Kanabec County (/kəˈneɪbɪk/ kə-NAY-bik) is a county in the East Central part of U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,032. Its county seat is Mora.

The Minnesota legislature authorized creation of Kanabec County on March 13, 1858, with territory partitioned from Pine County. No county seat was designated at that time, and the county organization was not effected at that time. The county name came from the Ojibwe term ginebig, meaning "snake," after the Snake River — Kanabecosippi (Ginebigo-ziibi in the modern spelling) — which flows through the county.

The area of Kanabec County was attached to Chisago County for administrative and judicial purposes. What county business was handled locally was performed by part-time County Auditor and County Treasurer, in a single room in a stopping place operated by lumber-trader George Staples at Millet Rapids.

In 1871 the county was detached from Chisago, and assigned to Pine County. This assignment lasted through 1881.

The 1870 United States census listed 53 occupants of the Kanabec County area. However, an influx of settlers into its southern areas occurred in the early 1870s, and by 1876 an official county building was needed. A one-room wood building was erected at Millet Rapids, put into use in 1876. In 1881 the county was detached from Pine, and the government structure was finalized, with the county seat being designated at Brunswick. Only one court term was held at Brunswick; in the 1882 general election, a nearly-unanimous vote designated Mora as the county seat. The old courthouse building was sold to a local farmer, who moved it to his property to use as a home. The wood courthouse erected at Mora was used until 1894, when it burned and was replaced by a more fireproof building.

The Snake River flows south-southeasterly through the central part of the county, fed by Groundhouse River (flowing northeasterly from the county's SW corner) and Red Creek and Mud Creek. The Snake continues easterly into Pine County. The county terrain consists of partly-wooded rolling hills, etched by drainages. It is largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point near the NW corner, at 1,309 ft (399 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 534 square miles (1,380 km), of which 522 square miles (1,350 km) is land and 12 square miles (31 km) (2.3%) is water.

Source:

Source:

Source:

• Ann River Logging Company Farm
• Kanabec County Courthouse
• Knife Lake prehistoric district
• Ogilvie Watertower
• C. E. Williams House
• Zetterberg Company

• Mora Municipal Airport

• County Road 1 - County Road 30

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	30		—
1870	93		210.0%
1880	505		443.0%
1890	1,579		212.7%
1900	4,614		192.2%
1910	6,461		40.0%
1920	9,086		40.6%
1930	8,558		−5.8%
1940	9,651		12.8%
1950	9,192		−4.8%
1960	9,007		−2.0%
1970	9,775		8.5%
1980	12,161		24.4%
1990	12,802		5.3%
2000	14,996		17.1%
2010	16,239		8.3%
2020	16,032		−1.3%
2023 (est.)	16,602		3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

Kanabec County Racial Composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	14,954	93.3%
Black or African American (NH)	65	0.4%
Native American (NH)	113	0.7%
Asian (NH)	80	0.5%
Pacific Islander (NH)	0	0%
Other/Mixed (NH)	582	3.63%
Hispanic or Latino	238	1.5%

As of the census of 2010, there were 16,239 people and 6,277 households in the county. The population density was 31.1 per square mile (12.0/km). There were 7,808 housing units (2014 estimate). The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American or Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, and 1.6% from other races or two or more races. 1.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the 2000 census, 30.2% were of German, 18.1% Swedish, 13.1% Norwegian, 5.5% American and 5.4% Irish ancestry.

In the census of 2000, there were 5,759 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 23.80% 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 2.58 and the average family size was 3.03.

The county population contained 24.0% under the age of 18 and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,068. The per capita income for the county was $22,291. About 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line.

Locations where the US Post office used to operate but no longer exist.

• Bronson
• Fisk
• Heiden
• Hillman
• Mull
• Raritan
• Riverdale

Kanabec County voters have moved toward the Republican Party in the past few decades; since 1980 the county has selected the Republican Party candidate in 67% of national elections (as of 2024).

United States presidential election results for Kanabec County, Minnesota

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	6,818	70.27%	2,718	28.01%	167	1.72%
2020	6,278	67.93%	2,774	30.02%	190	2.06%
2016	5,230	63.96%	2,327	28.46%	620	7.58%
2012	4,328	53.10%	3,593	44.09%	229	2.81%
2008	4,479	52.70%	3,743	44.04%	277	3.26%
2004	4,527	54.89%	3,592	43.55%	129	1.56%
2000	3,480	51.09%	2,831	41.57%	500	7.34%
1996	1,924	32.35%	2,927	49.21%	1,097	18.44%
1992	1,876	29.83%	2,532	40.27%	1,880	29.90%
1988	2,571	45.93%	2,970	53.05%	57	1.02%
1984	3,027	52.88%	2,660	46.47%	37	0.65%
1980	2,500	45.39%	2,654	48.18%	354	6.43%
1976	1,943	36.58%	3,188	60.03%	180	3.39%
1972	2,395	51.71%	1,969	42.51%	268	5.79%
1968	1,847	43.48%	2,154	50.71%	247	5.81%
1964	1,348	33.50%	2,666	66.25%	10	0.25%
1960	2,278	54.33%	1,890	45.08%	25	0.60%
1956	1,950	52.80%	1,736	47.01%	7	0.19%
1952	2,205	55.85%	1,714	43.41%	29	0.73%
1948	1,531	38.56%	2,305	58.06%	134	3.38%
1944	1,913	51.52%	1,776	47.83%	24	0.65%
1940	2,311	50.85%	2,185	48.07%	49	1.08%
1936	1,350	33.02%	2,579	63.09%	159	3.89%
1932	1,268	35.17%	2,106	58.42%	231	6.41%
1928	2,380	68.35%	1,040	29.87%	62	1.78%
1924	1,507	47.57%	128	4.04%	1,533	48.39%
1920	2,436	75.68%	332	10.31%	451	14.01%
1916	776	49.02%	608	38.41%	199	12.57%
1912	218	16.99%	270	21.04%	795	61.96%
1908	803	69.52%	242	20.95%	110	9.52%
1904	872	86.08%	106	10.46%	35	3.46%
1900	658	73.44%	210	23.44%	28	3.13%
1896	484	64.11%	256	33.91%	15	1.99%
1892	182	53.53%	38	11.18%	120	35.29%
1888	162	45.25%	82	22.91%	114	31.84%
1884	280	87.50%	40	12.50%	0	0.00%
1880	101	67.79%	48	32.21%	0	0.00%
1876	109	78.99%	29	21.01%	0	0.00%
1872	22	62.86%	13	37.14%	0	0.00%
1868	8	88.89%	1	11.11%	0	0.00%
1860	15	100.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kanabec County, Minnesota

• Ziegler, Frank and Robert H Beck (1981). Ken-ā-big : the story of Kanabec County: an illustrated history of Kanabec County, its early years. Mora, MN: B & W Printers. ISBN 978-1-199-49133-6. ISBN 1-199-49133-0.

• Mn/DOT map of Kanabec County

45°57′N 93°18′W / 45.95°N 93.30°W / 45.95; -93.30