Goodhue County (/ˈɡʊdhjuː/ GUUD-hew) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,582. Its county seat is Red Wing. Nearly all of Prairie Island Indian Community is within the county.

Goodhue County comprises the Red Wing, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI Combined Statistical Area.

The county was created on March 5, 1853, with territory partitioned from Wabasha County. It was named for James Madison Goodhue (1810–1852), who published the first newspaper in the territory, The Minnesota Pioneer.

The county was originally settled exclusively by "Yankee" settlers, meaning that they both came to Goodhue County either directly from the six New England states or from upstate New York, where they were born to parents who had moved to that region from the six New England states in the immediate aftermath of the American Revolution, and that they were descended from the English Puritans who emigrated to North America during the early 1600s. Because of the prevalence of New Englanders and New England transplants from upstate New York the county was said to have a "distinctly New England character". While this was true of many neighboring counties it was considered exceptionally true of Goodhue County. The New Englanders brought with them many of their New England values, including a love of education and fervent support of the abolitionist movement. When the New Englanders arrived, they laid out farms, established post routes, and built schools and government buildings out of locally available materials. The New Englanders and their descendants made up the great majority of Goodhue County's inhabitants until the late 19th and early 20th century, when immigrants from Germany and Norway began arriving in the Minnesota-Wisconsin border region in large numbers. There were small numbers of immigrants from Germany, Norway and Sweden during the first several decades of Goodhue County's history as well.

Hamline University, Minnesota's first college of higher learning, was started in Red Wing in 1854. It closed during the Civil War, and reopened in 1869 in Saint Paul.

The county was a leading producer of wheat during the mid-19th century, and for several years the county boasted the highest wheat production in the country. Fires at two of Red Wing's mills in the 1880s and developing railroad routes across Minnesota encouraged farmers from neighboring counties to begin sending their wheat to Minneapolis mills, reducing the county's importance in the wheat trade around the start of the 20th century.

The first municipal swimming pool in the state was built in Goodhue County.

In October 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower visited the county for a bridge dedication ceremony. The Hiawatha Bridge had been built to replace the Old High Bridge that spanned the Mississippi River since 1895. This visit drew 20,000 people. Eisenhower hoped his visit would help in the elections, swaying Minnesota voters to vote for Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election in the coming month. But John F. Kennedy carried the state on his way to being elected the next president.

Goodhue County lies on Minnesota's border with Wisconsin (across Lake Pepin). The Cannon River flows eastward through the northern part of the county on its way to discharge into Lake Pepin. The Little Cannon River flows northward through the west-central part of the county, discharging into the Cannon River at Cannon Falls. The North Fork of the Zumbro River flows eastward through the lower part of the county. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, etched with drainages and gullies, and with high bluffs against the river valleys. The terrain slopes to the east and north; its highest point is near its southwest corner at 1,260 ft (380 m) ASL. The county has an area of 780 square miles (2,000 km), of which 757 square miles (1,960 km) is land and 24 square miles (62 km) (3.0%) is water. Goodhue is one of 17 Minnesota counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils.

Source:

Source:

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	8,977		—
1870	22,018		145.3%
1880	29,651		34.7%
1890	28,806		−2.8%
1900	31,137		8.1%
1910	31,637		1.6%
1920	30,799		−2.6%
1930	31,317		1.7%
1940	31,564		0.8%
1950	32,118		1.8%
1960	33,035		2.9%
1970	34,804		5.4%
1980	38,749		11.3%
1990	40,690		5.0%
2000	44,127		8.4%
2010	46,183		4.7%
2020	47,582		3.0%
2023 (est.)	48,035		1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

Goodhue County Racial Composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	42,516	89.4%
Black or African American (NH)	661	1.4%
Native American (NH)	540	1.13%
Asian (NH)	348	0.7%
Pacific Islander (NH)	33	0.07%
Other/Mixed (NH)	1,687	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	1,797	3.8%

As of the census of 2000, there were 44,127 people, 16,983 households, and 11,905 families in the county. The population density was 58.3 per square mile (22.5/km). There were 17,879 housing units at an average density of 23.6 per square mile (9.1/km). The racial makeup of the county was 96.57% White, 0.63% Black or African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,983 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% 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 3.04.

