# Becker County, Minnesota *County in Minnesota, United States; county seat Detroit Lakes* Becker County is a county of [[Minnesota]] whose seat is Detroit Lakes.[^1] The 2020 census counted 35,183 residents, and the population was estimated at 35,497 in 2025.[^1] A portion of the White Earth Indian Reservation lies within its boundaries.[^1] The county was created in 1858, organized in 1871, and named for George Loomis Becker.[^2] Becker was one of three men elected to Congress when Minnesota became a state. Because the new state was entitled to only two members, Becker stood aside and was promised that a county would bear his name.[^2] Since 1980 the county has voted for the Republican presidential nominee in every election except 1996.[^14] ## History Becker County was established on March 18, 1858, and its government was organized on March 6, 1871.[^2] Colonel George Johnston founded Detroit Lakes in 1871 and brought settlers from New England to the area. The town expanded rapidly as the Northern Pacific Railroad was built.[^3] In an 1877 election, voters chose Detroit, as Detroit Lakes was then called, as county seat by a 90% majority. Frazee, Lake Park and Audubon had also contended for the seat.[^3] By 1884 the town's businesses included two hotels, a bank, a newspaper and an opera house, and the county's first courthouse was built that year.[^4] The first county fire department followed in 1885. The Soo Line Railroad laid a line across the county in 1903.[^4] On April 15, 2015, the city rededicated a Detroit Lakes park dedicated to the Grand Army of the Republic. The date marked 150 years since the end of the Civil War and the death of President Lincoln.[^5] Colonel Tom Mortenson and his wife, Pam, sponsored the rededication on behalf of the Women's Relief Corps. The project added new signage to the park and a time capsule to be opened on the 200th anniversary.[^5] ## Geography Most of the county is low, rolling, wooded country dotted with lakes and ponds, and the land falls away toward the west and north.[^6] The highest ground is a hill 2.1 miles (3.4 km) northeast of Wolf Lake, at 1,861 ft (567 m) above sea level. The hill is the site of the U.S. Forest Service's Wolf Lake lookout tower. The second-highest point, at 1,631 ft (497 m), lies near the county's northwest corner.[^6] [[United States Census Bureau]] figures put the county's total area at 1,445.150 square miles (3,742.92 km²). Of that, 1,315.037 square miles is land and 130.113 square miles (9.00%) is water.[^7] By total area, the county ranks 15th among Minnesota counties.[^7] The main highways crossing the county are U.S. Highways 10 and 59 and Minnesota State Highways 34, 87 and 113.[^8] Bordering counties are Mahnomen to the north, Clearwater and Hubbard to the northeast, Wadena to the southeast, Otter Tail to the south, Clay to the west, and Norman to the northwest.[^8] Protected lands in the county include the Tamarac and Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuges, the Tamarac Wilderness, the Smoky Hills and Two Inlets State Forests, the Greenwater Lake Scientific and Natural Area, and part of Hasca State Park. The county also contains a number of state wildlife management areas.[^8] ## Climate and weather Recent average temperatures in Detroit Lakes run from a January low of −2 °F (−19 °C) to a July high of 82 °F (28 °C).[^9] Both of the town's temperature extremes date to 1936. The record low of −46 °F (−43 °C) was set in February, and the record high of 107 °F (42 °C) was set in July.[^9] On average, February is the driest month, with 0.53 inches (13 mm) of precipitation, and June is the wettest, with 4.44 inches (113 mm).[^9] Several tornadoes rated EF-2 or stronger have been recorded in the area.[^9] ## Demographics In the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in the county was $286,500.[^10] The 2023 American Community Survey estimated 14,404 households averaging 2.41 persons each. The county's median household income was $71,117, and about 11.8% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.[^10] The same survey estimated a 61.0% employment rate. It found that 93.3% of residents held a high school diploma and 27.5% held a bachelor's degree or higher.[^10] The 2023 estimate counted 35,283 people and 20,168 housing units in the county. By race, 87.7% of residents were White (86.5% non-Hispanic White), 7.3% Native American, 0.8% African American, 0.6% Asian and 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 3.7% were of two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 2.1% of the population.[^11] On that estimate, the county ranked as Minnesota's 40th wealthiest, with per capita income of $60,360.[^11] At the 2020 census, the median age was 43.3 years, and 24.0% of residents were under 18.[^12] ## Government and politics In presidential voting from its first election in 1872 through 1928, Becker County backed the Republican nominee in all but two contests and never supported a Democrat.[^13] The two exceptions were 1912, when it voted for Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, and 1924, when it voted for Progressive Robert M. La Follette. La Follette led incumbent Calvin Coolidge in the county by 151 votes.[^13] After the onset of the Great Depression, the county voted Democratic in nearly every election from 1932 through 1976. It backed Republicans only in the nationwide landslides of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and Richard Nixon in 1972.[^13] From 1980 onward, the county has voted for the Republican nominee in every presidential election except 1996, when it supported Bill Clinton's reelection. Through 2012, those Republican wins were not by large margins.[^14] In 2016, Donald Trump won the largest vote share and margin for either party in the county since 1936, and the largest for a Republican since 1920. He surpassed that result in 2020 and again in 2024, when he took 66% of the vote.[^14] ## In popular culture The 2006 independent film *Sweet Land* is set in Becker County, though it was shot in Chippewa County.[^15] CBOYSTV, a YouTube comedy and motorsports channel run by five men, is based in the county. The channel has more than a million subscribers.[^15] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767, retrieved 2026-10-25), lead section — establishes county status, seat, 2020 census population, 2025 estimate, and the White Earth Indian Reservation overlap. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), History section — establishes the March 18, 1858 creation date, the March 6, 1871 organization date, and the naming for George Loomis Becker. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), History section — establishes the 1871 founding of Detroit Lakes, the Northern Pacific Railroad, and the 1877 county-seat election. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), History section — establishes the 1884 businesses and courthouse, the 1885 fire department, and the 1903 Soo Line. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), History section — establishes the April 15, 2015 rededication of the Grand Army of the Republic park and its sponsors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), Geography section — establishes the terrain description and the high points. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^7]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), Geography section — establishes the Census Bureau area figures and the county's area rank. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^8]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), Geography section — establishes the major highways, adjacent counties and protected areas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^9]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), Climate and weather section — establishes the temperature averages and records, precipitation, and tornadoes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^10]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), Demographics section — establishes the 2024 median home value and the 2023 American Community Survey household, income, poverty, employment and education figures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^11]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), Demographics section, 2023 estimate — establishes population, housing units, racial and ethnic composition, wealth rank and per capita income. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^12]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), Demographics section, 2020 census — establishes the median age and the share of residents under 18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^13]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), Government and politics section — establishes the presidential voting record from 1872 to 1976. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^14]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), Government and politics section — establishes the presidential voting record from 1980 to 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota [^15]: Wikipedia contributors, *Becker County, Minnesota* (revision 1375158767), In popular culture section — establishes the *Sweet Land* setting and filming location, and CBOYSTV. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker_County,_Minnesota