Pierce_County,_North_Dakota
Pierce County, North Dakota
County in North Dakota, United States
Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,990.[1] Its county seat is Rugby.[2]
Pierce County | |
|---|---|
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota | |
North Dakota's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 48°15′N 99°59′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Dakota |
| Founded | March 11, 1887 (created) April 6, 1889 (organized) |
| Named for | Gilbert A. Pierce |
| Seat | Rugby |
| Largest city | Rugby |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,082 sq mi (2,800 km2) |
| • Land | 1,019 sq mi (2,640 km2) |
| • Water | 64 sq mi (170 km2) 5.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 3,990 |
| • Estimate (2022) | 3,942  |
| • Density | 3.7/sq mi (1.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
| Website | www |
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on March 11, 1887, with areas partitioned from Bottineau, Rolette, McHenry and the now-extinct DeSmet counties. It was named for Gilbert A. Pierce, a Dakotas political figure. The county was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. It was attached to McHenry County on February 4, 1889, but that lasted only two months; on April 6 the county government was effected and the attachment to McHenry was terminated.
The county's boundaries were enlarged on November 8, 1892, when Church County was dissolved and a portion of its territory was annexed into Pierce.[3][4]
The geographical center of North America is in Pierce County, approximately six miles (9.7 km) west of Balta.[5] Rugby has a monument for the center at the intersection of U.S. 2 and N.D. 3.
The North Fork of the Sheyenne River flows easterly through central Pierce County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture.[6] The terrain generally slopes to the north and east, with its highest point a hill near the SW county corner, at 1,634 ft (498 m) ASL.[7] The county has a total area of 1,082 square miles (2,800 km2), of which 1,019 square miles (2,640 km2) is land and 64 square miles (170 km2) (5.9%) is water.[8]
Major highways
Transit
Adjacent counties
- Rolette County - north
- Towner County - northeast
- Benson County - east
- Wells County - southeast
- Sheridan County - southwest
- McHenry County - west
- Bottineau County - northwest
Protected areas[6]
- Boyer National Wildlife Refuge
- Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- Hurricane Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- Meyer Township National Wildlife Refuge
Lakes[6]
- Antelope Lakes
- Aylmer Lake (part)
- Battema Lake
- Buffalo Lake
- Clear Lake
- Davis Lake
- Girard Lake
- Goose Lake
- Gunderson Lake
- Guss Lake
- Horseshoe Lake
- Kilgore Lake
- Lesmeister Lake
- Long Lake
- Petrified Lake
- Ranch Lake
- Round Lake
- Sand Lake
- Smoky Lake (part)
- Twin Lakes (part)
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 905 | — | |
| 1900 | 4,765 | 426.5% | |
| 1910 | 9,740 | 104.4% | |
| 1920 | 9,283 | −4.7% | |
| 1930 | 9,074 | −2.3% | |
| 1940 | 9,208 | 1.5% | |
| 1950 | 8,326 | −9.6% | |
| 1960 | 7,394 | −11.2% | |
| 1970 | 6,323 | −14.5% | |
| 1980 | 6,166 | −2.5% | |
| 1990 | 5,052 | −18.1% | |
| 2000 | 4,675 | −7.5% | |
| 2010 | 4,357 | −6.8% | |
| 2020 | 3,990 | −8.4% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 3,942 | [9] | −1.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[1] | |||
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 3,990 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,357 people, 1,835 households, and 1,145 families in the county. The population density was 4.28 people per square mile (1.65 people/km2). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 2.16 units per square mile (0.83/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.1% white, 3.9% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 52.3% were German, 34.5% were Norwegian, 5.5% were Irish, and 2.0% were American.
Of the 1,835 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 46.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,091 and the median income for a family was $55,304. Males had a median income of $39,511 versus $21,811 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,575. About 6.4% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.