The county population contained 26.50% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,972, and the median income for a family was $55,689. Males had a median income of $36,282 versus $25,442 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,934. About 3.70% of families and 5.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.20% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

• Frontenac

• Central Point Township
• Fairpoint
• Florence
• Thoten/Belvidere

Goodhue County usually leans Republican. It has selected the Republican nominee in all but two presidential elections since 1964, during both of Bill Clinton's successful runs in 1992 and 1996.

United States presidential election results for Goodhue County, Minnesota

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	16,461	57.12%	11,731	40.71%	625	2.17%
2020	16,052	56.06%	11,806	41.23%	778	2.72%
2016	14,041	54.60%	9,446	36.73%	2,230	8.67%
2012	12,986	50.33%	12,212	47.33%	603	2.34%
2008	12,775	49.53%	12,420	48.15%	600	2.33%
2004	13,134	51.29%	12,103	47.26%	371	1.45%
2000	10,852	48.76%	9,981	44.84%	1,424	6.40%
1996	7,293	35.89%	9,931	48.88%	3,094	15.23%
1992	7,321	34.45%	7,916	37.25%	6,013	28.30%
1988	9,455	49.50%	9,438	49.41%	209	1.09%
1984	11,171	55.92%	8,679	43.44%	128	0.64%
1980	9,329	46.07%	8,566	42.31%	2,353	11.62%
1976	9,967	51.59%	8,926	46.20%	428	2.22%
1972	11,107	63.00%	6,147	34.86%	377	2.14%
1968	8,283	51.89%	7,220	45.23%	461	2.89%
1964	6,539	41.95%	9,035	57.96%	15	0.10%
1960	10,473	65.16%	5,562	34.60%	38	0.24%
1956	9,365	65.25%	4,969	34.62%	19	0.13%
1952	10,422	67.26%	5,037	32.51%	35	0.23%
1948	6,704	47.14%	7,313	51.42%	205	1.44%
1944	7,820	57.17%	5,791	42.33%	68	0.50%
1940	9,095	58.09%	6,475	41.36%	86	0.55%
1936	5,682	39.57%	8,257	57.50%	422	2.94%
1932	5,486	41.22%	7,450	55.97%	374	2.81%
1928	9,752	72.93%	3,520	26.32%	100	0.75%
1924	6,849	59.05%	615	5.30%	4,135	35.65%
1920	9,330	85.07%	1,118	10.19%	520	4.74%
1916	3,471	61.39%	1,875	33.16%	308	5.45%
1912	1,051	18.31%	1,405	24.48%	3,283	57.21%
1908	4,482	74.89%	1,147	19.16%	356	5.95%
1904	4,562	83.43%	735	13.44%	171	3.13%
1900	4,894	78.54%	1,125	18.05%	212	3.40%
1896	5,748	77.87%	1,426	19.32%	208	2.82%
1892	3,574	61.60%	1,659	28.59%	569	9.81%

County Board of Commissioners

Position		Name	District	Next Election
	Commissioner	Linda Flanders	District 1	2024
	Commissioner	Brad Anderson	District 2	2026
	Commissioner	Todd Greseth	District 3	2024
	Commissioner	Jason Majerus	District 4	2026
	Commissioner	Susan Betcher	District 5	2024

State Legislature (2018-2020)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	Senate	Mike Goggin	Republican	District 21
	Senate	Matt Little	Democrat	District 58
	House of Representatives	Barb Haley	Republican	District 21A
	House of Representatives	Steve Drazkowski	Republican	District 21B
	House of Representatives	Pat Garofalo	Republican	District 58B

U.S Congress (2018-2020)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	House of Representatives	Brad Finstad	Republican	1st
	Senate	Amy Klobuchar	Democrat	N/A
	Senate	Tina Smith	Democrat	N/A

School districts include:

• Cannon Falls Public School District
• Faribault Public School District
• Goodhue Public School District
• Hastings Public School District
• Kenyon-Wanamingo School District
• Lake City Public School District
• Northfield Public School District
• Pine Island Public School District
• Randolph Public School District
• Red Wing Public School District
• Triton School District
• Zumbrota-Mazeppa School District

• List of County Roads in Goodhue County, Minnesota
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Goodhue County, Minnesota

• Goodhue County Government's website

44°25′N 92°43′W / 44.41°N 92.72°W / 44.41; -92.72