# Pennington County, Minnesota *County in northwestern Minnesota; county seat Thief River Falls* Pennington County lies in the northwest of [[Minnesota]], and its seat of government is Thief River Falls.[^1] The 2020 census counted 13,992 residents in the county.[^1] The county was formed on November 23, 1910, from the northern part of Red Lake County. It was the second-to-last Minnesota county to be organized; only Lake of the Woods County, created in 1922, came after it.[^2] Its name honors Edmund Pennington (1848–1926), a railroad executive who was president of the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Sault Ste. Marie Railway when the county was formed.[^2] ## History The federal government organized the Wisconsin Territory effective July 3, 1836.[^2] When the territory's eastern part entered the Union as the state of Wisconsin in 1848, the remaining land became the [[Minnesota Territory]], effective March 3, 1849.[^2] In October 1849 the new territorial legislature established nine counties, one of which was Pembina.[^2] In 1858 the newly organized Minnesota State legislature split off the southern part of Pembina County to form Polk County.[^2] The legislature then divided Polk County on December 24, 1896, taking its northern part to form Red Lake County.[^2] On November 23, 1910, Pennington County was formed from the northern part of Red Lake County.[^2] Thief River Falls, the principal settlement in the area, had been platted in 1887. It was named the county seat.[^2] ## Geography The Red Lake River enters from Beltrami County and runs west across the middle of the county. At Thief River Falls it receives the Thief River, which enters from Marshall County and flows south.[^3] The joined rivers leave the county heading south. They then bend west and northwest and meet the Red River near Grand Forks, North Dakota.[^3] The county covers 618 square miles (1,600 km²) in total. Of that, 617 square miles is land and 1.7 square miles (0.3%) is water.[^3] The land is low, rolling and lightly wooded, and every available area is used for agriculture.[^3] Elevation falls toward the west and south. The highest point, 1,186 ft (361 m) above sea level, lies near the lower part of the eastern boundary.[^3] Savanna soils outnumber both prairie soils and forest soils in Pennington. This places it among 17 Minnesota counties in the savanna region.[^3] Marshall County borders the county on the north, Beltrami County on the east and Clearwater County on the southeast.[^3] ### Major highways U.S. Highway 59 and Minnesota State Highways 1, 32 and 219 pass through the county.[^3] Several county state-aid highways serve it:[^3] - County State-Aid Highway 3 is the main link to Grand Forks and joins Polk County State-Aid Highway 21. - Highway 17 connects Thief River Falls with the airport. - Highway 10 is also known as the Pembina Trail. - Highway 16 is the US 59 truck route around Thief River Falls. - Highways 27 and 28 are designed for heavy trucks travelling between US 2 and Roseau and Marshall counties. ### Airports Thief River Falls Regional Airport is in the county.[^3] ## Demographics The 2020 census recorded 13,992 residents in Pennington County.[^4] The median age was 39.8 years. Residents under 18 made up 22.4% of the population, and residents aged 65 or older made up 18.8%.[^4] The census reported the following racial makeup:[^4] - White: 88.9% - Two or more races: 5.6% - Some other race: 1.9% - American Indian and Alaska Native: 1.5% - Black or African American: 1.3% - Asian: 0.9% - Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: less than 0.1% People identifying as Hispanic or Latino, of any race, accounted for 4.8% of the population.[^4] Urban areas held 63.6% of residents and rural areas 36.4%.[^4] The 2020 count found 6,077 households. Of these, 26.9% had children under 18, and 43.8% were married-couple households.[^4] One-person households made up 33.9% of the total.[^4] There were 6,639 housing units, of which 8.5% stood vacant. Owners occupied 71.8% of occupied units and renters 28.2%.[^4] In 2000 the census counted 13,584 people, 5,525 households and 3,552 families in the county. The population density that year was 22.0 per square mile.[^4] ## Communities **Cities.** Pennington County has three cities: Goodridge, St. Hilaire and Thief River Falls, the county seat.[^5] **Unincorporated communities.** These are Dakota Junction, Erie, Hazel, Highlanding, Kratka, Mavie and River Valley.[^5] **Townships.** The county has 21 townships:[^5] Black River, Bray, Clover Leaf, Deer Park, Goodridge, Hickory, Highlanding, Kratka, Mayfield, Norden, North, Numedal, Polk Centre, Reiner, River Falls, Rocksbury, Sanders, Silverton, Smiley, Star and Wyandotte. ## Politics In its first five presidential elections, the county's results were split: voters backed four different parties at least once in that period.[^6] From 1932 through 1996 the county supported the Democratic candidate in every presidential race except three nationwide Republican landslides. Those were Richard Nixon's win in 1972 and Ronald Reagan's wins in 1980 and 1984.[^6] From 2000 on, as of the source's retrieval date, Republicans carried the county in six of seven presidential elections. The exception was 2008, when Barack Obama won it by about 2%.[^6] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Pennington County, Minnesota*, lead section (revision 1381358935, retrieved 2026-10-25) — location, county seat and 2020 census population. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennington_County,_Minnesota [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Pennington County, Minnesota*, History section (revision 1381358935, retrieved 2026-10-25) — territorial dates, the 1849, 1858, 1896 and 1910 county partitions, the namesake, and the platting and designation of the county seat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennington_County,_Minnesota [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Pennington County, Minnesota*, Geography section (revision 1381358935, retrieved 2026-10-25) — river courses, area, terrain, savanna-soil classification, highways, airport and adjacent counties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennington_County,_Minnesota [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Pennington County, Minnesota*, Demographics section (revision 1381358935, retrieved 2026-10-25) — 2020 and 2000 census population, age, racial composition, households and housing units. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennington_County,_Minnesota [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Pennington County, Minnesota*, Communities section (revision 1381358935, retrieved 2026-10-25) — cities, unincorporated communities and townships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennington_County,_Minnesota [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Pennington County, Minnesota*, Politics section (revision 1381358935, retrieved 2026-10-25) — presidential voting history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennington_County,_Minnesota