# Swift County, Minnesota *County in west central Minnesota, United States* Swift County is a county in west central [[Minnesota]] whose seat is Benson. The 2020 census counted 9,838 residents.[^1] Its 21 townships are laid out in three tiers of seven. The Wikipedia article's lead gives the county's extent as 757 square miles (2,000 km²), while its Geography section gives a total area of 752 square miles (1,950 km²).[^1][^6] The county was organized in 1870 out of Chippewa County and takes its name from [[Henry Adoniram Swift]], the state's third governor.[^4] American settlement of the area followed the 1862 Dakota War and the forcible removal of Native Americans from the region.[^2] The county voted Democratic in every election from 1932 to 2012 except 1952. Republican candidates carried it in 2016, 2020 and 2024 by margins the source describes as the party's best there since 1920.[^12] ## History The [[Dakota]] lived in the area before American settlement.[^2] Their grievances against the federal government included late annuity payments, which more than once brought them close to starvation.[^2] The Dakota War began in Minnesota in August 1862, and fighting spread to the new settlements in what later became the northeastern part of the county.[^2] The war was nearly over by late September 1862. Settlers stayed away until 1865, by which time all Native Americans had been forcibly removed from the region.[^2] Most early settlers were Scandinavian or German. The first were Norwegians, who arrived in 1866 at Camp Lake and Swenoda.[^2] The St. Paul & Pacific Railroad came to Willmar in 1869 and to Benson in 1870.[^3] The railroad company spaced its sites roughly 8 miles (13 km) apart. That spacing fixed how many trading centers the county would have: Kerkhoven, DeGraff, Benson and Randall.[^3] Swift County was created from Chippewa County on February 18, 1870, with Benson as its seat. It was named for Henry Adoniram Swift, who served as the third [[Governor of Minnesota]] in 1863–64.[^4] ### Historic buildings The [[Swift County Courthouse]] was completed in 1897 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[^5] In Benson, railroad tracks pass through the downtown business district, with a park on either side.[^5] The [[Gethsemane Episcopal Church (Appleton, Minnesota)]] was built in 1879 and joined the National Register in 2011.[^5] ## Geography Three rivers drain the county. The [[Minnesota River]] runs southeast along the lower part of the county's western boundary.[^6] The [[Pomme de Terre River (Minnesota)]] crosses the western part of the county and the [[Chippewa River (Minnesota)]] crosses its central part. Both run south-southwest to join the Minnesota; the Chippewa does so south of the county line.[^6] The land is rolling and mostly farmed, and it falls away to the south and west.[^6] Of the 752 square miles of total area, 742 square miles (1,920 km²) are land and 10 square miles (26 km²), or 1.3%, are water.[^6] Agriculture is the county's main activity. The county also has makers of farm equipment and an ethanol plant.[^7] It contains 24 lakes and nine rivers and streams. Lake Oliver, at 416 acres (1.7 km²), is among the largest.[^7] The Wikipedia article places the county's highest point near its northeast corner at 1,240 ft (380 m) above sea level. The same section reports that Caltopo shows a higher point of 1,300 ft, about a third of a mile southwest of the Monson State Wildlife Management Area.[^6][^7] ## Major highways The following highways cross the county:[^8] - U.S. Highway 12 - U.S. Highway 59 - [[Minnesota State Highway 7]] - [[Minnesota State Highway 9]] - [[Minnesota State Highway 29]] - [[Minnesota State Highway 104]] - [[Minnesota State Highway 119]] ### Adjacent counties Swift County borders six counties: Stevens County to the northwest, Pope County to the northeast, Kandiyohi County to the east, Chippewa County to the south, Lac qui Parle County to the southwest and Big Stone County to the west.[^8] ### Airport [[Appleton Municipal Airport]] provides general aviation service for the county.[^8] ### Protected areas The county contains the following state wildlife management areas: Bench, Camp Kerk, Danvers, Ehrenburg, Hayes-Myhre, Henry X and Hollerberg Lake. [[Monson Lake State Park]] is also in the county.[^8] ## Demographics ### 2020 census The 2020 census counted 9,838 residents, with a median age of 42.6 years.[^9] Of those residents, 23.3% were under 18 and 22.5% were 65 or older. There were 101.0 males for every 100 females overall, and 99.9 for every 100 among adults.[^9] By census race category, the county's residents were:[^9] - 89.5% White - 0.9% Black or African American - 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native - 0.8% Asian - 1.4% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander - 2.8% some other race - 4.2% two or more races Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 6.7% of the population.[^9] The census classified 100.0% of residents as rural and less than 0.1% as urban.