The county was created on March 6, 1868. It was named for Civil War General and US President Ulysses S. Grant. Its government was organized in 1874.
Geography
The Chippewa River flows generally southward through the eastern part of Grant County. The Mustinka River flows south and then west-southwest through the upper and central parts of western Grant County. The terrain consists of low rolling hills dotted with lakes, its usable areas devoted to agriculture. The terrain generally slopes to the south and east; its highest point is on its upper eastern border, at 1,375' ASL. The county has an area of, of which is land and is water.
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 6,289 people, 2,534 households, and 1,740 families in the county. The population density was 11.6/sqmi. There were 3,098 housing units at an average density of 5.74/sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 98.28% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 0.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 41.2% were of Norwegian, 30.0% German and 7.4% Swedish ancestry. There were 2,534 households out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couplesliving together, 6.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.94. The county population contained 23.90% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 22.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,775, and the median income for a family was $42,214. Males had a median income of $28,428 versus $20,240 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,131. About 6.00% of families and 8.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.50% of those under age 18 and 9.90% of those age 65 or over.
Grant County is a swing district with a Republican bent. As of 2016 the county has selected the Republican presidential candidate in 56% of national elections since 1980.
