[3][4] The county's courthouse was completed in 1858,[5] and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[14] As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 10,874 people, 4,294 households, and 2,984 families residing in the county.

27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Starting with Michael Dukakis's win in 1988, Mitchell County became a Democratic leaning county, voting for Democrats in all presidential elections through 2012.

2020 also marked the first time since 1960 that a Democrat was elected president without carrying Mitchell County.

In January 2017, Mitchell County supervisors denied an application for an Iowa Select contracted farm in Lincoln Township.

[18] The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Mitchell County.