[2] Emmet County was created by authority of the Iowa Legislature in 1851.

[3] The county was named for the Irish patriot Robert Emmet, who was hanged as a traitor to the British government at the age of 25.

[13] As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 11,027 people, 4,450 households, and 2,910 families residing in the county.

The racial makeup of the county was 97.38% White, 0.24% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.25% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races.

30.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Emmet County is divided into twelve townships: The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Emmet County.