Pine County, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
 Pine County Courthouse, Pine City | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMinnesota | |
 Minnesota's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:46°08′N92°44′W / 46.14°N 92.74°W /46.14; -92.74 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Minnesota |
| Founded | March 1, 1856 (created) 1872 (organized)[1] |
| Named after | The abundantpine trees in the area |
| Seat | Pine City |
| Largest city | Pine City |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,435 sq mi (3,720 km2) |
| • Land | 1,411 sq mi (3,650 km2) |
| • Water | 23 sq mi (60 km2) 1.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 28,876 |
• Estimate (2024) | 30,319 |
| • Density | 20.46/sq mi (7.902/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | www |
Pine County is acounty in theU.S. state ofMinnesota. As of the2020 census, the population was 28,876.[2] Itscounty seat isPine City.[3] The county was formed in 1856 and organized in 1872. Today, Pine County is the fastest growing county in the state.[4][5] Part of theMille Lacs Indian Reservation is in Pine County.
Pine County was organized on March 1, 1856, with territory partitioned fromChisago andRamsey counties. The original county seat wasChengwatana. It was named for its abundant pine tree growth.[6]
In 1857,Buchanan County in full and the southern parts ofAitkin andCarlton Counties were formed from the original Pine County, withKanabec County organized a year later. In 1861, Buchanan County was dissolved and folded into Pine County. Pine County was reorganized in 1872, withPine City named as the county seat for the remaining smaller area.[7]
Pine County has been featured in a series of mysteries by Dean Hovey.[8][9]
Pine County lies on the east side of Minnesota. Its southeast border abutsWisconsin (across theSt. Croix River). The St. Croix flows southerly along its border. TheKettle River flows southeastward through central Pine County, discharging into the St. Croix on the county's east border, and theSnake River flows eastward through the lower part of the county toward its discharge point into the St. Croix. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved with drainages, partly wooded and otherwise devoted to agriculture.[10] The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point near its northeast corner, at 1,319 ft (402 m) ASL.[11] The county has an area of 1,435 square miles (3,720 km2), of which 1,411 square miles (3,650 km2) is land and 23 square miles (60 km2) (1.6%) is water.[12] Perhaps the most famous body of water in Pine County is Devil's Lake, which is found on the southeast edge of Pine City, the county seat.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 92 | — | |
| 1870 | 648 | 604.3% | |
| 1880 | 1,365 | 110.6% | |
| 1890 | 4,052 | 196.8% | |
| 1900 | 11,546 | 184.9% | |
| 1910 | 15,878 | 37.5% | |
| 1920 | 21,117 | 33.0% | |
| 1930 | 20,264 | −4.0% | |
| 1940 | 21,478 | 6.0% | |
| 1950 | 18,223 | −15.2% | |
| 1960 | 17,004 | −6.7% | |
| 1970 | 16,821 | −1.1% | |
| 1980 | 19,871 | 18.1% | |
| 1990 | 21,264 | 7.0% | |
| 2000 | 26,530 | 24.8% | |
| 2010 | 29,750 | 12.1% | |
| 2020 | 28,876 | −2.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 30,319 | [13] | 5.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] 1790-1960[15] 1900-1990[16] 1990-2000[17] 2010-2020[2] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 26,924 | 25,119 | 90.50% | 86.99% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 576 | 470 | 1.94% | 1.63% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 890 | 966 | 2.99% | 3.35% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 129 | 264 | 0.43% | 0.91% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 8 | 1 | 0.03% | 0.00% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 4 | 98 | 0.01% | 0.34% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 496 | 1,245 | 1.67% | 4.31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 723 | 713 | 2.43% | 2.47% |
| Total | 29,750 | 28,876 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 26,530 people, 9,939 households, and 6,917 families in the county. Thepopulation density was 18.8 per square mile (7.3/km2). There were 15,353 housing units at an average density of 10.9 per square mile (4.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.9%White, 2.0%Black orAfrican American, 3.1%Native American, 0.30%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.4% fromother races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 32.3% were ofGerman, 11.6%Swedish, 11.1%Norwegian and 5.5%American ancestry.
There were 17,276 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% weremarried couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% 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 3.02.
The county population contained 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 108.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,379, and the median income for a family was $44,058. Males had a median income of $31,600 versus $22,675 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,445. About 7.80% of families and 11.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.
