Polk County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the northwestern part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. The population was 31,192 at the 2020 census. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Crookston, and the largest community is East Grand Forks. Polk County is part of the Grand Forks, ND-MN metropolitan statistical area.

History

In one of its early acts as a state entity, the Minnesota Legislature created the county on July 20, 1858, but did not organize it at that time. The county was named for the 11th president of the United States, James Knox Polk, who signed the congressional act that organized the Minnesota Territory. The county was organized in 1872 and 1873, with the newly settled community of Crookston as the county seat.

Geography

Polk County lies on Minnesota's border with North Dakota (across the Red River). The Red Lake River flows west through the upper central part of the county, discharging into the Red at Grand Forks. The county terrain consists of low, rolling hills, devoted to agriculture.''Polk County MN'' Google Maps (accessed March 16, 2019)
/ref> The county slopes to the west and north, with its highest point near its southeast corner, at above sea level. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water. USGS surveys show the county's high point to be south of U.S. 2, about 2 km east of Spring Lake, at 47.5197°N, 95.5906°W.

Transit

* Tri-Valley Opportunity Council (T.H.E. Bus)

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 2 * U.S. Highway 59 * U.S. Highway 75 *

Minnesota State Highway 9 State Highway 9 or Trunk Highway 9 (MN 9, TH 9) is a state highway in west-central and northwest Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with Minnesota State Highway 23, MN 23 in New London, Minnesota, New London a ...

* Minnesota State Highway 32 * Minnesota State Highway 92 * Minnesota State Highway 102 * Minnesota State Highway 220 * Polk County State-Aid Highway 21: This is the major connector between Grand Forks and Pennington County, and connects with Pennington County State-Aid Highway 3. * Polk County State-Aid Highway 9: A major connector between Crookston and the south end of Grand Forks, it connects with Grand Forks County Road 7, and functions as a southside connector between US 75 and US 2 in Crookston. * Polk County State-Aid Highways 11 & 46: US 2 Truck Bypass of Crookston * Polk County State-Aid Highway 2: Designated and designed for heavy truck traffic connecting US 2 to Roseau County and Marshall County.

Adjacent counties

* Marshall County (north) * Pennington County (northeast) * Red Lake County (northeast) * Clearwater County (east) * Mahnomen County (southeast) * Norman County (south) *

Traill County, North Dakota Traill County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population at 7,997, and was estimated to be 7,989 in 2024. The county seat is Hillsboro, North Dakota, H ...

(southwest) * Grand Forks County, North Dakota (west)

Protected areas

Source: * Agassiz Dunes Scientific and Natural Area (part) * Belgium State Wildlife Management Area * Brandsvold State Wildlife Management Area * Castor State Wildlife Management Area * Enerson State Wildlife Management Area * Erskine State Wildlife Management Area * Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge * Gully Fen Scientific and Natural Area * Hangaard State Wildlife Management Area * Hasselton State Wildlife Management Area (part) * Hill River State Wildlife Management Area * Kroening State Wildlife Management Area * Lavoi State Wildlife Management Area * Lessor State Wildlife Management Area * Mahgre State Wildlife Management Area * Malmberg Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Pembina State Wildlife Management Area * Polk State Wildlife Management Area * Red River State Recreation Area (part) * Red River Valley Natural History Area * Rindahl State Wildlife Management Area * Rydell National Wildlife Refuge * Sand Hill Recreation Area * Shypoke State Wildlife Management Area * Stipa State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

As of the first quarter of 2024, the median home value in Polk County was $216,560. As of the 2023

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, there are 12,472 estimated households in Polk County with an average of 2.39 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $69,540. Approximately 11.6% of the county's population lives at or below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Polk County has an estimated 64.9% employment rate, with 26.7% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.4% holding a high school diploma. The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (92.8%), Spanish (2.7%), Indo-European (2.3%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.5%), and Other (1.7%). The median age in the county was 39.3 years. Polk County, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 31,192 people, 12,534 households, and 7,852 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 14,623 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.29%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.13%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.46% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.97% from some other races and 5.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.41% of the population. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.8% were under 5 years of age, and 19.8% were 65 and older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 31,600 people, 12,704 households, and 8,196 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 14,610 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.34%

, 0.85%

, 1.43% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.01%

, 1.57% from some other races and 2.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.44% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 31,369 people, 12,070 households, and 8,050 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 14,008 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.18%

, 0.33%

, 1.30% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.00%

, 1.30% from some other races and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.79% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 41.7% were

Norwegians Norwegians () are an ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the Norsemen, Norse of the Early ...

, 19.7% were

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

, and 5.8% were French. Of the 12,070 households, 32.3% had children under 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were not families. About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47, and the average family size was 3.07. The county's age distribution was 25.9% under 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.5 males. The median income for a household was $35,105, and for a family was $44,310. Males had a median income of $31,472 versus $21,535 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $17,279. About 7.3% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the

, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Beltrami * Climax * Crookston (county seat) * East Grand Forks * Erskine * Fertile * Fisher * Fosston *

Gully A gully is a landform A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given ter ...

* Lengby * McIntosh *

Mentor Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

* Nielsville *

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

* Winger

Unincorporated communities

* Benoit *

Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, s ...

* Dugdale *

Euclid Euclid (; ; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the '' Elements'' treatise, which established the foundations of geometry that largely domina ...

* Greenview * Maple Bay * Olga * Sherack * Tabor

Townships

* Andover Township * Angus Township * Badger Township * Belgium Township * Brandsvold Township * Brandt Township * Brislet Township * Bygland Township * Chester Township * Columbia Township * Crookston Township * Eden Township * Esther Township * Euclid Township * Fairfax Township * Fanny Township * Farley Township * Fisher Township * Garden Township * Garfield Township * Gentilly Township * Godfrey Township * Grand Forks Township * Grove Park-Tilden Township * Gully Township * Hammond Township * Helgeland Township * Higdem Township * Hill River Township * Hubbard Township * Huntsville Township * Johnson Township * Kertsonville Township * Keystone Township * King Township * Knute Township * Lessor Township * Liberty Township * Lowell Township * Nesbit Township * Northland Township * Onstad Township * Parnell Township * Queen Township * Reis Township * Rhinehart Township * Roome Township * Rosebud Township * Russia Township * Sandsville Township * Scandia Township * Sletten Township * Sullivan Township * Tabor Township * Tynsid Township * Vineland Township * Winger Township * Woodside Township

Government and politics

Polk County was a swing county for several decades, before shifting solidly Republican as of lately. As of 2020, it has selected the Republican nominee in presidential elections in 56% of elections since 1980.

References

External links

Polk County – official website
{{Coord, 47.77, -96.40, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990 Minnesota counties Greater Grand Forks 1872 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1872