Litchfield is the county seat for Meeker County. It is among the largest of a series of "whistle stop" towns built along a railway extending west from Minneapolis in the 19th century. U.S. highway 12 follows the rail route, which is still active.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.1 km² (4.7 mi²). 9.7 km² (3.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 19.66% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 6,562 people, 2,624 households, and 1,653 families residing in the city. The population density is 675.6/km² (1,748.4/mi²). There are 2,741 housing units at an average density of 282.2/km² (730.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.64% White, 0.37% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.67% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 5.15% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,624 households out of which 31.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% are married couples living together, 9.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% are non-families. 32.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 18.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 3.02.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $36,021, and the median income for a family is $45,233. Males have a median income of $33,578 versus $21,952 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,819. 7.8% of the population and 4.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.0% are under the age of 18 and 16.3% are 65 or older.