Pine County was once a Democratic stronghold. Between 1932 and 2008, Democrats won the county all but twice, with the two exceptions being nationwide Republican landslide victories in 1952 byDwight D. Eisenhower and in 1972 byRichard Nixon (by only 87 votes). The tides began to turn in Pine County at the beginning of the 21st century, as the first three elections in that century, while still Democratic wins, only saw them win with a plurality of the vote and never by more than a 2.5% margin. The Democratic streak finally broke in 2012, when Republican challengerMitt Romney barely won the county over incumbent DemocratBarack Obama by less than 1% and a margin of just 95 votes, becoming the first Republican to win the county in 40 years. The 2016 election saw a dramatic rightward turn, asDonald Trump won the county by a margin of over 26%, and he further increased his margin of victory to over 30% in 2020 and over 35% in 2024, as Trump in 2020 became the first Republican to win over 60% of the vote in Pine County sinceWarren G. Harding a century earlier.[20] In the 2018 midterms, Pine County voted for every Republican candidate running for statewide office, with the exception in thesenate race, where it narrowly voted to re-elect Democratic SenatorAmy Klobuchar (it would later go on to vote against her in her successful 2024 re-election bid).[20] This trend also continued in 2022, with Pine County voting Republican for all statewide office and in the concurrent US House race, solidifying the county's realignment to Republicans.[21]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 538 | 48.42% | 458 | 41.22% | 115 | 10.35% |
| 1896 | 1,152 | 55.46% | 875 | 42.13% | 50 | 2.41% |
| 1900 | 1,121 | 59.06% | 726 | 38.25% | 51 | 2.69% |
| 1904 | 1,743 | 74.23% | 463 | 19.72% | 142 | 6.05% |
| 1908 | 1,548 | 56.43% | 802 | 29.24% | 393 | 14.33% |
| 1912 | 513 | 17.04% | 777 | 25.81% | 1,720 | 57.14% |
| 1916 | 1,531 | 44.38% | 1,507 | 43.68% | 412 | 11.94% |
| 1920 | 3,879 | 66.83% | 1,127 | 19.42% | 798 | 13.75% |
| 1924 | 2,706 | 42.03% | 469 | 7.28% | 3,263 | 50.68% |
| 1928 | 4,278 | 56.53% | 3,185 | 42.09% | 105 | 1.39% |
| 1932 | 2,304 | 29.53% | 4,862 | 62.33% | 635 | 8.14% |
| 1936 | 2,452 | 28.39% | 5,797 | 67.11% | 389 | 4.50% |
| 1940 | 4,106 | 43.10% | 5,263 | 55.25% | 157 | 1.65% |
| 1944 | 3,433 | 43.85% | 4,332 | 55.33% | 64 | 0.82% |
| 1948 | 3,069 | 36.51% | 4,978 | 59.21% | 360 | 4.28% |
| 1952 | 4,255 | 52.94% | 3,692 | 45.93% | 91 | 1.13% |
| 1956 | 3,204 | 45.50% | 3,829 | 54.38% | 8 | 0.11% |
| 1960 | 3,450 | 44.88% | 4,211 | 54.78% | 26 | 0.34% |
| 1964 | 2,279 | 30.71% | 5,123 | 69.04% | 18 | 0.24% |
| 1968 | 2,591 | 36.41% | 4,044 | 56.82% | 482 | 6.77% |
| 1972 | 3,881 | 48.41% | 3,794 | 47.32% | 342 | 4.27% |
| 1976 | 3,057 | 34.40% | 5,442 | 61.24% | 388 | 4.37% |
| 1980 | 3,899 | 40.25% | 5,121 | 52.86% | 667 | 6.89% |
| 1984 | 4,493 | 45.95% | 5,223 | 53.41% | 63 | 0.64% |
| 1988 | 3,857 | 40.54% | 5,540 | 58.24% | 116 | 1.22% |
| 1992 | 2,841 | 26.27% | 4,929 | 45.58% | 3,043 | 28.14% |
| 1996 | 3,080 | 29.88% | 5,432 | 52.70% | 1,796 | 17.42% |
| 2000 | 5,854 | 44.80% | 6,148 | 47.05% | 1,066 | 8.16% |
| 2004 | 7,033 | 48.44% | 7,228 | 49.79% | 257 | 1.77% |
| 2008 | 6,862 | 47.71% | 7,084 | 49.25% | 437 | 3.04% |
| 2012 | 6,845 | 49.02% | 6,750 | 48.34% | 370 | 2.65% |
| 2016 | 8,191 | 59.31% | 4,580 | 33.16% | 1,040 | 7.53% |
| 2020 | 10,256 | 64.10% | 5,419 | 33.87% | 326 | 2.04% |
| 2024 | 11,274 | 66.67% | 5,339 | 31.57% | 298 | 1.76% |
Places adjacent to Pine County, Minnesota | |
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Municipalities and communities ofPine County, Minnesota,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
