Mediator deserts · Minnesota
47 of Minnesota’s 87 counties have no family mediator based in the county on the state’s court roster
772,332 people live in those counties, 13.3% of the state. The largest are Chisago (59,105 residents), Goodhue (47,982 residents) and Kandiyohi (44,674 residents).[1][2]
- Counties with none
- 47 of 87
- Statewide rate
- 7.6
- Counties with 1 or 2
- 20
772,332 residents
family mediators per 100,000 residents (441 people on the roster with a Minnesota county)
fewer than 3 family mediators to choose from
- Under 5
- 5–10
- 10–20
- 20–40
- 40–80
- 80 or more
Tap a county to see its numbers; tap again to open it.
Sources: Minnesota Judicial Branch Rule 114 Statewide ADR Neutral Roster (family), read October 8, 2026. Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 county population estimates (July 1, 2024). Counties: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (us-atlas), Albers USA.
Roster read October 8, 2026. Population as of July 1, 2024. County = the county of the neutral's address on the roster. 9 of the 450 family mediators on the roster have no Minnesota county on record and aren’t counted in any county. Not legal advice.
Every Minnesota county
Counties with none first, then the fewest per resident. For counties with fewer than 3, the last column lists bordering counties that have family mediators, and how many. Colour chips match the map.
| County | Family mediators | Residents | Per 100k | Nearby counties with family mediators |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chisago | None | 59,105 | — | Mediators serving Chisago Washington 25, Anoka 20, Isanti 4 |
| Goodhue | None | 47,982 | — | Mediators serving Goodhue Dakota 37, Olmsted 15, Rice 6, Wabasha 3 |
| Kandiyohi | None | 44,674 | — | Mediators serving Kandiyohi Stearns 11 |
| Mower | None | 40,900 | — | Mediators serving Mower Olmsted 15, Fillmore 1, Steele 1 |
| Morrison | None | 34,520 | — | Mediators serving Morrison Stearns 11, Crow Wing 5, Mille Lacs 2, Benton 1 |
| Cass | None | 31,442 | — | Mediators serving Cass Crow Wing 5, Itasca 4, Beltrami 1 |
| Pine | None | 30,319 | — | Mediators serving Pine Isanti 4, Carlton 1 |
| Freeborn | None | 30,314 | — | Mediators serving Freeborn Steele 1, Waseca 1 |
| Todd | None | 25,955 | — | Mediators serving Todd Stearns 11, Douglas 4, Otter Tail 2 |
| Meeker | None | 23,491 | — | Mediators serving Meeker Stearns 11, Wright 10, McLeod 1 |
| Hubbard | None | 22,050 | — | Mediators serving Hubbard Becker 2, Beltrami 1 |
| Nobles | None | 21,969 | — | Mediators serving Nobles Brown 1, Lyon 1 (2 counties away) |
| Dodge | None | 21,242 | — | Mediators serving Dodge Olmsted 15, Rice 6, Steele 1 |
| Martin | None | 19,561 | — | Mediators serving Martin Blue Earth 6 |
| Kanabec | None | 16,608 | — | Mediators serving Kanabec Isanti 4, Mille Lacs 2 |
| Aitkin | None | 16,335 | — | Mediators serving Aitkin St. Louis 16, Crow Wing 5, Itasca 4, Mille Lacs 2 |
| Roseau | None | 15,265 | — | Mediators serving Roseau Beltrami 1 |
| Redwood | None | 15,254 | — | Mediators serving Redwood Brown 1, Lyon 1, Yellow Medicine 1 |
| Sibley | None | 15,194 | — | Mediators serving Sibley Scott 12, Carver 6, Le Sueur 4, Nicollet 2 |
