# Watonwan County, Minnesota

Watonwan County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,253. Its county seat is St. James.

## History

In 1849, the new territorial legislature of the recently organized Minnesota Territory authorized the creation of nine large counties across the Territory. Four years later, in 1853, one of those original counties of Dakota, had a large area separated and partitioned off to create Blue Earth County. Only two years later, by 1855, the western part of Blue Earth was then partitioned to create Brown County. Five years later, on February 25, 1860, the southern part of Brown was partitioned to create the county of Watanwan, with the town of Madelia as the original designated county seat. The county was named for its eponymous river (Watonwan River, which flows into the Blue Earth River, then the Minnesota River, then eventually into the "Father of Waters" - the Mississippi River, which drains the entire middle of the North American continent), whose name reflects the Dakota native word "watanwan," meaning "fish bait" or "plenty of fish." The word first appears in the modern written record on an 1843 map of the area so naming the river.
In 1869, the first European white settlers arrived in the area of the future town of Saint James, and the area began growing. In 1870, an extension of the St. Paul and Sioux City Railway was terminated at the village, and railway officials decided to name the terminus Saint James. By 1878, that town had grown to the extent that a vote was taken in the county to move the county seat and courthouse there from Madelia.

## Geography

The terrain of Watonwan County consists of low, rolling hills carved by drainages and dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is completely devoted to agriculture where possible. The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near its southwest corner, at 1,293 ft (394 m) ASL. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 439.730 square miles (1,138.90 km$^2$), of which 434.947 square miles (1,126.51 km$^2$) is land and 4.783 square miles (12.39 km$^2$), or 1.1%, is water. The county is drained by the Watonwan River and its tributaries; the river flows eastward through the northern part of the county.

### Major highways

* Minnesota State Highway 4
* Minnesota State Highway 15
* Minnesota State Highway 30
* Minnesota State Highway 60

### Airports

* St. James Municipal Airport (JYG, LID) - 3 miles (4.8 km) east of St. James

### Adjacent counties

* Brown County - north
* Blue Earth County - east
* Martin County - south
* Jackson County - southwest
* Cottonwood County - west

### Protected areas

* Bergdahl State Wildlife Management Area
* Lewisville State Wildlife Management Area
* Turtle Marsh State Wildlife Management Area
* Wilson State Wildlife Management Area
* Woodlake State Wildlife Management Area

### Lakes

* Bergdahl Lake
* Bullhead Lake
* Butterfield Lake
* Case Lake
* Cottonwood Lake
* Ewy Lake
* Fedji Lake
* Irish Lake
* Long Lake
* Mary Lake
* Mud Lake
* Kansas Lake
* Saint James Lake
* School Lake
* Sulem Lake
* Wilson Lake ("School Lake" in some records)
* Wood Lake (part)

## Demographics

As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Watonwan County was $162,740.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 4,314 estimated households in Watonwan County with an average of 2.55 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $70,593. Approximately 10.0% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Watonwan County has an estimated 65.4% employment rate, with 18.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 88.4% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (76.6%), Spanish (22.8%), Indo-European (0.3%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.3%), and Other (0.0%).
The median age in the county was 40.6 years.
Watonwan County, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
| Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) | Pop. 1980 | Pop. 1990 | Pop. 2000 | Pop. 2010 | Pop. 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 12,074 (97.68%) | 10,990 (94.08%) | 9,848 (82.92%) | 8,632 (77.00%) | 7,689 (68.33%) |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1 (0.01%) | 8 (0.07%) | 36 (0.30%) | 74 (0.66%) | 42 (0.37%) |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 12 (0.10%) | 20 (0.17%) | 25 (0.21%) | 22 (0.20%) | 13 (0.12%) |
| Asian alone (NH) | 33 (0.27%) | 57 (0.49%) | 100 (0.84%) | 86 (0.77%) | 86 (0.76%) |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | — | — | 2 (0.02%) | 2 (0.02%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| Other race alone (NH) | 2 (0.02%) | 14 (0.12%) | 1 (0.01%) | 4 (0.04%) | 15 (0.13%) |
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | — | — | 60 (0.51%) | 53 (0.47%) | 176 (1.56%) |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 239 (1.93%) | 593 (5.08%) | 1,804 (15.19%) | 2,338 (20.85%) | 3,227 (28.67%) |
| Total | 12,361 (100.00%) | 11,682 (100.00%) | 11,876 (100.00%) | 11,211 (100.00%) | 11,253 (100.00%) |

### 2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 11,256 people, 4,476 households, and 2,962 families residing in the county. The population density was 25.9 inhabitants per square mile (10.0/km$^2$). There were 4,874 housing units at an average density of 11.2 inhabitants per square mile (4.3/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 72.93% White, 0.43% African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 15.54% from some other races and 9.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 28.67% of the population. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 7.9% were under 5 years of age, and 21.2% were 65 and older. The gender makeup of the county was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.

### 2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,211 people, 4,520 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was 25.8 inhabitants per square mile (10.0/km$^2$). There were 5,047 housing units at an average density of 11.6 inhabitants per square mile (4.5/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 86.88% White, 0.73% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 9.97% from some other races and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 20.85% of the population.

