Ramsey County, Minnesota
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Ramsey 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
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 ...
of
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 ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population was 552,352, making it the state's second most populous county, and was estimated to be 542,015 in 2024. 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 ...
and largest city is Saint Paul, the state capital and the twin city of Minneapolis. The county was founded in 1849 and is named for Alexander Ramsey, the first governor of the Minnesota Territory. Ramsey County is part of the
Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi, Minnesota River, Minnesota, and St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota), ...
Bloomington, MN– WI Metropolitan statistical area. It is Minnesota's smallest and most densely populated county, as well as the 38th-most densely populated county in the United States in 2010.


History

With the establishment of the Minnesota Territory in 1849, nine counties, including Ramsey County, were created. In 1849, Ramsey County included all of what later became the present-day counties of Ramsey, Anoka, Isanti, and Kanabec; and parts of Washington, Pine, Carlton, Aitkin, Mille Lacs, and Hennepin. One of Ramsey County's early settlers was Heman Gibbs, whose farm is now the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life ( Gibbs Farm) in Falcon Heights. Ramsey County remained largely farmland until small villages began to appear in the late 19th century, with the incorporation of North St. Paul in 1887, New Brighton in 1891, and White Bear Lake in 1921.


Government and politics

Ramsey County is overwhelmingly Democratic in presidential elections, not having voted for a Republican presidential nominee since 1924. In 2020, Democratic nominee
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
received the largest share of the vote for any candidate in the county's history, with over 71%.


County sheriff

The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office was established in the old Minnesota Territory in 1849. The current sheriff is Bob Fletcher, who was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022. The Ramsey County Sheriff is elected to a four-year term in an election concurrent with the federal midterm elections. The sheriff's office provides patrol and investigation for communities without local police forces and is available as backup for all communities. In addition to enforcing the law, the office provides town police services under contract to Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Little Canada, North Oaks, Shoreview, Vadnais Heights, and White Bear Township. The Ramsey County Sheriff's office provides a number of unique services as mandated by law. This includes detention for court and other court services, safety, rescue, and law enforcement on the waterways. The office provides safety classes and coordinates community volunteer efforts. It is responsible for the county jail, more officially the Adult Detention Center, which can hold 500 prisoners and has a staff of about 150.


County Attorney

The Ramsey County Attorney prosecutes felony crimes committed within the jurisdiction of Ramsey County. The current County Attorney is John Choi, who was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014, 2018, and 2022.


County Commissioners

The county commission elects a
chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
who presides at meetings. Commissioners as of February 24, 2025, are:


Geography

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 an area of , of which is land and (10.44%) is water. It is Minnesota's smallest county by area, and has been considered completely urbanized since the 1990 census.


Adjacent counties

* Anoka County (north) * Washington County (east) * Dakota County (south) *
Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,273,334 in 2024, making it the List of counties in ...
(west)


National protected area

* Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (part)


Transportation


Rail

Ramsey County is a major freight hub along BNSF's Northern Transcon route and is also served by
Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...
and
Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
.
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
offers daily intercity passenger rail service on the ''
Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...
'' from Union Depot in Saint Paul.
Light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
service is provided by Metro, a light rail and bus rapid transit system operated by Metro Transit that connects several communities in Ramsey and Hennepin Counties. The Metro Green Line connects Union Depot to Target Field station in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, in neighboring
Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,273,334 in 2024, making it the List of counties in ...
.


Road

Ramsey County is served by several interstate highways, including
Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...
and Interstate 94. I-35 has two routes through Ramsey County. I-35E enters the county from Dakota County to the south and proceeds north through Saint Paul, where it intersects I-94, then continues north to Little Canada, where it runs east concurrently with
I-694 Interstate 694 (I-694) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the US state of Minnesota. The western terminus of the route is at its junction with Interstate 94 in Minneso ...
for several miles before turning north through North Oaks to Washington County. I-35W crosses from Minneapolis to the west through Saint Anthony before turning north through New Brighton, where it intersects I-694, and then to Anoka County, where it goes on to rejoin I-35E in Washington County. Near the western edge of the county, I-94 enters from Minneapolis where it runs almost parallel to University Avenue until it meets I-35E in Saint Paul and continues east to Washington County. I-494 passes through the southeast corner of the county between Dakota and Washington Counties. From Anoka County in the west, I-694 takes a path through New Brighton, where it meets I-35W, to the junction with I-35E in Little Canada and finally to Washington County in the east. Ramsey County is also accessible by several U.S. Highways, in particular US 10,
US 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States Numbered Highway System, U.S. Highway in the central United States, Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even ...
, and US 61. US 10 enters from Washington County in the south and continues north to meet I-94 just east of Saint Paul where it turns west to run concurrently with I-94, I-35E, I-694, and finally I-35W before continuing northwest to Anoka County. US 52 runs from South Saint Paul in Dakota County north to downtown Saint Paul where it meets I-94 and turns west to run concurrently with it all the way to the North Dakota border. From the south, US 61 runs concurrently with US 10 and then I-94 until it continues northeast on surface streets through the East Side of Saint Paul. From Saint Paul, US 61 continues north through Maplewood and White Bear Lake before crossing the border into Washington County. In addition to these federal highways, Ramsey County is served by several Minnesota State Highways, including MN 36 and MN 51, which are divided highways for much of their length. The county also has jurisdiction over 264.108 miles of County State Aid Highways as well as 21,031 miles of county roads and 59 bridges maintained and monitored by the county's Public Works Department.


