akashic
1876–2024
Houston County, Minnesota
Houston County·Minnesota

Houston County votes the way the country votes.

Bluff-country county where the Mississippi border shapes both land and politics

18762024·38 elections
Houston County, Minnesota · Wikideas1 · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+16
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
18,653
2024 ACS
Most similar
Jo Daviess County
IL · similarity 0.98
27 precincts · 11,428 votes cast
Trump · R+16
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−16.5%
4,6676,54711,428
2020R
−12.9%
4,8536,33411,440
2016R
−13.9%
4,1455,61610,604
2012D
+3.2%
5,2814,95110,446
2008D
+10.7%
5,9064,74310,883
2004R
−3.2%
5,2765,63111,082
2000R
−5.7%
4,5025,07710,167
1996D
+5.1%
4,1533,6749,450
1992R
−1.0%
3,7443,85310,451
1988R
−9.5%
3,9364,7778,825
1984R
−23.1%
3,5125,6459,245
1980R
−24.9%
3,2185,5829,481
1976R
−11.1%
3,8614,8538,926
1972R
−34.9%
2,4675,1867,790
1968R
−22.7%
2,7034,4507,681
1964D
+6.2%
3,8853,4337,326
1960R
−21.9%
3,0804,8077,890
1956R
−36.0%
2,1334,5386,680
1952R
−48.9%
1,8305,3657,223
1948R
−14.7%
2,6233,5406,231
1944R
−37.1%
1,8474,0365,908
1940R
−39.5%
2,0824,8256,944
1936D
+7.5%
3,1562,7016,100
1932D
+13.1%
3,0522,3355,478
1928R
−30.1%
1,9373,6155,573
1924R
−45.8%
4022,7825,192
1920R
−73.2%
5984,1014,787
1916R
−40.3%
7441,7832,581
1912D
+3.7%
7626592,775
1908R
−37.8%
7451,7002,524
1904R
−54.8%
4341,5462,031
1900R
−32.2%
8841,7652,733
1896R
−34.6%
9912,0873,166
1892D
+8.8%
1,5091,2433,010
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
Irish
0.7%
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Mainline Protestant
30.1%
Catholic & Orthodox
27.9%
Methodist
3.3%
Other Christian
0.8%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 37.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Houston County hugs Minnesota's southeastern corner along the Mississippi River, a rural, agriculture-rooted area that has shifted steadily toward Republican margins over the past two decades, landing at R+16.4 in 2024.

The Democratic margin in Houston County has rarely exceeded thirteen points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded seventy-three points. 2024 delivered the county to the Republican candidate by sixteen points.

Houston County's demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most counties. A 94% non-Hispanic-white share, a 7% poverty rate, and a median household income of $79,825 — all within the broad national range. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Jo Daviess County and Warren County.