Jackson County, Minnesota


Jackson County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,989. Its county seat is Jackson.

History

The county was created on May 23, 1857. It was named for Henry Jackson, the first merchant in St. Paul.

Geography

Jackson County is on Minnesota's border with Iowa. The Des Moines River flows south-southeasterly through the central part of the county, then into Iowa. The county terrain is hilly and carved with drainages and gullies. The area is devoted to agriculture. The terrain generally slopes to the south and east; its highest point is on the lower west border, at ASL. The county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Lakes

Source:
  • Andersons Marsh
  • Bennett Slough
  • Boot Lake
  • Chandler Lake
  • Clear Lake
  • Clear Lake
  • Fish Lake
  • Grovers Lake
  • Heron Lake
  • Illinois Lake
  • Independence Lake
  • Iowa Lake
  • Lake Flaherty
  • Laurs Lake
  • Little Spirit Lake
  • Long Lake
  • Loon Lake
  • Pearl Lake
  • Quevli and Goose Slough
  • Quelvis Lake
  • Round Lake
  • Rush Lake
  • Rush Lake
  • Skunk Lake
  • Spirit Lake
  • String Lake
  • Swenson Lake
  • Teal Lake
  • Timber Lake

Protected areas

Sources:
  • Anderson County Park
  • Artz WMA
  • Belmont County Park
  • Bootleg Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Brown County Park
  • Caraway State Wildlife Management Area
  • Christiana WPA
  • Clear Lake Recreation Area
  • Community Point County Park
  • Cotton-Jack WMA
  • Dead Horse WMA
  • Des Moines River Scientific and Natural Area
  • Fish Lake WPA
  • Graham Creek WMA
  • Heron Lake WMA
  • Heron Meadows WMA
  • Holthe Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
  • Holy Trinity WPA
  • Husen Wildlife Management Area
  • Kilen Woods State Park
  • Laurs Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Lillegard WMA
  • Little Sioux WMA
  • Minnesota Slough State Wildlife Management Area
  • Oxbow WMA
  • Pietz Slough WMA
  • Robertson County Park
  • Rost WPA
  • Sandy Point County Park
  • Sangl State Wildlife Management Area
  • Sioux Forks WPA
  • Sioux Valley WMA
  • Skunk Lake WMA
  • String Lake WPA
  • Summers State Wildlife Management Area
  • Teal Lake WMA
  • Timber Lake WMA
  • Timber Lake WPA
  • Toe WMA
  • Valleau WMA
  • Winkler WMA

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,989. The median age was 43.4 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.2 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.4% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.3% Native Americans in [the United States|American Indian and Alaska Native], 1.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 3.9% from two or more races. Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 4.0% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,307 households in the county, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.9% were married-couple households, 21.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 4,891 housing units, of which 11.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.2% were owner-occupied and 21.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.7%.

Racial and ethnic composition

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,268 people, 4,556 households, and 3,116 families in the county. The population density was. There were 5,092 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 97.07% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.38% Asian, 0.97% from other races, and 0.38% from two or more races. 1.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 51.9% were of German, 14.1% Norwegian and 5.6% American ancestry.
There were 4,556 households, out of which 29.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% were married couples living together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.60% were non-families. 28.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.95.
The county population contained 24.50% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 20.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,746, and the median income for a family was $43,426. Males had a median income of $29,123 versus $20,860 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,499. About 5.20% of families and 8.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.00% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Politics

From 1932 to 1996, Jackson County favored the Democratic nominee in all but four presidential elections, all of which were Republican landslides. Since 2000, the county has voted Republican in every election. George W. Bush won the county by somewhat modest margins in both 2000 and 2004, and John McCain defeated Barack Obama by slightly over 4% in 2008. In 2012, Mitt Romney defeated Obama by over 14%. This was a portent, as in 2016, Donald Trump nearly tripled Romney's margin of victory, defeating Hillary Clinton in the county by over 38%. Trump was the first Republican to win at least 60% of the county vote since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. His margin of victory fell slightly in 2020, but he increased his vote share to nearly 68%, the best vote share for any Republican in the county since Warren G. Harding. Trump's vote share increased further to nearly 70% in 2024 and his margin of victory increased to 42%, the highest for a Republican presidential candidate since Harding in 1920.