Steele County is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
Minnesota. It was named for
Franklin Steele, a prominent early resident of the state. As of 2000, the population was 33,680. Its
county seat is
Owatonna.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 432
square miles (1,119
km²), of which, 430 square miles (1,113 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (7 km²) of it (0.61%) is water. The
Straight River flows northwardly through the county, and the
Le Sueur River flows through its southwestern corner. The Middle Fork of the
Zumbro River has its headwaters in the northeastern part of the county.
Lakes
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 33,680 people, 12,846 households, and 9,082 families residing in the county. The
population density was 78 people per square mile (30/km²). There were 13,306 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.19%
White, 1.07%
Black or
African American, 0.10%
Native American, 0.85%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 1.65% from
other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 3.76% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 38.6% were of
German, 18.5%
Norwegian, 5.2%
Czech and 5.1%
Irish ancestry according to
Census 2000.
There were 12,846 households out of which 35.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $46,106, and the median income for a family was $53,981. Males had a median income of $36,366 versus $25,054 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,328. About 4.20% of families and 6.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
† A small part of Bloomong Prairie extends into
Dodge County.
References
External links