Cass County, Minnesota

	█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
	█ Precipitation totals in inches
	Source: The Weather Channel

Walker, Minnesota
Climate chart (explanation)
	█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
	█ Precipitation totals in inches
	Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion
	█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
	█ Precipitation totals in mm

Cass County
Cass County
County
	The Cass County Courthouse
	Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
	Minnesota's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 46°57′N 94°19′W / 46.95°N 94.32°W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	September 1, 1851 (created); 1897 (organized)
Named for	Lewis Cass
Seat	Walker
Largest city	Lake Shore
Area
• Total	2,414 sq mi (6,250 km2)
• Land	2,022 sq mi (5,240 km2)
• Water	393 sq mi (1,020 km2) 16%
Population (2020)
• Total	30,066
• Estimate (2023)	31,446
• Density	14.9/sq mi (5.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.co.cass.mn.us

Cass County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066.^[2] Its county seat is Walker.^[3] The county was formed in 1851, and was organized in 1897.

Cass County is included in the Brainerd, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

A substantial part of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation is in the county.

History

Cass County of 1851 (pink) and today (red)

Cass County was created on September 1, 1851, by the Minnesota Territory legislature, although its government was not organized until 1897. The county was formed of areas partitioned from Dakota, Mahkatah, Pembina and Wahnata Counties. It was named for Lewis Cass, a Michigan political figure of the 19th century.^[4] Before it was organized several parcels of county land were partitioned off to augment or form adjacent counties.

Geography

The Crow Wing River flows east-southeast along Cass County's southern border, and the Gull River flows southwest through the lower part, to discharge into the Crow Wing on the southern border. The terrain consists of wooded rolling hills, heavily dotted with lakes and ponds,^[6] and slopes to the south and east; its highest point is on the upper western border, at 1,614 ft (492 m) ASL.^[7] The county has an area of 2,414 square miles (6,250 km²), of which 2,022 square miles (5,240 km²) is land and 393 square miles (1,020 km²) (16%) is water.^[8]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Itasca County - northeast
Aitkin County - east
Crow Wing County - southeast
Morrison County - south
Todd County - southwest
Wadena County - west
Hubbard County - northwest
Beltrami County - north

Protected areas

Buena Vista State Forest (part)
Chippewa National Forest (part)
Crow Wing State Park (part)
Foot Hills State Forest (part)

^[6]

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Walker have ranged from a low of 0 °F (−18 °C) in January to a high of 79 °F (26 °C) in July, although a record low of −44 °F (−42 °C) was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in August 1976. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 0.62 inches (16 mm) in February to 4.11 inches (104 mm) in July.^[9]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	150		—
1870	380		153.3%
1880	486		27.9%
1890	1,247		156.6%
1900	7,777		523.7%
1910	11,620		49.4%
1920	15,897		36.8%
1930	15,591		−1.9%
1940	20,646		32.4%
1950	19,468		−5.7%
1960	16,720		−14.1%
1970	17,323		3.6%
1980	21,050		21.5%
1990	21,791		3.5%
2000	27,150		24.6%
2010	28,567		5.2%
2020	30,066		5.2%
2023 (est.)	31,446	^[10]	4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[11] 1790-1960^[12] 1900-1990^[13] 1990-2000^[14] 2010-2020^[2]

2020 Census

Cass County Racial Composition^[15]
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	24,675	82.07%
Black or African American (NH)	64	0.21%
Native American (NH)	3,424	11.4%
Asian (NH)	111	0.37%
Pacific Islander (NH)	0	0%
Other/Mixed (NH)	1,366	4.54%
Hispanic or Latino	426	1.42%

2000 census

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

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,150 people, 10,893 households, and 7,734 families in the county. The population density was 13.4 per square mile (5.2/km²). There were 21,286 housing units at an average density of 10.5 per square mile (4.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.52% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 11.45% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.2% were of German, 15.0% Norwegian, 7.3% Swedish, 6.1% Irish and 6.1% American ancestry.

There were 10,893 households, out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90.

The county population contained 25.00% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 23.00% from 25 to 44, 27.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,332, and the median income for a family was $40,156. Males had a median income of $30,097 versus $21,232 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,189. About 9.50% of families and 13.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.20% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Whipholt

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Unorganized territories

Government and politics

Cass County tends to vote Republican. As of 2020 the county has selected the Republican nominee in 78% of presidential elections since 1980.

United States presidential election results for Cass County, Minnesota^[16]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	11,620	63.54%	6,342	34.68%	327	1.79%
2016	9,982	62.39%	4,949	30.93%	1,068	6.68%
2012	8,957	55.49%	6,858	42.49%	326	2.02%
2008	8,660	53.11%	7,276	44.62%	371	2.28%
2004	8,875	55.78%	6,835	42.96%	200	1.26%
2000	7,134	52.48%	5,534	40.71%	925	6.80%
1996	4,791	39.83%	5,437	45.20%	1,801	14.97%
1992	4,276	35.06%	4,901	40.18%	3,020	24.76%
1988	5,895	53.02%	5,127	46.11%	97	0.87%
1984	6,619	57.71%	4,773	41.61%	78	0.68%
1980	6,119	53.28%	4,717	41.07%	649	5.65%
1976	4,443	43.41%	5,424	53.00%	367	3.59%
1972	4,906	57.70%	3,347	39.36%	250	2.94%
1968	3,888	48.91%	3,569	44.89%	493	6.20%
1964	3,110	40.11%	4,635	59.78%	9	0.12%
1960	4,399	55.05%	3,578	44.78%	14	0.18%
1956	4,007	59.23%	2,748	40.62%	10	0.15%
1952	4,601	61.46%	2,818	37.64%	67	0.90%
1948	3,179	43.68%	3,933	54.04%	166	2.28%
1944	3,135	47.88%	3,377	51.58%	35	0.53%
1940	4,089	47.92%	4,392	51.47%	52	0.61%
1936	2,634	35.91%	4,440	60.54%	260	3.55%
1932	2,302	38.09%	3,494	57.82%	247	4.09%
1928	3,781	67.02%	1,747	30.96%	114	2.02%
1924	2,800	54.13%	270	5.22%	2,103	40.65%
1920	3,242	70.51%	710	15.44%	646	14.05%
1916	982	38.21%	1,260	49.03%	328	12.76%
1912	431	20.55%	565	26.94%	1,101	52.50%
1908	1,009	59.04%	461	26.97%	239	13.98%
1904	1,178	74.79%	222	14.10%	175	11.11%
1900	1,074	65.17%	518	31.43%	56	3.40%
1896	351	55.63%	271	42.95%	9	1.43%
1892	311	39.72%	233	29.76%	239	30.52%

County Board of Commissioners^[17]
	Name	District	Next Election
Commissioner	Neal Gaalswyk	District 1	2026
Commissioner	Robert Kangas	District 2	2024
Commissioner	Jeff Peterson	District 3	2024
Commissioner	Scott Bruns	District 4	2026
Commissioner	Rick Haaland	District 5	2024

State Legislature (2018-2020)
	Name	Affiliation	District
Senate	Justin Eichorn^[18]	Republican	District 5
House of Representatives	John Persell^[19]	Democrat	District 5A
House of Representatives	Sandy Layman^[20]	Republican	District 5B