Benson County, North Dakota: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 01:02, 13 May 2025

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Benson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,964,<ref name="2020 Census (City)">Template:Cite web</ref> and was estimated to be 5,756 in 2024.<ref name="QF"/> The county seat is Minnewaukan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

The county was created on March 9, 1883<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> by the Dakota Territory legislature, and was named for Bertil W. Benson, a Dakota Territory legislator at the time. The county government was organized on June 4, 1884, and its boundary lines were altered by two legislative actions in 1885.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

White Horse Hill National Game Preserve and much of the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation are located within the county.

Geography

Much of the east boundary line of Benson County is delineated by the shore of Devils Lake, a closed-capture lake which would spill into the Sheyenne River in an overflow condition. The North Fork Sheyenne River flows southeasterly through the lower SW portion of the county.

The terrain of Benson County consists of rolling hills dotted with lakes, ponds and drainages.<ref name="BCND">Benson County ND Google Maps (accessed February 13, 2019)</ref> The terrain slopes to the east, and its highest point is on the lower portion of its west boundary line, at Template:Convert ASL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (3.53%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the 19th largest county in North Dakota by total area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

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Towner County – north
Ramsey County – northeast
Nelson County – east
Eddy County – southeast
Wells County – southwest
Pierce County – west

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Broken Bone Lake
Cranberry Lake
Free Peoples Lake
Horseshoe Lake
Lake Murie
Lake Yri
Long Lake
Sand Lake
Shin Bone Lake
Spring Lake
Stink Lake
Stony Lake
Wood Lake

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Demographics

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As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Benson County was $88,049.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,922 estimated households in Benson County with an average of 3.04 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $68,049. Approximately 22.7% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Benson County has an estimated 52.2% employment rate, with 22.1% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 88.5% holding a high school diploma.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref>

The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (91.9%), Spanish (1.1%), Indo-European (0.6%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.6%), and Other (5.8%).

The median age in the county was 32.4 years.

Benson County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
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Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic)	Pop. 1980<ref name=1980CensusScope>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop. 1990<ref name=1990CensusScope>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop. 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop. 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>
White alone (NH)	5,606 (70.57%)	4,408 (61.24%)	3,533 (50.73%)	2,861 (42.96%)	2,532 (42.45%)
Black or African American alone (NH)	1 (0.01%)	0 (0.00%)	7 (0.10%)	1 (0.02%)	2 (0.03%)
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	2,309 (29.07%)	2,760 (38.34%)	3,312 (47.56%)	3,631 (54.52%)	3,190 (53.49%)
Asian alone (NH)	1 (0.01%)	3 (0.04%)	1 (0.01%)	3 (0.05%)	7 (0.12%)
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	—	—	1 (0.01%)	1 (0.02%)	0 (0.00%)
Other race alone (NH)	0 (0.00%)	3 (0.04%)	0 (0.00%)	0 (0.00%)	1 (0.02%)
Mixed race or multiracial (NH)	—	—	55 (0.79%)	86 (1.29%)	143 (2.40%)
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	27 (0.34%)	24 (0.33%)	55 (0.79%)	77 (1.16%)	89 (1.49%)
Total	7,944 (100.00%)	7,198 (100.00%)	6,964 (100.00%)	6,660 (100.00%)	5,964 (100.00%)

2023 estimate

As of the 2023 estimate, there were 5,745 people and 1,922 households residing in the county. There were 2,547 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 43.7% White (43.2% NH White), 0.5% African American, Template:Font color, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.0% of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 5,964 people, 2,015 households, and 1,364 families residing in the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,542 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 42.62% White, 0.12% African American, Template:Font color [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Template:Font color]], 0.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from some other races and 2.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.49% of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,660 people, 2,233 households, and 1,628 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,950 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 43.38% White, 0.02% African American, Template:Font color [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Template:Font color]], 0.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from some other races and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.16% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.0% were Norwegian, 18.0% were German, 5.0% were Irish, and 0.6% were American.

Of the 2,233 households, 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.1% were non-families, and 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.46. The median age was 31.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,479 and the median income for a family was $34,597. Males had a median income of $31,729 versus $25,253 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,545. About 26.1% of families and 35.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

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Communities

Cities and CDPs have population included as of 2020, and townships have the population as of 2020. The largest community by far is Fort Totten, followed by Leeds, Maddock and the county seat, Minnewaukan. There are nine cities in the county. The largest township by a 60% margin is Mission (935), which is on the south shore of Devils Lake and is popular for vacationing, as well as gambling at the Spirit Lake Casino and Resort. It is within the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. It is followed by Wood Lake Township (471), immediately to the south of Mission Township and also included in the reservation. The third largest is Lallie Township (325), to the west of Fort Totten on the south shore of Devils Lake and within the reservation.