Douglas County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Douglas County
U.S. county
Douglas County Courthouse in Alexandria, Minnesota.
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	March 8, 1858 (created) 1866 (organized)
Named for	Stephen A. Douglas
Seat	Alexandria
Largest city	Alexandria
Area
• Total	720 sq mi (1,900 km2)
• Land	637 sq mi (1,650 km2)
• Water	83 sq mi (210 km2)  11%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	39,006
• Estimate  (2021)	39,238
• Density	61.2/sq mi (23.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Douglas County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 39,006. Its county seat is Alexandria.

Douglas County comprises the Alexandria, Minnesota, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Douglas County is the home of Minnesota's only wine-grape appellation, the 10,880 acres (44.0 km²) Alexandria Lakes AVA.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 720 square miles (1,900 km²), of which 637 square miles (1,650 km²) is land and 83 square miles (210 km²) (11%) is water. It contains more than 250 lakes.

The county includes two of Minnesota's biomes: prairie grassland in the west and southeast, savannas (also prairie ecosystems) in the middle, and temperate deciduous forest in the south-central, north, and east. Douglas is one of 17 Minnesota counties where savanna soils dominate.

Adjacent counties

• Otter Tail County (north)
• Todd County (east)
• Stearns County (southeast)
• Pope County (south)
• Stevens County (southwest)
• Grant County (west)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 32,821 people, 13,276 households, and 9,027 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 16,694 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.49% White, 0.18% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.5% were of German, 24.6% Norwegian and 8.1% Swedish ancestry.

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 U.S. census data

There were 13,276 households out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,703, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $30,968 versus $21,240 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,850. About 5.60% of families and 8.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.30% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

Alexandria Municipal Airport, also known as Chandler Field, is a city-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of the central business district of Alexandria, a city in Douglas County.

Communities

Cities

Townships

Unincorporated community

• Holmes City