### 2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 11,876 people, 4,627 households, and 3,141 families in the county. The population density was 27.3 per square mile (10.5/km$^2$). There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 11.6 per square mile (4.5/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 88.54% White, 0.37% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 8.78% from some other races and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 15.19% of the population. 40.9% were of German, 17.3% Norwegian and 5.8% Swedish ancestry.
There were 4,627 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.10.
The county population contained 27.60% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,441, and the median income for a family was $42,321. Males had a median income of $29,242 versus $19,788 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,413. About 7.80% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities
### Cities

* Butterfield
* Darfur
* La Salle
* Lewisville
* Madelia
* Odin
* Ormsby (partly in Martin County)
* St. James (county seat)

### Unincorporated communities

* Echols
* Godahl (partial)
* Grogan
* South Branch
* Sveadahl
* Tenmile Corner

### Townships

* Adrian Township
* Antrim Township
* Butterfield Township
* Fieldon Township
* Long Lake Township
* Madelia Township
* Nelson Township
* Odin Township
* Riverdale Township
* Rosendale Township
* St. James Township
* South Branch Township

## Government and politics

Watonwan County has had its county seat and site of the Watonwan County Courthouse in the town of St. James since 1878, when it was moved from nearby Madelia where it had been located since the partition of the county from Brown County. Watowan's public citizenry of voters have tended to vote for the Republican Party; in two-thirds of the past 11 presidential elections years since 1980, the majority of county voters had selected the Republican Party's presidential and vice presidential nominees (as of 2020). But there are active party organizations and groups for both Republican, Democratic-Farmer-Labor and independent unaffiliated voting citizens of both conservative and liberal / progressive views.
United States presidential election results for Watonwan County, Minnesota :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 3,087 | 62.58% | 1,723 | 34.93% | 123 | 2.49% |
| 2020 | 3,103 | 59.66% | 1,987 | 38.20% | 111 | 2.13% |
| 2016 | 2,768 | 55.38% | 1,814 | 36.29% | 416 | 8.32% |
| 2012 | 2,517 | 48.93% | 2,494 | 48.48% | 133 | 2.59% |
| 2008 | 2,526 | 48.04% | 2,562 | 48.73% | 170 | 3.23% |
| 2004 | 2,970 | 53.20% | 2,514 | 45.03% | 99 | 1.77% |
| 2000 | 2,562 | 49.90% | 2,258 | 43.98% | 314 | 6.12% |
| 1996 | 1,997 | 37.74% | 2,534 | 47.89% | 760 | 14.36% |
| 1992 | 1,871 | 33.54% | 2,100 | 37.65% | 1,607 | 28.81% |
| 1988 | 2,821 | 52.10% | 2,544 | 46.98% | 50 | 0.92% |
| 1984 | 3,526 | 58.98% | 2,425 | 40.57% | 27 | 0.45% |
| 1980 | 3,629 | 55.09% | 2,442 | 37.07% | 516 | 7.83% |
| 1976 | 3,351 | 50.30% | 3,177 | 47.69% | 134 | 2.01% |
| 1972 | 3,960 | 63.35% | 2,229 | 35.66% | 62 | 0.99% |
| 1968 | 3,446 | 53.57% | 2,701 | 41.99% | 286 | 4.45% |
| 1964 | 2,823 | 43.80% | 3,615 | 56.09% | 7 | 0.11% |
| 1960 | 4,173 | 63.28% | 2,412 | 36.57% | 10 | 0.15% |
| 1956 | 3,963 | 67.62% | 1,886 | 32.18% | 12 | 0.20% |
| 1952 | 4,549 | 72.02% | 1,752 | 27.74% | 15 | 0.24% |
| 1948 | 2,581 | 45.30% | 3,039 | 53.33% | 78 | 1.37% |
| 1944 | 3,146 | 57.27% | 2,324 | 42.31% | 23 | 0.42% |
| 1940 | 3,478 | 55.30% | 2,783 | 44.25% | 28 | 0.45% |
| 1936 | 1,930 | 33.44% | 3,668 | 63.55% | 174 | 3.01% |
| 1932 | 1,919 | 39.62% | 2,795 | 57.71% | 129 | 2.66% |
| 1928 | 3,306 | 69.69% | 1,412 | 29.76% | 26 | 0.55% |
| 1924 | 2,297 | 53.57% | 279 | 6.51% | 1,712 | 39.93% |
| 1920 | 3,510 | 81.40% | 647 | 15.00% | 155 | 3.59% |
| 1916 | 1,300 | 59.94% | 801 | 36.93% | 68 | 3.14% |
| 1912 | 254 | 12.22% | 618 | 29.74% | 1,206 | 58.04% |
| 1908 | 1,411 | 70.44% | 537 | 26.81% | 55 | 2.75% |
| 1904 | 1,455 | 79.95% | 307 | 16.87% | 58 | 3.19% |
| 1900 | 1,509 | 71.93% | 509 | 24.26% | 80 | 3.81% |
| 1896 | 1,622 | 71.99% | 586 | 26.01% | 45 | 2.00% |
| 1892 | 934 | 62.68% | 388 | 26.04% | 168 | 11.28% |
County Board of Commissioners :
| Position | Name | District | Next election |
| Commissioner | Jim Pettersen | District 1 | 2024 |
| Commissioner | Bill Miller | District 2 | 2026 |
| Commissioner | Jim Branstad | District 3 | 2024 |
| Commissioner | Scott Westerman | District 4 | 2026 |
| Commissioner | Dillon Melheim | District 5 | 2024 |
State Legislature (2021-2023) :
| Position | Name | Affiliation | District |
| Senate | Julie Rosen | Republican | District 23 |
| House of Representatives | Bjorn Olson | Republican | District 23A |
| House of Representatives | Jeremy Munson | Republican | District 23B |
U.S Congress (2021-2023) :
| Position | Name | Affiliation | District |
| House of Representatives | Brad Finstad | Republican | 1st |
| Senate | Amy Klobuchar | Democrat | N/A |
| Senate | Tina Smith | Democrat | N/A |