Wright County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wright County
U.S. county
Howard Lake City Hall
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1855
Named for	Silas Wright
Seat	Buffalo
Largest city	Otsego
Area
• Total	714 sq mi (1,850 km2)
• Land	661 sq mi (1,710 km2)
• Water	53 sq mi (140 km2)  7.4%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	141,337
• Estimate  (2021)	144,845
• Density	213.8/sq mi (82.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th

Wright County is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 141,337. Its county seat is Buffalo. The county was founded in 1855. Wright County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. In terms of population, Wright County is the tenth-largest county in Minnesota and the second-fastest growing.

History

The county was established in 1855, and was named after New York politician Silas Wright. The first county seat was Monticello; in 1868 the county seat was changed to Buffalo. The majority of people to first settle this area were German and Swedish. The county's population in 1860 was 3,729 people; in 1875, it was 13,775.

The 1998 thriller A Simple Plan was set in Wright County, though it does not mention a specific town.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 714 square miles (1,850 km²), of which 661 square miles (1,710 km²) is land and 53 square miles (140 km²) (7.4%) is water. The terrain is undulating and contains numerous small lakes. The county is bounded on the northeast by the Mississippi River. Wright is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils, and one of only two Minnesota counties where savanna soils make up more than 75% of the county area (the other is Hennepin County).

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Sherburne County (northeast)
• Hennepin County (east)
• Carver County (southeast)
• McLeod County (southwest)
• Meeker County (west)
• Stearns County (northwest)

Demographics

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 census data

2010

The ethnic makeup of the county, according to the 2010 United States census, was the following:

• 95.04% White
• 1.06% Black
• 0.34% Native American
• 1.19% Asian
• 0.04% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 1.53% Two or more races
• 0.81% Other races
• 2.45% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2000

As of the 2000 census, there were 89,986 people, 31,465 households, and 23,913 families in the county. The population density was 136 people per square mile (53/km²). There were 34,355 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.85% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.3% were of German, 11.9% Norwegian, 7.4% Swedish and 6.6% Irish ancestry.

There were 31465 households, out of which 42.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.50% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 18.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.26.

The county population contained 31.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% over age 64. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,945, and the median income for a family was $60,940. Males had a median income of $40,630 versus $28,201 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,844. About 3.60% of families and 4.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.50% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Townships

Census-designated place

• Silver Creek

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost town

• Dickinson

Largest Cities in Wright County

Images for kids

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  Soils of Lake Maria State Park