Pine County, Minnesota


Pine County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,876. Its county seat is Pine City. The county was formed in 1856 and organized in 1872. Today, Pine County is the fastest growing county in the state. Part of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in Pine County.

History

Pine County was organized on March 1, 1856, with territory partitioned from Chisago and Ramsey counties. The original county seat was Chengwatana. It was named for its abundant pine tree growth.
In 1857, Buchanan County in full and the southern parts of Aitkin and Carlton Counties were formed from the original Pine County, with Kanabec County organized a year later. In 1861, Buchanan County was dissolved and folded into Pine County. Pine County was reorganized in 1872, with Pine City named as the county seat for the remaining smaller area.

Popular culture

Pine County has been featured in a series of mysteries by Dean Hovey.

Geography

Pine County lies on the east side of Minnesota. Its southeast border abuts Wisconsin. The St. Croix flows southerly along its border. The Kettle River flows southeastward through central Pine County, discharging into the St. Croix on the county's east border, and the Snake River flows eastward through the lower part of the county toward its discharge point into the St. Croix. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved with drainages, partly wooded and otherwise devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point near its northeast corner, at ASL. The county has an area of, of which is land and is water. Perhaps the most famous body of water in Pine County is Devil's Lake, which is found on the southeast edge of Pine City, the county seat.

Major highways

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 28,876. The median age was 45.1 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 114.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 116.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 88.2% White, 1.7% Black or African American, 3.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.5% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 11,442 households in the county, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.2% were married-couple households, 21.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 16,886 housing units, of which 32.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 80.2% were owner-occupied and 19.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%.

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 26,530 people, 9,939 households, and 6,917 families in the county. The population density was. There were 15,353 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 91.9% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 3.1% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.3% were of German, 11.6% Swedish, 11.1% Norwegian and 5.5% American ancestry.
There were 17,276 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02.
The county population contained 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 108.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,379, and the median income for a family was $44,058. Males had a median income of $31,600 versus $22,675 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,445. About 7.80% of families and 11.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Pine County was once a Democratic stronghold. Between 1932 and 2008, Democrats won the county all but twice, with the two exceptions being nationwide Republican landslide victories in 1952 by Dwight D. Eisenhower and in 1972 by Richard Nixon. The tides began to turn in Pine County at the beginning of the 21st century, as the first three elections in that century, while still Democratic wins, only saw them win with a plurality of the vote and never by more than a 2.5% margin. The Democratic streak finally broke in 2012, when Republican challenger Mitt Romney barely won the county over incumbent Democrat Barack Obama by less than 1% and a margin of just 95 votes, becoming the first Republican to win the county in 40 years. The 2016 election saw a dramatic rightward turn, as Donald Trump won the county by a margin of over 26%, and he further increased his margin of victory to over 30% in 2020 and over 35% in 2024, as Trump in 2020 became the first Republican to win over 60% of the vote in Pine County since Warren G. Harding a century earlier. In the 2018 midterms, Pine County voted for every Republican candidate running for statewide office, with the exception in the senate race, where it narrowly voted to re-elect Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. This trend also continued in 2022, with Pine County voting Republican for all statewide office and in the concurrent US House race, solidifying the county's realignment to Republicans.