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Fillmore County
Fillmore County
County
	Fillmore County Courthouse
	Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
	Minnesota's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 43°41′N 92°05′W / 43.68°N 92.09°W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	March 5, 1853
Named for	Millard Fillmore
Seat	Preston
Largest city	Spring Valley
Area
• Total	862 sq mi (2,230 km2)
• Land	861 sq mi (2,230 km2)
• Water	0.8 sq mi (2 km2) 0.09%
Population (2020)
• Total	21,228
• Estimate (2023)	21,522
• Density	24.6/sq mi (9.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.co.fillmore.mn.us

Fillmore County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,228.^[1] Its county seat is Preston.^[2] Fillmore County is included in the Rochester metropolitan area.

History

Fillmore County was created on March 5, 1853.^[3] It is named for Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States.^[4] Fillmore County was an early destination for Euro-American settlement following the United States' 1851 treaties with the Dakota nations. Norwegian immigrants were particularly numerous. In 1860 Fillmore was Minnesota's most populous county.^[5]

Geography

Fillmore County is on Minnesota's border with Iowa. The Root River drains the county, flowing eastward. The North Branch and the Middle Branch combine east of Shady Creek, while the South Branch meets their combined flow at Preston. Bear Creek drains the lower part of the county, discharging into the Root in the eastern part of the county. Willow Creek also drains a portion of the lower county, discharging into the Root at Preston. The Upper Iowa River flows eastward, mostly in adjoining Iowa counties, but briefly enters Fillmore County near the midpoint of its southern border.

The county's terrain consists of rolling hills, carved by gullies and drainages, with the available area dedicated to agriculture.^[6] The terrain slopes to the east; its highest point is on the lower western border, at 1,378 ft (420 m) ASL.^[7] The county has a total area of 862 square miles (2,230 km²), of which 861 square miles (2,230 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) (0.09%) is water.^[8]

The county is part of the Driftless Area or Paleozoic plateau. This part of Minnesota was ice-free during the last ice age. Fillmore County also displays a karst topography.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Winona County - northeast
Houston County - east
Winneshiek County, Iowa - southeast
Howard County, Iowa - southwest
Mower County - west
Olmsted County - northwest

Protected areas

Source:^[6]

Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park
Mystery Cave State Park
Pin Oak Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
Rushford Sand Barrens Scientific and Natural Area
Wycoff Balsam Fir Scientific and Natural Area

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	13,542		—
1870	24,887		83.8%
1880	28,162		13.2%
1890	25,996		−7.7%
1900	28,288		8.8%
1910	25,680		−9.2%
1920	25,330		−1.4%
1930	24,748		−2.3%
1940	25,830		4.4%
1950	24,465		−5.3%
1960	23,768		−2.8%
1970	21,916		−7.8%
1980	21,930		0.1%
1990	20,777		−5.3%
2000	21,122		1.7%
2010	20,866		−1.2%
2020	21,228		1.7%
2023 (est.)	21,522	^[10]	1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census^[11] 1790-1960^[12] 1900-1990^[13] 1990-2000^[14] 2010-2020^[1]

2020 Census

Fillmore County Racial Composition^[15]
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	20,173	95.03%
Black or African American (NH)	98	0.5%
Native American (NH)	7	0.03%
Asian (NH)	71	0.3%
Pacific Islander (NH)	2	0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH)	536	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino	341	1.6%

2010 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Fillmore County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the census of 2010, there were 20,866 people, 8,545 households, and 5,763 families in the county. The population density was 24.2 per square mile (9.3/km²). There were 9,732 housing units at an average density of 11.3 per square mile (4.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. 1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,545 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.60% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.32% 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 2.94.

The county population contained 24.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 28.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.80 males.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $45,888, and the median income for a family was $59,034. Males had a median income of $39,239 versus $33,571 for females. 2015 estimates state the per capita income for the county was $26,348. In 2015, about 7.4% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.50% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.^[16]

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Government and politics

Fillmore County was a swing county until the 2016 presidential election. From 1980 to 2016, the county predicted the president 67% of the time. Since 2016, Fillmore County has shifted rightward and has voted for the Republican nominee by more than 20% each time.

United States presidential election results for Fillmore County, Minnesota^[17]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	7,638	61.67%	4,491	36.26%	256	2.07%
2020	7,301	60.14%	4,551	37.48%	289	2.38%
2016	6,271	56.73%	3,872	35.02%	912	8.25%
2012	4,913	45.11%	5,713	52.45%	266	2.44%
2008	4,993	44.45%	5,921	52.71%	320	2.85%
2004	5,694	48.67%	5,825	49.79%	179	1.53%
2000	4,646	45.45%	5,020	49.10%	557	5.45%
1996	3,466	35.15%	4,732	47.99%	1,663	16.86%
1992	3,583	33.62%	3,977	37.31%	3,098	29.07%
1988	5,004	54.39%	4,114	44.72%	82	0.89%
1984	6,342	58.94%	4,351	40.44%	67	0.62%
1980	6,452	57.04%	4,010	35.45%	850	7.51%
1976	5,984	54.61%	4,758	43.42%	215	1.96%
1972	7,107	67.94%	3,155	30.16%	198	1.89%
1968	6,257	58.99%	3,918	36.94%	432	4.07%
1964	4,824	45.29%	5,813	54.58%	14	0.13%
1960	7,507	65.60%	3,926	34.31%	11	0.10%
1956	7,004	67.09%	3,427	32.83%	9	0.09%
1952	8,405	76.02%	2,612	23.62%	40	0.36%
1948	5,587	55.16%	4,414	43.58%	127	1.25%
1944	6,339	66.29%	3,183	33.29%	40	0.42%
1940	7,839	66.98%	3,826	32.69%	39	0.33%
1936	5,054	48.58%	4,764	45.79%	586	5.63%
1932	4,979	48.22%	5,166	50.03%	180	1.74%
1928	7,719	77.77%	2,143	21.59%	63	0.63%
1924	5,550	62.75%	460	5.20%	2,835	32.05%
1920	7,341	85.92%	899	10.52%	304	3.56%
1916	2,945	65.20%	1,313	29.07%	259	5.73%
1912	1,169	26.21%	990	22.20%	2,301	51.59%
1908	3,259	69.85%	1,153	24.71%	254	5.44%
1904	3,242	80.15%	554	13.70%	249	6.16%
1900	3,741	69.81%	1,364	25.45%	254	4.74%
1896	4,195	66.05%	1,939	30.53%	217	3.42%
1892	2,925	56.53%	1,346	26.01%	903	17.45%

County Board of Commissioners^[18]
	Name	District	Next Election
Commissioner	Mitch Lentz	District 1	2024
Commissioner	Randy Dahl	District 2	2026
Commissioner	Larry Hindt	District 3	2024
Commissioner	Duane Bakke	District 4	2026
Commissioner	Marc Prestby	District 5	2024