# Wright County, Minnesota *County in east central Minnesota, United States* Wright County lies in the east central part of [[Minnesota]], with its seat of government at Buffalo.[^1] The 2020 census counted 141,337 residents, and the population was estimated at 157,557 in 2025. By population it is the state's tenth-largest county, and the cited source describes it as Minnesota's fastest-growing county.[^1] The county is within the [[Minneapolis]]–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.[^1] The county was created in 1855 and takes its name from the New York politician [[Silas Wright]]. Its seat was at Monticello until 1868, when the seat moved to Buffalo.[^2] ## History Wright County dates from 1855, and its name honors Silas Wright, a politician from New York.[^2] Monticello was the first county seat, and Buffalo replaced it in 1868.[^2] Most of the area's earliest settlers came from German and Swedish backgrounds. The population rose from 3,729 in 1860 to 13,775 in 1875.[^3] Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge's *History of Wright County, Minnesota* (1915) is an early account of the county. Chapter titles in its first volume include *Frenchmen Winter on Wright County Islands in 1805-06*, *Edmund Brissett Establishes Trading Post in Wright County*, and *Otsego and Monticello Settled*.[^4] Another chapter, *Coming of the Railroads*, names the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba and the Great Northern.[^5] The record holds only the volume's front matter and table of contents. It does not establish what those chapters say.[^4] Wikipedia's [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Wright County, Minnesota]] counts 20 current listings in the county, with data current through December 19, 2025. Listings it names include the Gust Akerlund Photographic Studio, St. Michael's Catholic Church, Clearwater Masonic Lodge No. 28 / G.A.R. Hall No. 112, [[Cokato Temperance Hall]], Delano Village Hall, the Annandale Hotel and [[Waverly Village Hall]].[^6] In [[Waverly]], the Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Historical Marker stands in [[Railroad Park]]. The marker was dedicated September 10, 2005.[^7] It records that Humphrey lived in Waverly and gave his last public address in the same park on May 30, 1977. It also records that he died at his Waverly home on January 13, 1978.[^7] The 1998 thriller *[[A Simple Plan (film)|A Simple Plan]]* takes place in Wright County without naming any particular town in it.[^8] ## Geography The [[United States Census Bureau]] gives the county's total area as 714 square miles (1,850 km²). Of that area, 661 square miles (1,710 km²) is land and 53 square miles (140 km²), or 7.4%, is water.[^9] The land is rolling and holds many small lakes. The [[Mississippi River]] forms the county's northeastern boundary.[^9] Wright is among 17 Minnesota counties in the savanna region whose soils are more savanna than either prairie or forest. Wright and adjacent Hennepin County are the only two Minnesota counties where savanna soils cover more than 75% of the area.[^10] ### Major highways [[Interstate 94]] and U.S. Highway 12 cross the county. U.S. Highway 52 runs hidden along I-94.[^11] The state routes are [[Minnesota State Highway 24]], [[Minnesota State Highway 25]], [[Minnesota State Highway 55]], [[Minnesota State Highway 101]] and [[Minnesota State Highway 241]].[^11] ### Adjacent counties Wright County borders six counties:[^12] - Sherburne County to the northeast - Hennepin County to the east - Carver County to the southeast - McLeod County to the southwest - Meeker County to the west - Stearns County to the northwest ## Demographics ### 2020 census The 2020 census recorded a median age of 37.4 years. Residents under 18 made up 28.3% of the population, and residents aged 65 or older made up 13.3%.[^13] There were 101.4 males for every 100 females, and 99.5 males for every 100 females aged 18 and over.[^13] By race, the census recorded the following shares of residents:[^14] - White: 89.9% - Black or African American: 1.9% - American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% - Asian: 1.3% - Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: less than 0.1% - Some other race: 1.6% - Two or more races: 5.0% Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 3.3% of the population. Urban areas held 60.8% of residents and rural areas held 39.2%.[^14] The census counted 50,509 households. Of these, 37.9% included children under 18 and 59.7% were married-couple households.[^15] About 21.1% of households consisted of individuals, and in 8.9% someone aged 65 or older lived alone.[^15] Of the 54,467 housing units, 7.3% were vacant. Owners occupied 83.4% of occupied units and renters occupied 16.6%. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%.[^15] ### 2010 census The 2010 census recorded the following ethnic makeup:[^16] - White: 95.04% - Black: 1.06% - Native American: 0.34% - Asian: 1.19% - Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.04% - Two or more races: 1.53% - Other races: 0.81% - Hispanic or Latino of any race: 2.45% ## Communities ### Cities The county's cities are Albertville, Annandale, Buffalo (the county seat), Clearwater, Cokato, Dayton, Delano, Hanover, Howard Lake, Maple Lake, Monticello, Montrose, Otsego, Rockford, South Haven, St. Michael and Waverly.