Stark County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,646, making it the 7th most populous county in North Dakota.[1] Its county seat is Dickinson.[2]
Stark County | |
|---|---|
 Stark County Courthouse in Dickinson | |
 Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota | |
 North Dakota's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 46°49′N 102°40′W / 46.81°N 102.66°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Dakota |
| Founded | February 10, 1879 (created) May 25, 1883 (organized) |
| Named for | George Stark |
| Seat | Dickinson |
| Largest city | Dickinson |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,340 sq mi (3,500 km2) |
| • Land | 1,335 sq mi (3,460 km2) |
| • Water | 5.5 sq mi (14 km2) 0.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 33,646 |
• Estimate (2023) | 33,001  |
| • Density | 25/sq mi (9.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
| Website | www |
Stark County is part of the Dickinson, ND Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
editThe Dakota Territory legislature created the county on February 10, 1879, taking area from now-extinct Howard and Williams counties and some previously unincorporated territory. It was named for George Stark, a vice president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.[3] The county organization was not completed at that time, but the new county was not attached to another county for administrative and judicial purposes. The county lost a portion of its area when Hettinger County was created on March 9, 1883. On May 25, 1883, the Stark County organization was effected.
The county boundaries were altered in February and in March 1887. The county was slightly enlarged on January 18, 1908, by a small strip of land (due to a redefinition of county boundary lines), giving Stark County its present boundary lines.[4][5][6]
Geography
editThe south branch of the Heart River flows through the central part of Stark County, discharging into Patterson Lake at Dickinson, then flowing east-southeasterly into adjacent Morton County. The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture.[7] The terrain slopes to the east, with its highest point near its SW corner, at 2,831 ft (863 m) ASL.[8] The county has a total area of 1,340 square miles (3,500 km2), of which 1,335 square miles (3,460 km2) is land and 5.5 square miles (14 km2) (0.4%) is water.[9]
The southwestern counties of North Dakota (Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope, Stark) observe Mountain Time. The counties of McKenzie, Dunn, and Sioux counties are split.
Major highways
edit
Transit
editAdjacent counties
edit- Dunn County - north/Central Time in the north part of the county
- Mercer County - northeast/Central Time
- Morton County - east/Central Time
- Grant County - southeast/Central Time
- Hettinger County - south
- Slope County - southwest
- Billings County - west
- Abbey Lake
- Patterson Lake
Demographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 2,304 | — | |
| 1900 | 7,621 | 230.8% | |
| 1910 | 12,504 | 64.1% | |
| 1920 | 13,542 | 8.3% | |
| 1930 | 15,340 | 13.3% | |
| 1940 | 15,414 | 0.5% | |
| 1950 | 16,137 | 4.7% | |
| 1960 | 18,451 | 14.3% | |
| 1970 | 19,613 | 6.3% | |
| 1980 | 23,697 | 20.8% | |
| 1990 | 22,832 | −3.7% | |
| 2000 | 22,636 | −0.9% | |
| 2010 | 24,199 | 6.9% | |
| 2020 | 33,646 | 39.0% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 33,001 | [10] | −1.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13] 1990-2000[14] 2010-2020[1] | |||
2020 census
editAs of the 2020 census, there were 33,646 people, 13,561 households, and 8,394 families in the county.[15] The population density was 25.2 inhabitants per square mile (9.7/km2) There were 15,381 housing units.
2010 census
editAs of the 2010 census, there were 24,199 people, 10,085 households, and 6,167 families in the county. The population density was 18.1 inhabitants per square mile (7.0/km2). There were 10,735 housing units at an average density of 8.0 per square mile (3.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% white, 1.2% Asian, 1.0% American Indian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 59.0% were German, 14.7% were Norwegian, 7.7% were Russian, 7.7% were Irish, 7.3% were Czech, 5.4% were English, and 3.5% were American.
Of the 10,085 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.8% were non-families, and 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 38.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,536 and the median income for a family was $62,560. Males had a median income of $42,338 versus $26,451 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,282. About 5.9% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.
