Freeborn County is a county in the state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,895.^[2] Its county seat is Albert Lea.^[3] Freeborn County comprises the Albert Lea Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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Freeborn County
County
Freeborn County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°40′N 93°21′W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1855[1]
Named for	William Freeborn
Seat	Albert Lea
Largest city	Albert Lea
Area
• Total	722 sq mi (1,870 km2)
• Land	707 sq mi (1,830 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (40 km2)  2.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	30,895
• Estimate  (2023)	30,515
• Density	43.7/sq mi (16.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.co.freeborn.mn.us

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Freeborn County was created on February 20, 1855, the territory being separated from Blue Earth and Rice Counties. Twelve other Minnesota counties were created the same day by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature.^[4] Freeborn County was named for William Freeborn, an early Minnesota pioneer, merchant, and territorial legislator.^[5]

Freeborn County lies on Minnesota's border with Iowa. The Shell Rock River flows southward from Albert Lea Lake in central Freeborn County, crossing into Iowa. Turtle Creek flows eastward through the upper eastern part of the county, crossing into Mower County. The terrain is hilly and etched with drainages and gullies. The Le Sueur River, a tributary of the Minnesota River, begins in the northern part of the county and flows northward into Waseca County. The Cobb River and the Maple River, two other small rivers, begin in the extreme northwest corner of the county, the Cobb from Freeborn Lake and the Maple from Penny Lake. Both run generally northwest, emptying into the LeSueur River, just upstream from where the LeSueur empties into the Minnesota River, on the western edge of Mankato. Most of the available land is devoted to agriculture.^[6] The terrain generally slopes to the south and east, although the highest point is near the northeast corner, at 1,296 ft (395 m) ASL.^[7] The county has an area of 722 square miles (1,870 km²), of which 707 square miles (1,830 km²) is land and 15 square miles (39 km²) (2.1%) is water.^[8]

From 1932 to 2012, Freeborn County voted for the Democratic candidate in all but five elections, four of which were nationwide Republican landslides (1952, 1956, 1972, and 1980), and the fifth was in 1960 in one of the closest elections in American history. After voting for Bill Clinton by at least 15% in both 1992 and 1996, against George W. Bush by at least 10% in both 2000 and 2004, and for Barack Obama by at least 14% in both 2008 and 2012, the 2016 election saw a dramatic swing to the right, as Donald Trump won the county by more than 17%. Though his margin of victory slightly shrank to 16% in 2020, his vote share of nearly 57% was the best for a Republican in the county since 1928.

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