Faribault County, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
 Faribault County Courthouse in Blue Earth | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMinnesota | |
| Coordinates:43°41′N93°57′W / 43.68°N 93.95°W /43.68; -93.95 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Minnesota |
| Founded | February 20, 1855 |
| Named after | Jean Baptiste Faribault |
| Seat | Blue Earth |
| Largest city | Blue Earth |
| Area | |
• Total | 722 sq mi (1,870 km2) |
| • Land | 712 sq mi (1,840 km2) |
| • Water | 9.4 sq mi (24 km2) 1.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 13,921 |
• Estimate (2024) | 13,886 |
| • Density | 19.6/sq mi (7.55/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Faribault County (/ˈfɛərboʊ/FAIR-boh)[1] is acounty in theU.S. state ofMinnesota. As of the2020 census, the population was 13,921.[2] Itscounty seat isBlue Earth.[3]
The county was founded in 1855.[4] It was named forJean-Baptiste Faribault, a settler and French fur trader among the Sioux Indians.[5]
Faribault County lies on the south side of Minnesota. Its southern border abuts the north border of the state ofIowa. TheBlue Earth River flows northerly through the west-central part of the county; it enters from Iowa as two branches, West Branch and Middle Branch, merging at 5 miles (8.0 km) into the county. It is joined by East Branch near the city of Blue Earth, thence flows northward intoBlue Earth County. TheMaple River flows west-northwestward through the upper central part of the county, entering fromFreeborn County and exiting to Blue Earth County. TheCobb River also flows through the NE part of the county, from Freeborn to Blue Earth county.[6]
The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, devoted to agriculture. The SE portion is a glacialmoraine near Kiester, and is known as the Kiester Moraine.[7] The county has an area of 722 sq mi (1,870 km2), of which 712 sq mi (1,840 km2) is land and 9.4 sq mi (24 km2) (1.3%) is water.[8]
Source:[6]
Source:[9]
Source:[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,335 | — | |
| 1870 | 9,940 | 644.6% | |
| 1880 | 13,016 | 30.9% | |
| 1890 | 16,708 | 28.4% | |
| 1900 | 22,055 | 32.0% | |
| 1910 | 19,949 | −9.5% | |
| 1920 | 20,998 | 5.3% | |
| 1930 | 21,642 | 3.1% | |
| 1940 | 23,941 | 10.6% | |
| 1950 | 23,879 | −0.3% | |
| 1960 | 23,685 | −0.8% | |
| 1970 | 20,896 | −11.8% | |
| 1980 | 19,714 | −5.7% | |
| 1990 | 16,937 | −14.1% | |
| 2000 | 16,181 | −4.5% | |
| 2010 | 14,553 | −10.1% | |
| 2020 | 13,921 | −4.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 13,886 | [11] | −0.3% |
| US Decennial Census[12] 1790–1960[13] 1900–1990[14] 1990-2000[15] 2010-2020[2] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 13,921. The median age was 44.9 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.7 males age 18 and over.[16][17]
The racial makeup of the county was 91.5%White, 0.4%Black or African American, 0.6%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 2.9% from some other race, and 4.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.3% of the population.[17]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[18]
There were 6,086 households in the county, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.4% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[16]
There were 6,916 housing units, of which 12.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.9% were owner-occupied and 22.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%.[16]
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 16,181 people, 6,652 households, and 4,476 families in the county. Thepopulation density was 22.7 per square mile (8.8/km2). There were 7,247 housing units at an average density of 10.2 per square mile (3.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.11%White, 0.24%Black orAfrican American, 0.19%Native American, 0.36%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 1.36% fromother races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 3.50% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 45.5% were ofGerman, 21.2%Norwegian and 5.1%Irish ancestry.
There were 6,652 households, out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% weremarried couples living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93.
The county population contained 24.40% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 23.20% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 22.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,440, and the median income for a family was $41,793. Males had a median income of $28,990 versus $20,224 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,193. About 5.50% of families and 8.60% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 9.40% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.