| Renville | None | 14,453 | — | Mediators serving Renville Nicollet 2, Brown 1, McLeod 1, Yellow Medicine 1 |
| Wadena | None | 14,437 | — | Mediators serving Wadena Becker 2, Otter Tail 2 |
| Faribault | None | 13,886 | — | Mediators serving Faribault Blue Earth 6, Waseca 1 |
| Chippewa | None | 12,299 | — | Mediators serving Chippewa Yellow Medicine 1 |
| Koochiching | None | 11,594 | — | Mediators serving Koochiching St. Louis 16, Itasca 4, Beltrami 1 |
| Pope | None | 11,495 | — | Mediators serving Pope Stearns 11, Douglas 4 |
| Cottonwood | None | 11,338 | — | Mediators serving Cottonwood Brown 1 |
| Watonwan | None | 11,204 | — | Mediators serving Watonwan Blue Earth 6, Brown 1 |
| Lake | None | 10,698 | — | Mediators serving Lake St. Louis 16 |
| Jackson | None | 9,861 | — | Mediators serving Jackson Blue Earth 6, Brown 1 (2 counties away) |
| Stevens | None | 9,819 | — | Mediators serving Stevens Douglas 4 |
| Swift | None | 9,666 | — | Mediators serving Swift Stearns 11, Douglas 4, Yellow Medicine 1 (2 counties away) |
| Rock | None | 9,525 | — | Mediators serving Rock Lyon 1 (2 counties away) |
| Pipestone | None | 9,100 | — | Mediators serving Pipestone Lyon 1 |
| Marshall | None | 8,771 | — | Mediators serving Marshall Polk 2, Beltrami 1, Pennington 1 |
| Clearwater | None | 8,630 | — | Mediators serving Clearwater Becker 2, Polk 2, Beltrami 1, Pennington 1 |
| Murray | None | 8,044 | — | Mediators serving Murray Lyon 1 |
| Lac qui Parle | None | 6,636 | — | Mediators serving Lac qui Parle Yellow Medicine 1 |
| Norman | None | 6,284 | — | Mediators serving Norman Becker 2, Clay 2, Polk 2 |
| Grant | None | 6,109 | — | Mediators serving Grant Douglas 4, Otter Tail 2, Wilkin 1 |
| Cook | None | 5,571 | — | Mediators serving Cook St. Louis 16 (2 counties away) |
| Lincoln | None | 5,564 | — | Mediators serving Lincoln Lyon 1, Yellow Medicine 1 |
| Mahnomen | None | 5,296 | — | Mediators serving Mahnomen Becker 2, Polk 2 |
| Big Stone | None | 5,067 | — | Mediators serving Big Stone Douglas 4, Wilkin 1, Yellow Medicine 1 (2 counties away) |
| Kittson | None | 3,992 | — | Mediators serving Kittson Polk 2, Beltrami 1, Pennington 1 (2 counties away) |
| Red Lake | None | 3,882 | — | Mediators serving Red Lake Polk 2, Pennington 1 |
| Lake of the Woods | None | 3,797 | — | Mediators serving Lake of the Woods Beltrami 1 |
| Traverse | None | 3,134 | — | Mediators serving Traverse Wilkin 1 |
| Winona | 1 family mediator | 49,973 | 2.0 | Olmsted 15, Wabasha 3, Fillmore 1, Houston 1 |
| Beltrami | 1 family mediator | 46,762 | 2.1 | Itasca 4, Pennington 1 |
| Benton | 1 family mediator | 41,881 | 2.4 | Stearns 11, Sherburne 6, Mille Lacs 2 |
| Steele | 1 family mediator | 37,434 | 2.7 | Rice 6, Waseca 1 |
| McLeod | 1 family mediator | 36,780 | 2.7 | Wright 10, Carver 6 |
| Carlton | 1 family mediator | 36,745 | 2.7 | St. Louis 16 |
| Clay | 2 family mediators | 66,848 | 3.0 | Becker 2, Otter Tail 2, Wilkin 1 |
| Otter Tail | 2 family mediators | 60,884 | 3.3 | Douglas 4, Becker 2, Clay 2, Wilkin 1 |
| Brown | 1 family mediator | 25,710 | 3.9 | Blue Earth 6, Nicollet 2 |
| Lyon | 1 family mediator | 25,577 | 3.9 | Yellow Medicine 1 |