Major highways

* Interstate 35E * Interstate 35W * Interstate 94 * Interstate 694 * U.S. Highway 10 * U.S. Highway 12 * U.S. Highway 52 * U.S. Highway 61 *
Minnesota State Highway 5 Minnesota State Highway 5 (MN 5) is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its Intersection (road), intersection with Minnesota State Highway 19, MN 19 and Minnesota State Highway 22, MN 22 in Gaylord, Minnesota, Gaylord and continu ...
* Minnesota State Highway 13 * Minnesota State Highway 36 * Minnesota State Highway 51 * Minnesota State Highway 96 * Minnesota State Highway 120 * Minnesota State Highway 149 * Minnesota State Highway 156 * Minnesota State Highway 280 * County Road 30 ( Larpenteur Avenue) * County Road 34 ( University Avenue) * County Road 36/37 ( Shepard Road/Warner Road) * '' Other county roads''


Air

The primary airport serving Ramsey County is Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, in neighboring
Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,273,334 in 2024, making it the List of counties in ...
. The only airport in Ramsey County is Saint Paul Downtown Airport, a smaller commercial airport with three runways primarily used for general aviation and military operations., effective December 7, 2017.


Demographics

As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Ramsey County was $329,720. 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 219,075 estimated households in Ramsey County with an average of 2.41 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $81,004. Approximately 11.9% 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 ...
. Ramsey County has an estimated 68.7% employment rate, with 45.5% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.5% 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 (76.5%), Spanish (5.3%), Indo-European (2.1%), Asian and Pacific Islander (10.6%), and Other (5.4%). The median age in the county was 36.4 years. Ramsey County, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 552,352 people, 218,077 households, and 125,476 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 228,546 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 59.55%
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 ...
, 12.92%
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 ...
, 0.81% Native American, 15.58% Asian, 0.05%
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 ...
, 3.98% from some other races and 7.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.15% of the population.


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 508,640 people, 202,691 households, and 117,799 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 217,196 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 70.10%
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 ...
, 11.04%
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 ...
, 0.79% Native American, 11.66% Asian, 0.05%
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 ...
, 2.91% from some other races and 3.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.17% of the population.


2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 511,035 people, 201,236 households, and 119,936 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 206,448 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 77.37%
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 ...
, 7.61%
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 ...
, 0.83% Native American, 8.77% Asian, 0.06%
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 ...
, 2.45% from some other races and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.28% of the population. There were 201,236 households, out of which 29.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.40% were non-families. 32.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.16. In the county the population was spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 11.30% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $45,722, and the median income for a family was $57,747. Males had a median income of $39,806 versus $30,814 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 ...
for the county was $23,536. About 7.40% of families and 10.60% of the population were 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 ...
, including 15.70% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.


Communities


Cities

* Arden Hills * Blaine (partial) * Falcon Heights * Gem Lake *
Lauderdale Lauderdale is the valley of the Leader Water (a tributary of the River Tweed, Tweed) in the Scottish Borders. It contains the town of Lauder, as well as Earlston. The valley is traversed from end to end by the A68 road, A68 trunk road, which run ...
* Little Canada * Maplewood * Mounds View * New Brighton * North Oaks * North Saint Paul * Roseville * Saint Paul (county seat) * Shoreview * Spring Lake Park (partial) * Saint Anthony (partial) * Vadnais Heights * White Bear Lake (partial)


Townships

* McLean Township (defunct) * Mounds View Township (defunct) * New Canada Township (defunct) * Reserve Township (defunct) * Rose Township (defunct) * White Bear Township


Unincorporated communities

*
Bald Eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...
* Bellaire


Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Mounds View Public School District * North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District * Roseville Public School District * St. Anthony-New Brighton Schools * St. Paul Public School District * White Bear Lake School District Charter schools include: * Hmong College Prep Academy * Metro Deaf School


See also

* Ramsey County Library * National Register of Historic Places listings in Ramsey County, Minnesota


References


External links


Ramsey County government website

Ramsey County Historical Society
{{authority control Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minnesota counties on the Mississippi River 1849 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1849