Lake of the Woods County is the northernmost county of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,763, making it the second-least populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat is Baudette.

The county contains the Northwest Angle, the northernmost point of the Lower 48 States, and the U.S. portion of Lake of the Woods, shared with Canada. The county also includes the exclave of Elm Point. Since Alaska has no counties, Lake of the Woods is the northernmost county in the United States. It is also the only county in the United States with four words in its name, although there is a parish in Louisiana called St. John the Baptist Parish, and the United States Census Bureau treats parishes as county equivalents for census purposes.

Lake of the Woods County was named for the lake that covers a large portion of it. Jacques de Noyon, a Frenchman who came from Trois Rivières, Quebec, explored the area in 1688 and was the first European to see the lake. He named it Lac aux Îles, "Lake of the Islands".

In 1885 the region got its first settler, Wilhelm Zippel, a German immigrant and fisherman. He settled on the lake's south shore in a place now called Zippel Bay. Shortly after, Alonzo Wheeler settled on the lake's southwest side at a place now called Wheeler's Point.

A wildfire, known as the Baudette fire of 1910, broke out in October of that year, burning 300,000 acres (1,200 km) and destroying the towns of Spooner, Baudette, Graceton, Pitt, Williams, and Cedar Spur.

Lake of the Woods County's government was organized on January 1, 1923, with Baudette as the county seat. It is Minnesota's newest county; county voters approved separating the northern townships of Beltrami County into a separate unit on November 28, 1922.

Lake of the Woods County lies on Minnesota's border with Canada across the Rainy River, which flows northwest along the border to discharge into Lake of the Woods; its northwest border abuts Manitoba. The northern part of the county (the Northwest Angle) is separated from the rest of the county by the lake and thus has no land contact with the rest of the United States, making the Northwest Angle an exclave. Land access to that part of the county is through Manitoba. Access by water or ice routes is possible. The Rapid River flows northeast through the southeastern part of the county to its discharge point into the Rainy River, near the county's northeast corner.

Lake of the Woods County's terrain consists of low rolling hills, partly wooded, devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east and north. Its highest point is a small protuberance one mile (1.6 km) west of Norris Camp, at 1,316 ft (401 m) ASL. The county has an area of 1,775 square miles (4,600 km), of which 1,298 square miles (3,360 km) is land and 477 square miles (1,240 km) (27%) is water.

• Minnesota State Highway 11
• Minnesota State Highway 72
• Minnesota State Highway 172

Source:

Source:

• Browns Lake
• Lake of the Woods
• Lost Lake
• Winter Road Lake

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1930	4,194		—
1940	5,975		42.5%
1950	4,955		−17.1%
1960	4,304		−13.1%
1970	3,987		−7.4%
1980	3,764		−5.6%
1990	4,076		8.3%
2000	4,522		10.9%
2010	4,045		−10.5%
2020	3,763		−7.0%
2023 (est.)	3,778		0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

Lake of the Woods County Racial Composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	3,497	93%
Black or African American (NH)	12	0.3%
Native American (NH)	19	0.5%
Asian (NH)	17	0.4%
Pacific Islander (NH)	0	0%
Other/Mixed (NH)	162	4.3%
Hispanic or Latino	56	1.5%

As of the census of 2020, there were 3,763 people and 1,522 households in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 93.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 4.3% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latinos were 1.5% of the population. The most common ancestries were German (26.3%), Norwegian (18.2%), and Swedish (10.2%). 99.0% of residents were born in the United States, and 98.8% spoken only English at home.

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,522 people, 1,903 households, and 1,267 families in the county. The population density was 3.48 per square mile (1.34/km). There were 3,238 housing units at an average density of 2.49 per square mile (0.96/km). The racial makeup of the county was 97.21% White/Caucasian, 0.29% Black/African American, 1.13% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 0.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 26.2% were of Norwegian, 22.3% German, 8.9% Swedish, 5.8% American and 5.0% English ancestry.

There were 1,903 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were married couples living together, 5.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.93.

The county population contained 24.70% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,861, and the median income for a family was $38,936. Males had a median income of $30,469 versus $24,813 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,976. About 6.70% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.30% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

• Baudette (county seat)
• Roosevelt (partly in Roseau County)
• Williams

• Angle Inlet

Although all the townships are named, as of 2001, there are no township governments. All the townships are officially part of unorganized territory.

Lake of the Woods County favored Democrats in every election from 1932 to 1976, typically by large margins, with the exception of the 1972 landslide victory of Richard Nixon. Beginning in 1980, the county has voted Republican in every election except for 1992 and 1996, both wins by Bill Clinton, who won by less than 4% in the county and failed to obtain a majority of the vote both times thanks in part to the strong third-party performance of Ross Perot. With the exception of the landslide wins of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, no candidate of any party had won over 65% of the vote in Lake of the Woods County from its founding through 2012. That changed in 2016, when Donald Trump received over 68% of the county's vote, and he increased his vote share to over 70% in 2020 and topped it off by earning nearly 73% of the vote in 2024, by far the three best performances by a Republican in the county's history.

United States presidential election results for Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,710	72.86%	604	25.73%	33	1.41%
2020	1,704	70.76%	671	27.87%	33	1.37%
2016	1,540	68.69%	553	24.67%	149	6.65%
2012	1,306	58.46%	859	38.45%	69	3.09%
2008	1,278	55.25%	971	41.98%	64	2.77%
2004	1,428	59.50%	921	38.38%	51	2.13%
2000	1,216	55.60%	848	38.77%	123	5.62%
1996	814	40.48%	888	44.16%	309	15.37%
1992	762	34.67%	794	36.12%	642	29.21%
1988	984	54.24%	798	43.99%	32	1.76%
1984	1,094	56.39%	824	42.47%	22	1.13%
1980	1,052	52.60%	763	38.15%	185	9.25%
1976	757	38.52%	1,105	56.23%	103	5.24%
1972	877	55.44%	672	42.48%	33	2.09%
1968	607	38.96%	875	56.16%	76	4.88%
1964	489	27.71%	1,266	71.73%	10	0.57%
1960	835	43.86%	1,053	55.30%	16	0.84%
1956	723	40.69%	1,048	58.98%	6	0.34%
1952	898	44.30%	1,117	55.11%	12	0.59%
1948	583	29.08%	1,302	64.94%	120	5.99%
1944	642	35.45%	1,168	64.49%	1	0.06%
1940	850	33.62%	1,638	64.79%	40	1.58%
1936	385	18.76%	1,566	76.32%	101	4.92%
1932	369	23.55%	972	62.03%	226	14.42%
1928	781	51.79%	671	44.50%	56	3.71%
1924	703	42.71%	92	5.59%	851	51.70%

County Board of Commissioners

Position		Name	District	Next Election
	Commissioner	James "Buck" Nordlof	District 1	2026
	Commissioner	Cody Hasbargen	District 2	2024
	Commissioner	Joe Grund	District 3	2026
	Commissioner and Chairperson	Jon Waibel	District 4	2024
	Commissioner	Edward Arnesen	District 5	2026

State Legislature (2023-2025)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	Senate	Paul Utke	Republican	District 2
	House of Representatives	Matt Grossell	Republican	District 2A
	House of Representatives	Matt Bliss	Republican	District 2B

U.S Congress (2023-2025)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	House of Representatives	Pete Stauber	Republican	8th
	Senate	Amy Klobuchar	DFL	N/A
	Senate	Tina Smith	DFL	N/A

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota

• Lake of the Woods County government website
• Local tourist bureau website
• Link to Woods Square woodlands

48°46′N 94°54′W / 48.77°N 94.90°W / 48.77; -94.90