Population by decade
Cities
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities[6]
- Leverich
- Silva
- Tunbridge
Townships
- Alexanter
- Antelope Lake
- Balta
- Elling
- Elverum
- Hagel
- Jefferson
- Meyer
- Ness
- Reno Valley
- Rush Lake
- Torgerson
- Truman
- Tuscarora
- White
Pierce County voters have tended to vote Republican for decades. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 1,585 | 74.48% | 497 | 23.36% | 46 | 2.16% |
| 2016 | 1,437 | 69.39% | 431 | 20.81% | 203 | 9.80% |
| 2012 | 1,465 | 67.26% | 660 | 30.30% | 53 | 2.43% |
| 2008 | 1,301 | 60.82% | 792 | 37.03% | 46 | 2.15% |
| 2004 | 1,475 | 67.20% | 686 | 31.25% | 34 | 1.55% |
| 2000 | 1,348 | 68.39% | 500 | 25.37% | 123 | 6.24% |
| 1996 | 1,017 | 51.52% | 671 | 33.99% | 286 | 14.49% |
| 1992 | 1,099 | 45.21% | 761 | 31.30% | 571 | 23.49% |
| 1988 | 1,422 | 57.41% | 1,008 | 40.69% | 47 | 1.90% |
| 1984 | 1,883 | 71.71% | 691 | 26.31% | 52 | 1.98% |
| 1980 | 2,273 | 76.07% | 517 | 17.30% | 198 | 6.63% |
| 1976 | 1,396 | 48.35% | 1,434 | 49.67% | 57 | 1.97% |
| 1972 | 1,970 | 66.15% | 973 | 32.67% | 35 | 1.18% |
| 1968 | 1,700 | 57.07% | 1,048 | 35.18% | 231 | 7.75% |
| 1964 | 1,178 | 38.33% | 1,893 | 61.60% | 2 | 0.07% |
| 1960 | 1,464 | 44.19% | 1,848 | 55.78% | 1 | 0.03% |
| 1956 | 1,997 | 59.75% | 1,340 | 40.10% | 5 | 0.15% |
| 1952 | 2,806 | 77.77% | 773 | 21.42% | 29 | 0.80% |
| 1948 | 1,738 | 58.86% | 1,147 | 38.84% | 68 | 2.30% |
| 1944 | 1,992 | 60.07% | 1,307 | 39.41% | 17 | 0.51% |
| 1940 | 2,349 | 61.64% | 1,451 | 38.07% | 11 | 0.29% |
| 1936 | 912 | 24.23% | 2,168 | 57.60% | 684 | 18.17% |
| 1932 | 856 | 25.68% | 2,439 | 73.18% | 38 | 1.14% |
| 1928 | 1,469 | 47.60% | 1,606 | 52.04% | 11 | 0.36% |
| 1924 | 1,160 | 46.89% | 157 | 6.35% | 1,157 | 46.77% |
| 1920 | 2,102 | 84.59% | 294 | 11.83% | 89 | 3.58% |
| 1916 | 703 | 44.27% | 789 | 49.69% | 96 | 6.05% |
| 1912 | 264 | 22.39% | 453 | 38.42% | 462 | 39.19% |
| 1908 | 884 | 57.37% | 610 | 39.58% | 47 | 3.05% |
| 1904 | 921 | 73.39% | 284 | 22.63% | 50 | 3.98% |
| 1900 | 535 | 64.93% | 276 | 33.50% | 13 | 1.58% |
School districts include:[16]
- Anamoose Public School District 14
- Bottineau Public School District 1
- Harvey Public School District 38
- Leeds Public School District 6
- Maddock Public School District 9
- North Star School District
- Rugby Public School District 5
- Towner-Granville-Upham Public School District 60
Former districts:
- Wolford Public School District 1[16] - Closed in 2019[17]
- "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- "County History". Official Portal for North Dakota State Government. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
- "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- MacPherson, James (June 2, 2010). "N.D. town misses mark as North America's center". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- ""Find an Altitude/Pierce County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 26, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- Forstall, Richard L., ed. (April 20, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 276 votes, while Socialist Eugene Debs received 159 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 27 votes.
- "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Pierce County, ND" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2022. - Text list - The map shows Wolford district's boundaries even though it was disestablished in 2019. 2010 map, 2010 text list
- "Enrollment History Public School Districts 2009-2021". North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved August 19, 2021. - Check the 2019-2020 spreadsheet, which does not list Wolford, while previous years do.
- Pierce County official website
- A history of Pierce County (1936) from the Digital Horizons website
- Fifty years in Pierce county (1943) from the Digital Horizons website
- Pierce County maps, Sheet 1 (northern) and Sheet 2 (southern), North Dakota DOT