Traverse County, Minnesota

Not to be confused with Traverse, Minnesota or Grand Traverse County, Michigan.

Traverse County (locally /ˈtrævərs/ TRAV-ərss) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,360,^[2] making it the least-populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat is Wheaton.^[3] The county was founded in 1862 and organized in 1881.^[4]

Traverse County
County
Old District No. 44 School
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°46′N 96°28′W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1862 (created) 1881 (organized)
Named after	Lake Traverse[1]
Seat	Wheaton
Largest city	Wheaton
Area
• Total	586 sq mi (1,520 km2)
• Land	574 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	12 sq mi (30 km2)  2.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,360
• Estimate  (2023)	3,136
• Density	5.9/sq mi (2.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.co.traverse.mn.us

Geography

Traverse County lies on the western edge of Minnesota. Its western border abuts the eastern borders of the states of North and South Dakota. The Red River flows northward along the county's western line. The Mustinka River flows southwestward through the county's upper portion, discharging into Lake Traverse. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, fully devoted to agriculture except in developed areas.^[5] The terrain slopes to the west and north, with its highest point at the southeastern corner, at 1,119 ft (341 m) ASL.^[6] The county has a total area of 586 square miles (1,520 km²), of which 574 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) (2.0%) is water.^[7]

Soils of Traverse County^[8]

Major highways

• U.S. Route 75
• Minnesota State Highway 9
• Minnesota State Highway 27
• Minnesota State Highway 28
• Minnesota State Highway 117

Adjacent counties

• Wilkin County - north
• Grant County - northeast
• Stevens County - southeast
• Big Stone County - south
• Roberts County, South Dakota - southwest
• Richland County, North Dakota - northwest

Protected areas

• Reservation Dam State Wildlife Management Area
• White Rock Dam State Wildlife Management Area

Lakes^[5]

• Lake Traverse (part)
• Mud Lake - (part)
• Saint Marys Lake
• Wet Lake

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	13		—
1880	1,507		11,492.3%
1890	4,516		199.7%
1900	7,573		67.7%
1910	8,049		6.3%
1920	7,943		−1.3%
1930	7,938		−0.1%
1940	8,283		4.3%
1950	8,053		−2.8%
1960	7,503		−6.8%
1970	6,254		−16.6%
1980	5,542		−11.4%
1990	4,463		−19.5%
2000	4,134		−7.4%
2010	3,558		−13.9%
2020	3,360		−5.6%
2023 (est.)	3,136	[9]	−6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[2]

2020 Census

Traverse County Racial Composition^[14]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	2,851	84.85%
Black or African American (NH)	21	0.63%
Native American (NH)	183	5.45%
Asian (NH)	0	0%
Pacific Islander (NH)	0	0%
Other/Mixed (NH)	108	3.21%
Hispanic or Latino	197	5.86%

2000 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Traverse County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,134 people, 1,717 households, and 1,129 families in the county. The population density was 7.2 per square mile (2.8/km²). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 3.83 per square mile (1.48/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.42% White, 0.02% Black or African American, 2.81% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. 1.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.2% were of German, 13.0% Norwegian, 7.6% Swedish and 5.4% Irish ancestry.

There were 1,717 households, out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.20% were non-families. 32.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97.

The county population contained 25.30% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 21.70% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 26.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,617, and the median income for a family was $39,655. Males had a median income of $29,821 versus $20,100 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,378. About 9.30% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 10.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Browns Valley
• Dumont
• Tintah
• Wheaton (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Boisberg
• Charlesville (partial)
• Collis
• Dakomin

Townships

• Arthur Township
• Clifton Township
• Croke Township
• Dollymount Township
• Folsom Township
• Lake Valley Township
• Leonardsville Township
• Monson Township
• Parnell Township
• Redpath Township
• Tara Township
• Taylor Township
• Tintah Township
• Walls Township
• Windsor Township

Government and politics

Traverse County was historically a swing county, although in recent years it has swung substantially Republican. Since 1980 the county has selected the Republican Party candidate 58% of the time in national elections (as of 2024).

United States presidential election results for Traverse County, Minnesota^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,165	64.65%	597	33.13%	40	2.22%
2020	1,172	62.88%	661	35.46%	31	1.66%
2016	1,049	58.34%	630	35.04%	119	6.62%
2012	861	46.62%	943	51.06%	43	2.33%
2008	933	45.85%	1,043	51.25%	59	2.90%
2004	1,076	50.26%	1,026	47.92%	39	1.82%
2000	1,074	51.00%	884	41.98%	148	7.03%
1996	775	34.77%	1,135	50.92%	319	14.31%
1992	841	33.86%	1,053	42.39%	590	23.75%
1988	1,061	42.85%	1,399	56.50%	16	0.65%
1984	1,399	51.00%	1,325	48.30%	19	0.69%
1980	1,574	51.95%	1,258	41.52%	198	6.53%
1976	1,130	35.24%	2,020	62.99%	57	1.78%
1972	1,276	41.77%	1,744	57.09%	35	1.15%
1968	1,277	41.41%	1,669	54.12%	138	4.47%
1964	1,073	32.30%	2,247	67.64%	2	0.06%
1960	1,463	40.75%	2,122	59.11%	5	0.14%
1956	1,467	45.87%	1,724	53.91%	7	0.22%
1952	1,809	50.63%	1,756	49.15%	8	0.22%
1948	1,008	31.28%	2,151	66.74%	64	1.99%
1944	1,296	42.76%	1,721	56.78%	14	0.46%
1940	1,434	40.50%	2,094	59.14%	13	0.37%
1936	761	24.20%	2,297	73.06%	86	2.74%
1932	608	18.53%	2,633	80.23%	41	1.25%
1928	1,214	38.79%	1,899	60.67%	17	0.54%
1924	1,002	39.32%	202	7.93%	1,344	52.75%
1920	1,759	73.20%	550	22.89%	94	3.91%
1916	774	48.71%	779	49.02%	36	2.27%
1912	131	10.34%	561	44.28%	575	45.38%
1908	685	54.93%	514	41.22%	48	3.85%
1904	885	77.50%	247	21.63%	10	0.88%
1900	768	50.29%	720	47.15%	39	2.55%
1896	589	36.65%	963	59.93%	55	3.42%
1892	413	39.33%	317	30.19%	320	30.48%

County Board of Commissioners^[16]

Position		Name	District
	Commissioner	Chad Metz	District 1
	Commissioner	Kayla Schmidt	District 2
	Commissioner	Mark Gail	District 3
	Commissioner	Jerrel Olson	District 4
	Commissioner	Dwight Nelson	District 5

State Legislature (2020–2022)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	Senate	Torrey Westrom[17]	Republican	District 12
	House of Representatives	Jeff Backer[18]	Republican	District 12A

U.S Congress (2020–2022)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	House of Representatives	Michelle Fischbach	Republican	7th
	Senate	Amy Klobuchar[19]	Democrat	N/A
	Senate	Tina Smith[20]	Democrat	N/A

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Traverse County, Minnesota