[^17] Three of these extend into Hennepin County. Dayton lies mostly in Hennepin County, Rockford lies partly in it, and Hanover has a small portion there.[^17] ### Townships The townships are Albion, Buffalo, Chatham, Clearwater, Cokato, Corinna, Franklin, French Lake, Maple Lake, Marysville, Middleville, Monticello, Rockford, Silver Creek, Southside, Stockholm, Victor and Woodland.[^17] ### Other communities Silver Creek is a census-designated place.[^18] The county's other unincorporated communities are Albion Center, Albright, Enfield, French Lake, Hasty, Highland, Knapp, Oster, Rassat, Rice Lake, Smith Lake, Stockholm and West Albion. Dickinson is a ghost town.[^18] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), lead section — location in east central Minnesota, county seat Buffalo, 2020 census population of 141,337, 2025 estimate of 157,557, rank as tenth-largest and fastest-growing county, and metropolitan-area membership. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^2]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), History section — establishment in 1855, naming for Silas Wright, Monticello as first seat and the 1868 move to Buffalo (the article cites Warren Upham, *Minnesota Geographic Names*, 1920, p. 586). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^3]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), History section — German and Swedish origin of the first settlers, and populations of 3,729 in 1860 and 13,775 in 1875. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^4]: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, *History of Wright County, Minnesota*, vol. 1 (1915) — chapter titles from the front matter and table of contents, which are the only parts retrieved. https://archive.org/stream/historyofwrightc01curt/historyofwrightc01curt_djvu.txt [^5]: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, *History of Wright County, Minnesota*, vol. 1 (1915) — the chapter titled *Coming of the Railroads* names the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba and the Great Northern. https://archive.org/stream/historyofwrightc01curt/historyofwrightc01curt_djvu.txt [^6]: Wikipedia, *National Register of Historic Places listings in Wright County, Minnesota* (data current through December 19, 2025) — count of 20 current listings and the named listings; the full table was not retrieved. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Wright_County,_Minnesota [^7]: Historical Marker Database, *Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Historical Marker, Railroad Park, Waverly* (marker dedicated September 10, 2005) — Waverly residence, last public address at the park on May 30, 1977, and death at the Waverly home on January 13, 1978. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=78365 [^8]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), History section — the 1998 thriller *A Simple Plan* is set in the county without naming a specific town. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^9]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Geography section — Census Bureau area figures, terrain, and the Mississippi River boundary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^10]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Geography section — savanna-region classification and the more-than-75% savanna-soil comparison with Hennepin County. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^11]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Geography section, "Major highways" — highway list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^12]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Geography section, "Adjacent counties" — the six adjacent counties and their directions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^13]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Demographics section, 2020 census — median age, age shares and sex ratios. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^14]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Demographics section, 2020 census — racial makeup, Hispanic or Latino share, and urban/rural split. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^15]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Demographics section, 2020 census — household and housing-unit figures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^16]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Demographics section, 2010 census — ethnic makeup. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^17]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Communities section — cities, including the Hennepin County portions, and townships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota [^18]: Wikipedia, *Wright County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375334874, retrieved 2026-10-25), Communities section — census-designated place, other unincorporated communities, and ghost town. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_County,_Minnesota