Benson County, North Dakota
County in North Dakota, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,964.[1] Its county seat is Minnewaukan.[2] The county was created on March 9, 1883[3] 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.[4]
Benson County | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota | |
 North Dakota's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 48°04′N 99°22′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Dakota |
| Founded | March 9, 1883 (created) June 4, 1884 (organized) |
| Named for | Bertil W. Benson |
| Seat | Minnewaukan |
| Largest community | Fort Totten |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,439 sq mi (3,730 km2) |
| • Land | 1,389 sq mi (3,600 km2) |
| • Water | 51 sq mi (130 km2) 3.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 5,964 |
| • Estimate (2022) | 5,770  |
| • Density | 4.1/sq mi (1.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
| Website | www |
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve and much of the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation are located within the county.
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.[5] The terrain slopes to the east, and its highest point is on the lower portion of its west boundary line, at 1,624 ft (495 m) ASL.[6] The county has a total area of 1,439 square miles (3,730 km2), of which 1,389 square miles (3,600 km2) is land and 51 square miles (130 km2) (3.5%) is water.[7]
Adjacent counties
- Towner County – north
- Ramsey County – northeast
- Nelson County – east
- Eddy County – southeast
- Wells County – southwest
- Pierce County – west
Major highways
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
Protected areas
- Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- Grahams Island State Park (part)
- Pleasant Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- Silver Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- White Horse Hill National Game Preserve
- Volk National Wildlife Refuge[5]
- Wood Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- Wurgler National Wildlife Refuge[5]
Lakes
- 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
 | This section needs to be updated. (August 2021) |
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 2,460 | — | |
| 1900 | 8,320 | 238.2% | |
| 1910 | 12,681 | 52.4% | |
| 1920 | 13,095 | 3.3% | |
| 1930 | 13,327 | 1.8% | |
| 1940 | 12,629 | −5.2% | |
| 1950 | 10,675 | −15.5% | |
| 1960 | 9,435 | −11.6% | |
| 1970 | 8,245 | −12.6% | |
| 1980 | 7,944 | −3.7% | |
| 1990 | 7,198 | −9.4% | |
| 2000 | 6,964 | −3.3% | |
| 2010 | 6,660 | −4.4% | |
| 2020 | 5,964 | −10.5% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 5,770 | [8] | −3.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[1] | |||
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 5,964 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,660 people, 2,233 households, and 1,628 families in the county. The population density was 4.8 inhabitants per square mile (1.9/km2). There were 2,950 housing units at an average density of 2.1 units per square mile (0.81/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 55.0% American Indian, 43.4% white, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% 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
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.
Cities
Census-designated place
Unincorporated communities
Townships
- Albert
- Arne
- Aurora
- Beaver
- Broe
- Butte Valley
- East Fork
- Eldon
- Esmond
- Hesper
- Impark
- Iowa
- Irvine
- Isabel
- Knox
- Lake Ibsen
- Lallie
- Leeds
- Lohnes
- McClellan
- Minco
- Mission
- Normania
- North Viking
- Oberon
- Pleasant Lake
- Rich Valley
- Riggin
- Rock
- South Viking
- Twin Lake
- Twin Tree
- Warwick
- West Antelope
- West Bay
- Wood Lake
- York
Typical of many counties in the state where a significant share of the population is Native American, Benson County leans Democratic in presidential elections. Prior to 2020, no Republican candidate had won the majority of the county's votes since Ronald Reagan in 1984. However, George W. Bush in 2000 & Donald Trump in 2016 both won a plurality of the county's votes.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 1,094 | 55.79% | 822 | 41.92% | 45 | 2.29% |
| 2016 | 929 | 46.20% | 842 | 41.87% | 240 | 11.93% |
| 2012 | 868 | 40.24% | 1,235 | 57.26% | 54 | 2.50% |
| 2008 | 773 | 32.56% | 1,569 | 66.09% | 32 | 1.35% |
| 2004 | 1,002 | 44.61% | 1,196 | 53.25% | 48 | 2.14% |
| 2000 | 1,055 | 48.98% | 952 | 44.20% | 147 | 6.82% |
| 1996 | 850 | 39.13% | 1,059 | 48.76% | 263 | 12.11% |
| 1992 | 874 | 33.30% | 1,126 | 42.90% | 625 | 23.81% |
| 1988 | 1,316 | 43.42% | 1,691 | 55.79% | 24 | 0.79% |
| 1984 | 1,729 | 51.41% | 1,599 | 47.55% | 35 | 1.04% |
| 1980 | 2,149 | 59.91% | 1,119 | 31.20% | 319 | 8.89% |
| 1976 | 1,689 | 45.34% | 1,973 | 52.97% | 63 | 1.69% |
| 1972 | 2,050 | 55.09% | 1,635 | 43.94% | 36 | 0.97% |
| 1968 | 1,707 | 46.86% | 1,772 | 48.64% | 164 | 4.50% |
| 1964 | 1,489 | 36.67% | 2,566 | 63.20% | 5 | 0.12% |
| 1960 | 2,259 | 50.84% | 2,181 | 49.09% | 3 | 0.07% |
| 1956 | 2,340 | 55.67% | 1,851 | 44.04% | 12 | 0.29% |
| 1952 | 3,192 | 69.63% | 1,353 | 29.52% | 39 | 0.85% |
| 1948 | 1,920 | 44.33% | 2,216 | 51.17% | 195 | 4.50% |
| 1944 | 1,726 | 43.04% | 2,261 | 56.38% | 23 | 0.57% |
| 1940 | 2,485 | 45.85% | 2,898 | 53.47% | 37 | 0.68% |
| 1936 | 1,020 | 19.02% | 3,343 | 62.33% | 1,000 | 18.65% |
| 1932 | 1,170 | 23.79% | 3,650 | 74.23% | 97 | 1.97% |
| 1928 | 2,621 | 53.80% | 2,194 | 45.03% | 57 | 1.17% |
| 1924 | 1,870 | 45.00% | 246 | 5.92% | 2,040 | 49.09% |
| 1920 | 3,540 | 81.10% | 680 | 15.58% | 145 | 3.32% |
| 1916 | 1,210 | 53.30% | 922 | 40.62% | 138 | 6.08% |
| 1912 | 515 | 26.13% | 594 | 30.14% | 862 | 43.73% |
| 1908 | 1,363 | 67.81% | 553 | 27.51% | 94 | 4.68% |
| 1904 | 1,111 | 85.59% | 143 | 11.02% | 44 | 3.39% |
| 1900 | 1,084 | 75.49% | 319 | 22.21% | 33 | 2.30% |
School districts include:[14]
K-12:
- Dakota Prairie Public School District 1
- Devils Lake Public School District 1
- Fort Totten Public School District 30
- Harvey Public School District 38
- Leeds Public School District 6
- Maddock Public School District 9
- Minnewaukan Public School District 5
- New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School District 2
- North Star School District
- Rugby Public School District 5
- Warwick Public School District 29
Elementary districts:
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