Faribault County has primarily supported Republican Party candidates in presidential elections throughout its history. Only six times since 1892 has a Republican candidate failed to win the county in a presidential election, most recentlyBob Dole in 1996.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,992 | 58.01% | 1,070 | 31.16% | 372 | 10.83% |
| 1896 | 3,116 | 71.37% | 1,107 | 25.36% | 143 | 3.28% |
| 1900 | 2,910 | 70.61% | 936 | 22.71% | 275 | 6.67% |
| 1904 | 2,792 | 77.69% | 611 | 17.00% | 191 | 5.31% |
| 1908 | 2,305 | 61.81% | 1,039 | 27.86% | 385 | 10.32% |
| 1912 | 393 | 11.71% | 919 | 27.38% | 2,045 | 60.92% |
| 1916 | 2,184 | 61.71% | 1,123 | 31.73% | 232 | 6.56% |
| 1920 | 6,687 | 86.01% | 869 | 11.18% | 219 | 2.82% |
| 1924 | 4,682 | 58.11% | 578 | 7.17% | 2,797 | 34.72% |
| 1928 | 5,885 | 69.19% | 2,545 | 29.92% | 76 | 0.89% |
| 1932 | 4,148 | 46.65% | 4,590 | 51.62% | 154 | 1.73% |
| 1936 | 3,773 | 38.32% | 5,603 | 56.90% | 471 | 4.78% |
| 1940 | 6,816 | 62.13% | 4,099 | 37.36% | 56 | 0.51% |
| 1944 | 5,822 | 61.37% | 3,640 | 38.37% | 25 | 0.26% |
| 1948 | 4,619 | 46.13% | 5,261 | 52.54% | 134 | 1.34% |
| 1952 | 7,763 | 71.02% | 3,120 | 28.55% | 47 | 0.43% |
| 1956 | 6,886 | 65.80% | 3,554 | 33.96% | 25 | 0.24% |
| 1960 | 6,975 | 61.80% | 4,301 | 38.11% | 11 | 0.10% |
| 1964 | 4,817 | 44.71% | 5,946 | 55.18% | 12 | 0.11% |
| 1968 | 5,662 | 54.53% | 4,335 | 41.75% | 387 | 3.73% |
| 1972 | 6,503 | 64.05% | 3,519 | 34.66% | 131 | 1.29% |
| 1976 | 5,577 | 51.48% | 5,049 | 46.61% | 207 | 1.91% |
| 1980 | 6,206 | 59.21% | 3,620 | 34.54% | 655 | 6.25% |
| 1984 | 5,690 | 58.44% | 3,993 | 41.01% | 53 | 0.54% |
| 1988 | 4,846 | 55.07% | 3,879 | 44.08% | 75 | 0.85% |
| 1992 | 3,439 | 37.60% | 3,339 | 36.51% | 2,368 | 25.89% |
| 1996 | 3,272 | 39.60% | 3,817 | 46.20% | 1,173 | 14.20% |
| 2000 | 4,336 | 51.47% | 3,624 | 43.02% | 464 | 5.51% |
| 2004 | 4,794 | 55.22% | 3,767 | 43.39% | 120 | 1.38% |
| 2008 | 4,196 | 51.47% | 3,736 | 45.83% | 220 | 2.70% |
| 2012 | 4,104 | 53.21% | 3,407 | 44.17% | 202 | 2.62% |
| 2016 | 4,659 | 62.86% | 2,153 | 29.05% | 600 | 8.09% |
| 2020 | 5,191 | 65.59% | 2,531 | 31.98% | 192 | 2.43% |
| 2024 | 5,247 | 67.61% | 2,352 | 30.31% | 162 | 2.09% |
| Position | Name | District | Next Election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioner | John Roper | District 1 | 2024 | |
| Commissioner | Greg Young | District 2 | 2026 | |
| Commissioner and Vice Chair | Bill Groskreutz | District 3 | 2024 | |
| Commissioner | Tom Loveall | District 4 | 2023 | |
| Commissioner and Chairperson | Bruce Anderson | District 5 | 2024 | |
| Position | Name | Affiliation | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Rich Draheim[21] | Republican | District 22 | |
| Senate | Gene Dornink[22] | Republican | District 23 | |
| House of Representatives | Bjorn Olson[23] | Republican | District 22A | |
| House of Representatives | Peggy Bennett[24] | Republican | District 23A | |
| Position | Name | Affiliation | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House of Representatives | Brad Finstad[25] | Republican | 1st | |
| Senate | Amy Klobuchar[26] | Democrat | N/A | |
| Senate | Tina Smith[27] | Democrat | N/A | |
School districts include:[28]
It also has the following state-operated schools:
Places adjacent to Faribault County, Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofFaribault County, Minnesota,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
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