Billings County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 945, making it the second-least populous county in North Dakota. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

and only incorporated place is Medora. The Territorial legislature authorized Billings County on February 10, 1879, naming it for

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, wh ...

president Frederick H. Billings. It was organized on May 4, 1886. The original county boundary was significantly altered since its creation, by actions in 1883, 1885, 1887, 1896, 1901 and 1904. Its most significant alterations came in 1907 ( Bowman County partitioned off), 1912 ( Golden Valley County partitioned off), and 1914 ( Slope County partitioned off).

Geography

The Little Missouri River flows northward through the western portion of the county. Bullion Creek flows eastward into the southwestern corner of the county to discharge into the Little Missouri River. Billings County terrain consists of rugged semi-arid hills in its western portion, giving way to more level ground in the east. The terrain slopes to the east and south, with its highest terrain along its west boundary line, at 2,523' (769m) ASL. Billings County has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water. The South Unit of

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Theodore Roosevelt National Park is an American national park of the badlands in western North Dakota comprising three geographically separated areas. Honoring U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, it is the only American national park named direc ...

lies in the central part of the county, just north of Medora.

Major highways

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern term ...

* U.S. Highway 85

Adjacent counties

* McKenzie County – north * Dunn County – northeast * Stark County – east * Slope County – south * Golden Valley County – west

Protected areas

* Little Missouri National Grassland (part) * Sully Creek State Park *

(South Unit)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 888 people, 366 households, and 255 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 0.79 people per square mile (0.31/km²). There were 529 housing units at an average density of 0.45 per square mile (0.18/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.96%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.11%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.11% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 0.34% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 44.2% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 17.5%

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

, 8.2% Norwegian and 5.4% Irish ancestry. There were 366 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95. The county population contained 24.9% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 112.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.4 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,667, and the median income for a family was $35,750. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $21,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,186. About 10.7% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 783 people, 358 households, and 223 families in the county. The population density was . There were 484 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 40.6% were

, 19.1% were

, 17.7% were Norwegian, 9.3% were Irish, 7.4% were Russian, 5.0% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, and 0.9% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 358 households, 19.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 1.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.7% were non-families, and 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age was 48.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $51,923 and the median income for a family was $61,250. Males had a median income of $46,806 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,666. About 6.8% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the

, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

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Politics

Billings County voters have been traditionally Republican. In each of the last five elections (as of 2016) the Republican candidate has received over seventy percent of the county's vote. However, it has some third party or independent interest. Billings county gave

Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an indepe ...

over twenty percent of the vote in his 1992 and 1996 campaigns. It gave

Pat Buchanan Patrick Joseph Buchanan (; born November 2, 1938) is an American paleoconservative political commentator, columnist, politician, and broadcaster. Buchanan was an assistant and special consultant to U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, ...

approximately six percent when he ran as the Reform Party's candidate in 2000.

Recreation

The Bully Pulpit Golf Course is located three miles south of Medora and the Maah Daah Hey Trail single track non-motorized trail starts 30 miles south of Medora.

Communities

City

* Medora (county seat)

Unorganized Territories

There are no townships in Billings County, but the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

divides the county into two unorganized territories: * North Billings, which consists of all of the county north of I-94, had a population of 566 at the 2020 Census. * South Billings, which consists of all of the county south of I-94 outside Medora, had a population of 258 at the 2020 Census.

Unincorporated communities

* Fairfield * Gorham * Fryburg * Sully Springs

Notes

References

External links

Billings County map
''North Dakota DOT'' {{Coord, 47.04, -103.37, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-ND_source:UScensus1990 Dickinson, North Dakota micropolitan area 1886 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1886