% 8,627 |
| 1964 | 35.7% 6,345 | 64.1% 11,397 |
| 1960 | 52.1% 9,271 | 47.7% 8,484 |
| Cities | Townships | Unincorporated | ||
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† La Crescent is in Houston County but extends into Winona County.
‡ Minneiska is located in both Winona County and Wabasha County.
| Wabasha County | Buffalo County, Wisconsin | Trempealeau County, Wisconsin | ||
| Olmsted County | La Crosse County, Wisconsin | |||
| Winona County, Minnesota | ||||
| Fillmore County | Houston County |
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