Population by decade
edit
Communities
editCities
edit- Belfield
- Dickinson (county seat)
- Gladstone
- Richardton
- South Heart
- Taylor
Unorganized Territories
editThere are no townships in Stark County, but the United States Census Bureau divides the county into four unorganized territories:
- Dickinson North, the northern part of the county outside Dickinson, had a population of 3,326 at the 2020 Census.[16]
- Dickinson South, the southern part of the county, had a population of 577 at the 2020 Census.[16]
- East Stark, the eastern part of the county outside Gladstone, Taylor, and Richardton, had a population of 849 at the 2020 Census.[17]
- West Stark, the western part of the county outside Belfield and South Heart, had a population of 632 at the 2020 Census.[18]
Politics
editStark County voters have tended to vote Republican for decades. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024). Despite its rapid population growth due to a massive oil boom, Stark County has swung right faster than almost any county, with oil-friendly Republican candidate Donald Trump collapsing Democratic support in 2016 by almost 10% and increasing Republican margins to 79%, the highest since Eisenhower in 1952. While Joe Biden managed to stop a three-election slide in percentage in 2020, Trump further increased his percentage to 80%, the highest since 1920.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 12,323 | 81.61% | 2,473 | 16.38% | 304 | 2.01% |
| 2020 | 12,110 | 80.47% | 2,499 | 16.60% | 441 | 2.93% |
| 2016 | 9,755 | 79.17% | 1,753 | 14.23% | 814 | 6.61% |
| 2012 | 8,521 | 73.25% | 2,812 | 24.17% | 300 | 2.58% |
| 2008 | 7,024 | 63.13% | 3,802 | 34.17% | 301 | 2.71% |
| 2004 | 7,220 | 69.42% | 3,013 | 28.97% | 167 | 1.61% |
| 2000 | 6,387 | 65.33% | 2,784 | 28.47% | 606 | 6.20% |
| 1996 | 4,086 | 46.94% | 3,095 | 35.55% | 1,524 | 17.51% |
| 1992 | 4,491 | 42.06% | 3,003 | 28.12% | 3,184 | 29.82% |
| 1988 | 6,137 | 61.35% | 3,678 | 36.77% | 188 | 1.88% |
| 1984 | 7,641 | 71.15% | 2,759 | 25.69% | 340 | 3.17% |
| 1980 | 6,312 | 70.11% | 2,016 | 22.39% | 675 | 7.50% |
| 1976 | 4,374 | 49.93% | 4,076 | 46.53% | 310 | 3.54% |
| 1972 | 5,115 | 62.91% | 2,636 | 32.42% | 380 | 4.67% |
| 1968 | 4,365 | 58.64% | 2,577 | 34.62% | 502 | 6.74% |
| 1964 | 2,888 | 40.33% | 4,270 | 59.63% | 3 | 0.04% |
| 1960 | 3,223 | 43.43% | 4,197 | 56.56% | 1 | 0.01% |
| 1956 | 4,251 | 70.38% | 1,778 | 29.44% | 11 | 0.18% |
| 1952 | 5,322 | 79.58% | 1,332 | 19.92% | 34 | 0.51% |
| 1948 | 3,222 | 60.15% | 2,017 | 37.65% | 118 | 2.20% |
| 1944 | 2,852 | 64.85% | 1,534 | 34.88% | 12 | 0.27% |
| 1940 | 4,367 | 67.63% | 2,075 | 32.14% | 15 | 0.23% |
| 1936 | 1,602 | 26.10% | 4,012 | 65.35% | 525 | 8.55% |
| 1932 | 1,443 | 23.17% | 4,786 | 76.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 1,924 | 37.28% | 3,231 | 62.60% | 6 | 0.12% |
| 1924 | 2,130 | 50.58% | 266 | 6.32% | 1,815 | 43.10% |
| 1920 | 3,526 | 86.23% | 532 | 13.01% | 31 | 0.76% |
| 1916 | 1,409 | 58.10% | 953 | 39.30% | 63 | 2.60% |
| 1912 | 387 | 22.40% | 678 | 39.24% | 663 | 38.37% |
| 1908 | 922 | 63.76% | 496 | 34.30% | 28 | 1.94% |
| 1904 | 703 | 73.92% | 231 | 24.29% | 17 | 1.79% |
| 1900 | 780 | 64.20% | 426 | 35.06% | 9 | 0.74% |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Beatty, Michael A. (May 17, 2001). County Name Origins of the United States. McFarland. ISBN 9780786410255 – via Google Books.
- ^ "County History". North Dakota.gov. The State of North Dakota. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Long, John H. (2006). "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ Long, John H. (2006). "North Dakota: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries". North Dakota Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. Archived from the original on November 27, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Stark County · North Dakota". Google Maps. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ ""Find an Altitude/Stark County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 20, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 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, 2023". Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "United States 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.
- ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
External links
edit- Stark County, ND official website
- Stark County maps, Sheet 1 (eastern) and Sheet 2 (western), North Dakota DOT