Nicollet County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,454. Its county seat is St. Peter.
Nicollet County is part of the Mankato–North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History In 1849 the Minnesota Territory legislature defined the boundaries of nine future counties. One of those, Dakota, contained the area north of the Minnesota River where it altered its flow from southeast to northeast. In 1853 the first settler had homesteaded an area on the northeast run of the river, and the following year the settlement of Saint Peter was platted there. Seeing the inflow of settlers into the areas adjoining the river, on March 5, 1853, the territorial legislature partitioned off the lower portion of Dakota County to form a separate entity. It was named for Joseph Nicolas Nicollet (1786-1843), a French explorer whose maps of the area had been instrumental in the territory's development. The county seat was established at Saint Peter.Upton, Warren. Minnesota Geographic Names (1920), pp. 371-4 (accessed April 19, 2019)
Significant fighting occurred in the county during the 1862 Dakota War, most notably at the Battle of Fort Ridgely.
Geography The Minnesota River flows eastward along the southern border of Nicollet County, from its northwestern corner to its northeastern corner, defining the county's southern line. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, completely devoted to agriculture where possible.Nicollet County MN Google Maps (accessed April 19, 2019) The terrain slopes to the east. The county has an area of , of which is land and (3.9%) is water.
Nicollet County's highest point is the lowest high point of all Minnesota counties, with an elevation of 1,065 feet. The county's high point is east of Clear Lake and west of the town of Lafayette.
Major highways
US Highway 14 US Highway 169 Minnesota State Highway 4 Minnesota State Highway 15 Minnesota State Highway 22 Minnesota State Highway 60 Minnesota State Highway 99 Minnesota State Highway 111 List of county roads
Adjacent counties
Sibley County - north Le Sueur County - east Blue Earth County - south Brown County - west Renville County - northwest
Protected areas Fort Ridgely State Park (part) Minneopa State Park (part) Seven Mile Creek County Park
Lakes
Annexstad Lake Erickson Lake Middle Lake Oak Leaf Lake Overson Lake Rice Lake Sand Lake Swan Lake
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Nicollet County, Minnesota – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)26,56227,52928,40529,94429,28798.64%98.05%95.41%91.50%85.00%Black or African American alone (NH)51842326581,6720.19%0.30%0.78%2.01%4.85%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)515459741410.19%0.19%0.20%0.23%0.41%Asian alone (NH)1181983354295580.44%0.71%1.13%1.31%1.62%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census5110xx0.02%0.00%0.03%Other race alone (NH)128815710.04%0.03%0.03%0.05%0.21%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census192380915xx0.64%1.16%2.66%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1352035351,2261,8000.50%0.72%1.80%3.75%5.22%Total26,92928,07629,77132,72734,454 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 34,454. The median age was 37.2 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.2% of the population.
74.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 25.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 12,728 households in the county, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.6% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 13,371 housing units, of which 4.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.0% were owner-occupied and 27.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 29,771 people, 10,642 households, and 7,311 families in the county. The population density was . There were 11,240 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.37% White, 0.80% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 1.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 49.2% were of German, 13.3% Norwegian, 6.8% Swedish and 5.4% Irish ancestry.
There were 10,642 households, out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.05.
The county population contained 24.70% under the age of 18, 16.40% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $46,170, and the median income for a family was $55,694. Males had a median income of $36,236 versus $25,344 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,517. About 4.30% of families and 7.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.70% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.
Communities Cities
Courtland Lafayette Mankato (partly in Blue Earth County) Nicollet North Mankato (partly in Blue Earth County) St. Peter (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Bernadotte Klossner New Sweden Norseland North Star Oshawa St. George Traverse
Ghost town West Newton
Townships
Belgrade Township Bernadotte Township Brighton Township Courtland Township Granby Township Lafayette Township Lake Prairie Township New Sweden Township Nicollet Township Oshawa Township Ridgely Township Traverse Township West Newton Township
Government and politics Nicollet County has been politically balanced in past decades. Since 1980, the county has selected Democratic and Republican presidential candidates an equal number of times (as of 2024). It has backed the nationwide winner in every election since 1980 except for 2004, and even then, losing Democrat John Kerry only beat incumbent Republican George W. Bush in the county by just 108 votes and a 0.61% margin.
+County Board of CommissionersPositionNameDistrictNext electionCommissioner and chairperson Marie DranttelDistrict 12028CommissionerNicole HelgetDistrict 22026CommissionerJack KolarsDistrict 32028CommissionerMark DehenDistrict 42026CommissionerKurt ZinsDistrict 52028 +State Legislature (2025-2027)PositionNameAffiliationDistrictSenateNick FrentzDemocrat18House of RepresentativesErica SchwartzRepublican18AHouse of RepresentativesLuke FrederickDemocrat18B +U.S Congress (2025-2027)PositionNameAffiliationDistrictHouse of RepresentativesBrad FinstadRepublican1stSenateAmy KlobucharDemocratN/ASenateTina SmithDemocratN/A
See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Nicollet County, Minnesota
References
External links Nicollet County official website