[^9] The county had 4,064 households. Of these, 27.1% included children under 18 and 48.5% were married couples.[^9] A male householder with no spouse or partner present headed 21.2% of households, and a female householder with no spouse or partner present headed 23.5%. One-person households made up 32.3% of the total. In 15.1% of households, the person living alone was 65 or older.[^9] The county had 4,693 housing units, 13.4% of them vacant. Of the occupied units, 73.0% were owner-occupied and 27.0% were rented. The vacancy rate was 2.9% for homeowner units and 9.6% for rental units.[^9] ### 2000 census The 2000 census counted 11,956 people in 4,353 households, including 2,881 families. Population density was 16.1 per square mile, and the county had 4,821 housing units.[^10] The 2020 count was 2,118 lower than the 2000 count.[^9][^10] ## Communities The county has eight cities: Appleton, Benson (the county seat), Clontarf, Danvers, De Graff, Holloway, Kerkhoven and Murdock. Fairfield and Swift Falls are unincorporated communities.[^11] The county has 21 townships: Appleton, Benson, Camp Lake, Cashel, Clontarf, Dublin, Edison, Fairfield, Hayes, Hegbert, Kerkhoven, Kildare, Marysland, Moyer, Pillsbury, Shible, Six Mile Grove, Swenoda, Tara, Torning and West Bank.[^11] ## Politics From 1932 through 2012, Swift County went Democratic in every election except 1952, when Dwight D. Eisenhower won by a landslide.[^12] In 2016 the county moved 36% toward the [[Republican Party (United States)]], and Donald Trump carried it over Hillary Clinton by 26%. The source places this shift within a broader swing away from the Democrats in the [[Rust Belt]].[^12] Trump's margin rose to nearly 30% against Joe Biden in 2020 and to over 34% against Kamala Harris in 2024.[^12] The source describes each of these three results as the best Republican performance in the county since 1920.[^12] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, lead section (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the county seat, the 2020 population of 9,838, the 757-square-mile figure and the three tiers of seven townships. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, History section (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the Dakota presence, their annuity grievances, the 1862 Dakota War, the forcible removal, the settlers' return in 1865, and the arrival of the first Norwegian settlers in 1866. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, History section (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad's arrival in Willmar (1869) and Benson (1870) and its siting of trading centers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, History section (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the county's creation from Chippewa County on February 18, 1870, its naming for Henry Adoniram Swift, and Benson as county seat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, History and Historic buildings sections (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the courthouse (built 1897, listed 1976), the downtown Benson rail line, and Gethsemane Episcopal Church (built 1879, listed 2011). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, Geography section (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the rivers, terrain, the 1,240 ft high point, and the 752/742/10 square-mile area figures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^7]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, Geography section (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the county's economy, its 24 lakes and nine rivers and streams, Lake Oliver's size, and the Caltopo 1,300 ft high-point reading. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^8]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, Major highways section and subsections (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the highways, adjacent counties, airport and protected areas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^9]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, Demographics: 2020 census (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the population, age, sex ratio, race categories, rural share, household and housing-unit figures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^10]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, Demographics: 2000 census (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the 2000 figures for people, households, families, density and housing units. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^11]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, Communities section (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the cities, unincorporated communities and the 21 townships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota [^12]: Wikipedia contributors, *Swift County, Minnesota*, Politics section (rev. 1375334610, retrieved 2026-10-25) — establishes the county's voting record from 1932 to 2024 and the 2016, 2020 and 2024 margins. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_County,_Minnesota