Washington County, Minnesota

Washington County is a county in Minnesota, United States, on the eastern edge of the
Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, its border following the St. Croix River across
from Wisconsin. It had a population of 267,568 at the 2020 census, an estimated 286,895 by 2025,
and covers 384 square miles (990 km2) of land centred near 45°02′N 92°53′W.

Stillwater is the county seat; its postal code is 55082. The county holds 25 cities, 6 organized
townships and 5 unincorporated communities, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 27163.

Towns & Villages in Washington County

Washington County has 30 named places outside its six townships: 25 incorporated cities and 5
unincorporated communities with no city government of their own. Two more cities, Hastings and
White Bear Lake, have small edges that extend into the county but are seated and mostly populated
elsewhere, so they are not listed below as county places.

Under Minnesota law a city detaches from any surrounding township once it incorporates, so the
county’s 25 cities are not administratively part of the six townships listed below — they
are separate municipal governments in their own right, which is why this table has no township
column. Nine of the smallest cities on the list, all under a few hundred residents, have not
published a 2020 census count broken out separately in the sources checked for this page; their
ZIP service comes from a larger neighbouring city rather than a code of their own.

Townships

The six townships sit around the incorporated cities rather than inside them: West Lakeland and
Stillwater Township ring the city of Stillwater on its west and south sides, May and Baytown
Township cover rural land north and east of Stillwater toward the St. Croix bluffs, Denmark
Township is the county’s rural southeastern corner along the river, and Grey Cloud Island
Township, the smallest, occupies an island and a strip of floodplain in the Mississippi River at
the county’s southwest tip.

Geography

Washington County lies in Minnesota’s east-central Twin Cities metro, bounded by the
Mississippi River on the southwest and the St. Croix River on the east. Of its total area, 384
square miles are land and 38 square miles are water, about 9.1 percent — a high share for
the region, driven by the two river corridors and Lake Elmo, White Bear Lake’s southern arm, and
Forest Lake, the county’s largest inland lake. Afton State Park and William O’Brien State Park
both sit along the St. Croix, preserving bluff and floodplain habitat that has otherwise given way
to suburban development closer to Saint Paul.

Ramsey County lies to the west, Anoka County touches the county’s northwest corner, Chisago
County lies to the north, and Dakota County lies south across the Mississippi. Across the St.
Croix River to the east are St. Croix County and Pierce County, Wisconsin. Ramsey County, Anoka County, Chisago County and Dakota County all border Washington County
directly on the Minnesota side.

Demographics

Washington County had a population of 267,568 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota’s
fifth-most populous county, and the latest estimate puts it near 286,895 residents by 2025.
Woodbury and Cottage Grove are by far the two largest communities, together holding more than
40 percent of the county’s population. Minnesota’s statewide median household income was $85,086
in 2023 (ACS), and Washington ranks among the state’s higher-income counties, reflecting its
position as a Twin Cities suburban commuter county. Population density works out to about 697
people per square mile of land, well above the statewide average and typical for a county inside
the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro ring.

Economy & Local Life

Andersen Corporation, the window and door manufacturer headquartered in Bayport, is the
county’s largest private employer, with nearly 4,939 workers at its Washington County operations.
Independent School District 833 (South Washington County Schools) is the second-largest employer,
and M Health Fairview’s Woodwinds hospital in Woodbury is a major regional health care employer.
3M has run a production facility in Cottage Grove since 1947, manufacturing adhesives, industrial
polymers and reflective sign materials. Lake Elmo Airport, a general-aviation field, sits near the
county’s geographic center. Stillwater’s historic downtown, lined with 19th-century brick
commercial buildings above the St. Croix, draws visitors for its shops, riverboat cruises and the
Lift Bridge, and the city’s Log Jam Days festival runs each July.

History

Washington County was organized on October 27, 1849, one of the nine original counties of
Minnesota Territory, and was named for George Washington. Stillwater, settled in 1843 when four
partners formed the Stillwater Lumber Company, was incorporated as a city on March 4, 1854, the
same day as Saint Paul. The county’s economy grew first from logging on the St. Croix River, which
carried timber south from Wisconsin and northern Minnesota forests to sawmills at Stillwater and
Marine on St. Croix — the latter founded in 1839 as Marine Mills, site of the first
commercial sawmill on the St. Croix.

On August 26, 1848, delegates met at Stillwater for the Stillwater Convention, which drafted the
petition to Congress that led to the creation of Minnesota Territory the following year —
the reason Stillwater is still called the birthplace of Minnesota. As logging declined through the
early 1900s, the county shifted to agriculture, then to suburban growth after the interstate
highway system reached the eastern Twin Cities in the 1960s and 1970s.

Getting There

Interstate 94 crosses the county through Woodbury and Lake Elmo, Interstate 494 and Interstate
694 touch its western edge, and Interstate 35 runs along its northwestern corner near Forest Lake.
US Routes 8, 10, 12 and 61 and Minnesota Highways 36, 95, 97, 120 and 244 also cross the county.

• Saint Paul — about 10 miles west
• Minneapolis — about 20 miles west
• Hudson, Wisconsin — about 8 miles east
• Forest Lake — about 25 miles north of Stillwater

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, roughly 20 miles southwest of Woodbury, is
the nearest major commercial airport. Lake Elmo Airport, a smaller general-aviation field near the
county’s center, handles private and charter traffic. Amtrak has no station in Washington County;
the nearest stop is Saint Paul Union Depot, served by the Empire Builder line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Washington County located?
It sits on the eastern edge of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area, along the St. Croix
River across from Wisconsin, bordered by Ramsey, Anoka, Chisago and Dakota counties.

What is the population of Washington County?
267,568 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 286,895 — Minnesota’s fifth-most
populous county.

How big is Washington County?
384 square miles (990 km2) of land, plus 38 square miles of water, for 423 square miles total.

What is the county seat of Washington County?
Stillwater, incorporated in 1854 and known as the birthplace of Minnesota, is the county seat.

How many towns and cities are in Washington County?
25 incorporated cities, led by Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Oakdale, Forest Lake and Stillwater, plus
6 organized townships and 5 unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes does Washington County use?
Major codes include 55125 for Woodbury, 55016 for Cottage Grove, 55128 for Oakdale, 55025 for
Forest Lake, 55082 for Stillwater and 55038 for Hugo, among others listed by city above.

What is Washington County known for?
Stillwater’s role as the birthplace of Minnesota Territory, its historic St. Croix River logging
towns, and Andersen Corporation’s window and door manufacturing headquarters in Bayport.

More counties in this state: Towns
and villages in Minnesota.