Morton County is a county in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,291, and was estimated to be 34,194 in 2024, making it the sixth-most populous county in North Dakota. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and the largest city is

Mandan The Mandan () are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still ...

. The eighth-largest city in North Dakota. Morton County is included in the Bismarck

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

Early history

The county was created on January 8, 1873, by the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

legislature, using territory that had not previously been included in any county. The county organization was not completed at that time, but the new county was not attached to any other county for administrative or judicial matters. Its organization was completed on November 5, 1878. It was named for Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton (1823-1877), governor of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and later a

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

. Portions of the county were partitioned off on February 10, 1879, causing the county organization to be not fully organized. This lasted until February 28, 1881, when the organization was again completed. The county's boundaries were adjusted in 1881 and in 1887. In 1916, a portion of Morton County was partitioned off to create

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

, setting Morton County's boundaries to their present configuration. After the Northern Pacific Railroad announced the location for the western approach to its Missouri River bridge, a new settlement appeared in December 1878. Initially the US Post Office designated the riverside settlement "Morton" after the corresponding county. The Morton post office later moved to the city center 3 miles west. The county was reorganized in 1881 after the detached land was returned to Morton County by the 1881 legislature. The town, eventually renamed Mandan, was named the county seat.

Recent history

:Further information: '' Curlew Township''

DAPL protests

The 1,172-mile long

Dakota Access Pipeline The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) or Bakken pipeline is a underground pipeline in the United States that has the ability to transport up to 750,000 barrels of light sweet crude oil per day. It begins in the shale oil fields of the Bakken For ...

(DAPL) route submitted in its final permit applications starting in September 2014 would include a 72-mile portion through Morton County. The county became a focus of DAPL protests in April 2016. In August 2016 the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST) filed an injunction against

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

(USACE) to attempt to halt construction. In his 58-page decision by United States District Judge James E. Boasberg shows that the tribe failed to participate in the process of the USACE and Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) to address the tribes complaints. Furthermore, the tribe did not cite a fear of water contamination in the injunction. The injunction request was denied and also failed on appeal. Amnesty International wrote a letter to Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier on September 28, 2016, requesting that he investigate the use of force by private contractors, remove blockades and discontinue the use of riot gear by Morton County sheriff's deputies when policing protests in order to facilitate the right to peaceful protests in accordance with international law and standards. This letter was written in response to private security guards using guard dogs on advancing protesters on September 3, along with using pepper spray. On Sunday, November 20, 2016, North Dakota police officers fired rubber bullets, tear gas, CS canisters and water from fire hoses at rioting protesters in subfreezing temperatures.

Geography

The

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

flows south-southeastward along the east boundary line of Morton County, and Cannonball River flows east-northeastward along the eastern portion of the county's south boundary line. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, etched by gullies and drainages; the more level areas are devoted to agriculture. The terrain generally slopes to the east and south, but also slopes into the river valleys, with the high point near the midpoint of the north boundary line, at ASL. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.99%) is water. It is the 7th largest county in North Dakota by total area.

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 ter ...

North Dakota Highway 6 North Dakota Highway 6 (ND 6) is a major north–south highway in North Dakota. It runs from South Dakota Highway 63 in McLaughlin to Interstate 94 Business Loop in downtown Mandan. Route description ND 6 begins at the South Dakot ...

* North Dakota Highway 21 * North Dakota Highway 25 *

North Dakota Highway 31 North Dakota Highway 31 (ND 31) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The southern segments southern terminus is a continuation as South Dakota Highway 65 (SD 65) at the South Dakota border, and the nort ...

North Dakota Highway 49 North Dakota Highway 49 (ND 49) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of North Dakota. ND 49's southern terminus is a continuation as South Dakota Highway 73 (SD 73) at the South Dakota South Dakota ( ...

North Dakota Highway 1806 North Dakota Highway 1806 (ND 1806) is a state highway in the U.S. state of North Dakota. ND 1806 and ND 1804 were named to reflect the years of Lewis and Clark's travels through the area, and run along the southwest and northeast sides of the ...

Transit

* Bis-Man Transit (Capital Area Transit)

Adjacent counties

* Oliver County - north * Burleigh County - northeast * Emmons County - east * Sioux County - southeast *

- south * Stark County - west * Mercer County - northwest

Protected areas

Source: * Lake Patricia National Wildlife Refuge * Morton County State Game Management Area * Storm Creek State Game Management Area * Sweet Briar Dam State Game Management Area

Lakes

Source: * Crown Butte Lake * Fish Creek Lake * Harmon Lake * Lake Oahe (part) * Lake Patricia * Storm Creek Lake * Sweet Briar Lake

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Morton County was $262,128. As of the 2023

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, there are 13,529 estimated households in Morton County with an average of 2.43 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $79,483. Approximately 7.9% of the county's population lives at or 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 ...

. Morton County has an estimated 71.7% employment rate, with 29.3% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 94.5% holding a high school diploma. 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 (95.3%), Spanish (3.0%), Indo-European (0.9%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.3%), and Other (0.5%). The median age in the county was 37.7 years. Morton County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 34,194 people and 13,529 households residing in the county. There were 15,687 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 90.6% White ''(87.0% NH White)'', 1.7% African American, 4.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.7% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 33,291 people, 13,827 households, and 8,617 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 15,107 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.56%

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

, 1.40%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 3.97% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.12%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.53% from some other races and 4.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.94% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 27,471 people, 11,289 households, and 7,523 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 12,079 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.64%

, 0.44%

, 3.64% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.09%

, 0.36% from some other races and 1.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.46% of the population. There were 11,289 households, 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were

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

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.4% were non-families, and 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 39.3 years. The median income for a household in the county was $50,591 and the median income for a family was $62,713. Males had a median income of $42,044 versus $31,505 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $25,303. About 5.4% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the

, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

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Communities

Cities

* Almont * Flasher * Glen Ullin *

Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...

(county seat) * New Salem

Census-designated place

* Harmon

Unincorporated communities

Source: * Bluegrass * Breien * Eagle Nest * Fallon * Fort Rice * Huff * Judson * Rock Haven * St. Anthony * Sims * Solen * Sweet Briar * Timmer * Youngstown

Township

* Captain's Landing

Politics

Morton County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.