Martin County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Martin County
U.S. county
Martin County Courthouse in Fairmont
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	May 23, 1857
Named for	Henry Martin
Seat	Fairmont
Largest city	Fairmont
Area
• Total	730 sq mi (1,900 km2)
• Land	712 sq mi (1,840 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  2.4%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	20,025
• Estimate  (2021)	19,915
• Density	28.1/sq mi (10.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Martin County is a county in Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,025. Its county seat is Fairmont.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 730 square miles (1,900 km²), of which 712 square miles (1,840 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (2.4%) is water.

Lakes

• Amber Lake: in Fairmont Township
• Big Twin Lake: in Elm Creek Township
• Bright Lake: in Tenhassen Township
• Budd Lake: in Fairmont Township
• Buffalo Lake: Cedar Township
• Buffalo Lake: there is another Buffalo lake in Rutland Township
• Canright Lake: in Rutland Township
• Cedar Lake: western part of the northern lake is in Cedar Township; eastern part of the northern lake is in Galena Township; southern lake is mostly in Cedar Township with the southern tip extending into Elm Creek Township
• Clayton Lake: in Tenhassen Township
• Clear Lake: in Lake Belt Township
• Clam Lake: in Fox Lake Township
• Creek Lake: northern half is in Galena Township southern half is in Fox Lake Township
• Eagle Lake: in Fraser Township
• East Chain Lake: mostly in East Chain Township, but western side is in Silver Lake Township
• Fish Lake: in Cedar Township
• Fish Lake: there is another Fish Lake in Lake Belt Township
• Fox Lake: is mostly in Fox Lake Township, but it has a few miles of shoreline in Manyaska Township
• Hall Lake: in Fairmont Township
• High Lake: in Rutland Township
• Iowa Lake: northern part is in Silver Lake Township and it extends south into Emmet County, Iowa
• Kiester Lake: in Rutland Township
• Lake Charlotte: in Rutland Township
• Lake George: in Fairmont Township
• Lake Imogene: western part in Fairmont Township; eastern part in Pleasant Prairie Township
• Lake Seymour: is Fox Lake Township
• Little Hat Lake: in Fairmont Township
• Little Twin Lake: in Elm Creek Township
• Martin Lake: in Rutland Township
• Mud Lake: in Fairmont Township
• Murphy Lake: in Westford Township
• North Lake: Cedar Township
• North Silver Lake: in Silver Lake Township
• Okamanpeedan Lake: mostly in Tenhassen Township, but the southern part extends into Emmet County, Iowa
• Perch Lake: in Westford Township
• Pierce Lake: in Rolling Green Township
• Rose Lake: in Fairmont Township
• Round Lake: in Fox Lake Township
• Round Lake: there is another Round Lake in Waverly Township
• Sager Lake: northern lake in Fairmont Township; southern lake in Silver Lake Township
• Sisseton Lake: in Fairmont Township
• South Silver Lake: in Silver Lake Township
• Susan Lake: in Lake Belt Township
• Temperance Lake: in Manyaska Township
• Tuttle Lake: in Tenhassen Township
• Watkins Lake: in Elm Creek Township
• Wilmert Lake: in Silver Lake Township

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• Minnesota State Highway 4
• Minnesota State Highway 15
• Minnesota State Highway 262
• Minnesota State Highway 263

Adjacent counties

• Watonwan County (north)
• Blue Earth County (northeast)
• Faribault County (east)
• Kossuth County, Iowa (southeast)
• Emmet County, Iowa (southwest)
• Jackson County (west)
• Cottonwood County (northwest)

Demographics

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

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,802 people, 9,067 households, and 6,047 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 9,800 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.22% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 1.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 51.6% were of German, 11.9% Norwegian, 5.9% Swedish and 5.0% English ancestry.

There were 9,067 households out of which 29.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 19.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,810, and the median income for a family was $44,541. Males had a median income of $30,467 versus $21,780 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,529. About 7.10% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Townships

Unincorporated communities

• East Chain
• Fox Lake
• Imogene
• Nashville Center
• Wilbert