| Fillmore | 1 family mediator | 21,502 | 4.7 | Olmsted 15, Houston 1, Winona 1 |
| Anoka | 20 family mediators | 376,840 | 5.3 | — |
| Carver | 6 family mediators | 112,628 | 5.3 | — |
| Waseca | 1 family mediator | 18,684 | 5.4 | Blue Earth 6, Rice 6, Le Sueur 4, Steele 1 |
| Houston | 1 family mediator | 18,352 | 5.4 | Fillmore 1, Winona 1 |
| Becker | 2 family mediators | 35,444 | 5.6 | Clay 2, Otter Tail 2 |
| Nicollet | 2 family mediators | 34,493 | 5.8 | Blue Earth 6, Le Sueur 4, Brown 1 |
| Sherburne | 6 family mediators | 103,059 | 5.8 | — |
| Wright | 10 family mediators | 154,593 | 6.5 | — |
| Polk | 2 family mediators | 30,413 | 6.6 | Pennington 1 |
| Stearns | 11 family mediators | 163,997 | 6.7 | — |
| Mille Lacs | 2 family mediators | 27,577 | 7.3 | Sherburne 6, Crow Wing 5, Isanti 4, Benton 1 |
| Crow Wing | 5 family mediators | 68,642 | 7.3 | — |
| Pennington | 1 family mediator | 13,652 | 7.3 | Polk 2, Beltrami 1 |
| Scott | 12 family mediators | 157,206 | 7.6 | — |
| St. Louis | 16 family mediators | 200,794 | 8.0 | — |
| Dakota | 37 family mediators | 453,156 | 8.2 | — |
| Blue Earth | 6 family mediators | 70,700 | 8.5 | — |
| Rice | 6 family mediators | 69,025 | 8.7 | — |
| Itasca | 4 family mediators | 45,442 | 8.8 | — |
| Washington | 25 family mediators | 283,960 | 8.8 | — |
| Olmsted | 15 family mediators | 166,424 | 9.0 | — |
| Isanti | 4 family mediators | 43,687 | 9.2 | — |
| Douglas | 4 family mediators | 39,933 | 10.0 | — |
| Ramsey | 57 family mediators | 542,015 | 10.5 | — |
| Yellow Medicine | 1 family mediator | 9,373 | 10.7 | Lyon 1 |
| Hennepin | 164 family mediators | 1,273,334 | 12.9 | — |
| Le Sueur | 4 family mediators | 29,458 | 13.6 | — |
| Wabasha | 3 family mediators | 21,574 | 13.9 | — |
| Wilkin | 1 family mediator | 6,268 | 16.0 | Clay 2, Otter Tail 2 |
About this data
How we count
Each county’s number is the family mediators on the Minnesota Judicial Branch Rule 114 Statewide ADR Neutral Roster (family) listed in that county (the county of the neutral's address on the roster), the same count its county page shows. People no longer on the roster are left out. Population is the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2024 county estimate. The colour bins are the same on every state’s map, so states can be compared.
What a zero means
No family mediator on the roster lists that county. Mediators from nearby counties and online mediators may still take cases there; a court may require a mediator from its own roster.
Use this data
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Required attribution: MediationList.com
, with a link to this page.
One row per county: state, county, FIPS code, family mediators, population, per 100,000, the roster and the date we read it.
- Download CSV · all 7 mapped states · 392 counties · 157 KB
- Download JSON · same rows + method
- Share image · PNG, 1200×630
Sources
The official court roster and U.S. Census Bureau data only, each with the date we last checked it.
This page reports counts from an official court roster for general information. It is not legal advice and not an endorsement of any mediator. Rosters change; check the roster linked above for the current list.