# Jackson County, Minnesota *County in Minnesota, United States* Jackson County is a county of the U.S. state of [[Minnesota]], and the city of Jackson is its seat.[^1] The 2020 census counted 9,989 residents.[^1] The county lies along the state line with Iowa, and the Des Moines River crosses it on its way south.[^1] Formed on May 23, 1857, the county takes its name from Henry Jackson, who was St. Paul's first merchant.[^1] Agriculture is the main use of its land, which is hilly and cut by drainages and gullies.[^1] Since 2000 it has backed the Republican candidate in every presidential election.[^1] ## History Jackson County dates from May 23, 1857.[^2] Henry Jackson, for whom it is named, was the first merchant to do business in St. Paul.[^2] ## Geography Jackson County borders Iowa.[^3] The Des Moines River runs south-southeast through the middle of the county before crossing into Iowa.[^3] The land is hilly and marked by drainages and gullies, and it is given over to farming.[^3] Elevation generally falls toward the south and east, and the county's highest ground, at 1,545 ft (471 m) above sea level, is on the lower part of its western border.[^3] Of the county's 719 square miles (1,860 km²) of total area, 703 square miles (1,820 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²), or 2.3%, is water.[^3] ### Lakes Bodies of water in the county include Heron Lake, which has four basins (Duck, North Marsh, North Lake and South Lake) linked by streams, along with Spirit Lake, Loon Lake and part of Iowa Lake.[^3] Several former lakes, among them Swenson Lake and Quelvis Lake, are listed as drained.[^3] ### Protected areas Kilen Woods State Park, the Clear Lake Recreation Area, the Des Moines River Scientific and Natural Area and the Holthe Prairie Scientific and Natural Area lie in the county.[^3] Its state wildlife management areas include Bootleg Lake, Caraway, Husen and Laurs Lake.[^3] ## Demographics ### 2020 census The 2020 census recorded 9,989 people in the county, with a median age of 43.4 years.[^4] Residents under 18 made up 22.7% of the population, and those 65 or older made up 21.9%.[^4] There were 104.4 males for every 100 females, and 104.2 males for every 100 females among adults 18 and over.[^4] By race, 91.4% of residents were White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and 2.0% some other race, while 3.9% identified with two or more races.[^4] Residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino, of any race, made up 4.0% of the population.[^4] The census classed 100.0% of residents as rural and less than 0.1% as urban.[^4] The county had 4,307 households, 26.8% of them with children under 18.[^4] Married couples headed 49.9% of households; 21.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 21.8% a female householder with no spouse or partner present.[^4] One-person households accounted for about 32.1% of the total, and in 15.4% of households someone aged 65 or older lived alone.[^4] Of 4,891 housing units, 11.9% stood vacant.[^4] Owners occupied 78.2% of occupied units and renters 21.8%; vacancy rates were 1.5% for owner housing and 10.7% for rental housing.[^4] ### 2000 census In 2000 the census counted 11,268 people, 4,556 households and 3,116 families, at a density of 16.0 people per square mile (6.2/km²).[^5] The county then had 5,092 housing units, an average of 7.24 per square mile (2.80/km²), and 97.07% of residents were White.[^5] ## Communities Six cities lie in the county: Alpha, Heron Lake, Jackson, which is the county seat, Lakefield, Okabena and Wilder.[^6] Fish Lake is a census-designated place, and Bergen, Miloma, Petersburg, Rost, Sioux Valley and Spafford are unincorporated communities.[^6] The county contains 20 townships: Alba, Belmont, Christiania, Delafield, Des Moines, Enterprise, Ewington, Heron Lake, Hunter, Kimball, La Crosse, Middletown, Minneota, Petersburg, Rost, Round Lake, Sioux Valley, Weimer, West Heron Lake and Wisconsin.[^6] ## Politics Between 1932 and 1996, the county's voters chose the Democratic presidential nominee in every election except four, each of which was a Republican landslide nationally.[^7] Republican candidates have carried the county in every presidential election from 2000 onward.[^7] George W. Bush won it by somewhat modest margins in 2000 and 2004, and in 2008 John McCain finished slightly more than 4% ahead of Barack Obama.[^7] Mitt Romney's margin over Obama in 2012 exceeded 14%.[^7] In 2016 Donald Trump carried the county over Hillary Clinton by more than 38%, almost three times Romney's margin, and became the first Republican since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 to take at least 60% of the county's vote.[^7] In 2020 his margin narrowed slightly while his share rose to nearly 68%, the highest for a Republican in the county since Warren G. Harding.[^7] In 2024 his share reached nearly 70% and his margin 42%, the widest for a Republican presidential candidate since Harding in 1920.[^7] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Jackson County, Minnesota* (revision 1378406951, retrieved 2026-10-25) — county seat, 2020 population, location, creation date, naming, terrain and voting since 2000. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_County,_Minnesota [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Jackson County, Minnesota* (revision 1378406951, retrieved 2026-10-25) — creation on May 23, 1857, and naming for Henry Jackson. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_County,_Minnesota [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Jackson County, Minnesota* (revision 1378406951, retrieved 2026-10-25) — geography, area, elevation, lakes and protected areas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_County,_Minnesota [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Jackson County, Minnesota* (revision 1378406951, retrieved 2026-10-25) — 2020 census population, age, sex, race, households and housing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_County,_Minnesota [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Jackson County, Minnesota* (revision 1378406951, retrieved 2026-10-25) — 2000 census population, households, families, density and housing units. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_County,_Minnesota [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Jackson County, Minnesota* (revision 1378406951, retrieved 2026-10-25) — cities, census-designated place, unincorporated communities and townships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_County,_Minnesota [^7]: Wikipedia contributors, *Jackson County, Minnesota* (revision 1378406951, retrieved 2026-10-25) — presidential voting history, 1932–2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_County,_Minnesota