Richland County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the far southeast corner of 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 16,529, and was estimated to be 16,658 in 2024. 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 Wahpeton. Richland County is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN Combined Statistical Area.

History

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 created the county on January 4, 1873, with area partitioned from Pembina County. It was named for Morgan T. Rich, who settled on the site of the future Wahpeton in 1869. The county organization was completed on November 25 of that same year. Its boundaries were altered in 1883 and 1885. It has maintained its present configuration since 1885. In 2022, strong winds known as a derecho, more than 70 mph, produced 34 tornadoes, including one that passed through Richland County near LeMars.

Geography

Richland County lies at the southeastern corner of North Dakota. Its eastern boundary line abuts the western boundary line of the state of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

(across the Red River), and its southern boundary line abuts the northern boundary line of the state of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

. The Red River flows northerly along its eastern boundary line on its way to the

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

. The Wild Rice River flows easterly and then northerly through the county, discharging into the Red River north of Richland County, in Cass County. The Sheyenne River flows northeasterly through the NW corner of the county, also discharging into the Red in Cass County. The Richland County terrain is primarily flat, with rolling hills in the southwest and northwest. It is largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near its SW corner, 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 (0.67%) is water. It is the 18th largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

* Interstate 29 *

US 81 U.S. Route 81 or U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) is a major north–south U.S. highway that extends for in the central United States and is one of the original United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the American Association of Sta ...

* North Dakota Highway 11 * North Dakota Highway 13 * North Dakota Highway 18 * North Dakota Highway 27 * North Dakota Highway 46 * North Dakota Highway 127

Adjacent counties

* Cass County - north *

Clay County, Minnesota Clay County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,318, and was estimated to be 66,848 in 2024, Its county seat is Moorhead. Clay County is part of the Fargo, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistic ...

- northeast *

Wilkin County, Minnesota Wilkin County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Wilkin County was 6,506. Its county seat is Breckenridge, Minnesota, Breckenridge. The county ...

- east *

Traverse County, Minnesota Traverse County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,360, making it the least-populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat is Wheaton. The county was founded in 1862 and organized in 18 ...

- southeast *

Roberts County, South Dakota Roberts County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,280. Its county seat is Sisseton. The county was named either for S. G. Roberts of Fargo, North Dakota, or for Solomon Robar, an early ...

- south *

Marshall County, South Dakota Marshall County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,306. Its county seat is Britton, South Dakota, Britton. The county was created on May ...

- southwest * Sargent County - west * Ransom County - northwest

National protected area

* Sheyenne National Grassland (part)

Lakes

* Bisek Lake * Grass Lake * Gullys Slough * Kreiser Lake * Lueck Lake * Moran Lake * Park Lake * Silver Lake * Stacks Slough * Swan Lake * Willows Pond

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Richland County was $188,177. 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 6,764 estimated households in Richland County with an average of 2.24 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $72,524. Approximately 10.9% 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 ...

. Richland County has an estimated 65.3% employment rate, with 25.0% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 94.9% 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 (97.7%), Spanish (1.0%), Indo-European (0.9%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.2%), and Other (0.2%). The median age in the county was 38.0 years. Richland County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 16,658 people and 6,764 households residing in the county. There were 7,620 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% White ''(90.0% NH White)'', 1.3% African American, 3.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.7% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 16,529 people, 6,710 households, and 4,174 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 7,501 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.99%

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 ...

, 0.94%

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 ...

, 2.83% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.14%

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 ...

, 1.48% from some other races and 3.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.47% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 16,321 people, 6,651 households, and 4,171 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 7,503 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.01%

, 0.67%

, 2.02% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.06%

, 0.41% from some other races and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.66% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 53.0% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 31.2% were Norwegian, 7.0% were Irish, and 2.3% were American. There were 6,651 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% 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, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.3% 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 2.91. The median age was 39.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $47,131 and the median income for a family was $64,636. Males had a median income of $42,597 versus $28,284 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 $24,342. About 5.2% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the

, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.55,0.0,0.0) id:darkblue value:rgb(0.0,0.0,0.8) ImageSize = width:750 height:375 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:21008 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5252 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:2626 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1880 text:1880 bar:1890 text:1890 bar:1900 text:1900 bar:1910 text:1910 bar:1920 text:1920 bar:1930 text:1930 bar:1940 text:1940 bar:1950 text:1950 bar:1960 text:1960 bar:1970 text:1970 bar:1980 text:1980 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2010 text:2010 bar:2020 text:2020 bar:2024 text:present PlotData= color:barra width:25 align:left bar:1880 from: 0 till:3597 bar:1890 from: 0 till:10751 bar:1900 from: 0 till:17387 bar:1910 from: 0 till:19659 bar:1920 from: 0 till:20887 bar:1930 from: 0 till:21008 bar:1940 from: 0 till:20519 bar:1950 from: 0 till:19865 bar:1960 from: 0 till:18824 bar:1970 from: 0 till:18089 bar:1980 from: 0 till:19207 bar:1990 from: 0 till:18148 bar:2000 from: 0 till:17998 bar:2010 from: 0 till:16321 bar:2020 from: 0 till:16529 bar:2024 from: 0 till:16658 color:darkblue PlotData= bar:1880 at:3597 fontsize:M text:3,597 shift:(-16,6) bar:1890 at:10751 fontsize:M text:10,751 shift:(-16,6) bar:1900 at:17387 fontsize:M text:17,387 shift:(-16,6) bar:1910 at:19659 fontsize:M text:19,659 shift:(-16,6) bar:1920 at:20887 fontsize:M text:20,887 shift:(-16,6) bar:1930 at:21008 fontsize:M text:21,008 shift:(-16,6) bar:1940 at:20519 fontsize:M text:20,519 shift:(-16,6) bar:1950 at:19865 fontsize:M text:19,865 shift:(-16,6) bar:1960 at:18824 fontsize:M text:18,824 shift:(-16,6) bar:1970 at:18089 fontsize:M text:18,089 shift:(-16,6) bar:1980 at:19207 fontsize:M text:19,207 shift:(-16,6) bar:1990 at:18148 fontsize:M text:18,148 shift:(-16,6) bar:2000 at:17998 fontsize:M text:17,998 shift:(-16,6) bar:2010 at:16321 fontsize:M text:16,321 shift:(-16,6) bar:2020 at:16529 fontsize:M text:16,529 shift:(-16,6) bar:2024 at:16658 fontsize:M text:16,658 shift:(-16,6) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from U.S. Census Bureau

Communities

Cities

* Abercrombie * Barney * Christine * Colfax * Dwight * Fairmount * Great Bend * Hankinson * Lidgerwood * Mantador * Mooreton * Wahpeton (county seat) * Walcott * Wyndmere

Unincorporated communities

* Blackmer * Enloe * Galchutt * La Mars * Lithia * Tyler

Townships

* Abercrombie *

Antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

* Barney *

Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part ...

* Belford *

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

* Brightwood * Center * Colfax * Danton * Devillo *

Dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...

* Duerr * Dwight *

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

* Elma * Fairmount *

Freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

* Garborg * Grant * Greendale * Helendale * Homestead *

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

* LaMars * Liberty Grove * Lidgerwood * Mooreton * Moran *

Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and co-founded the ...

* Sheyenne *

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

* Walcott * Waldo * West End * Wyndmere

Politics

Richland County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

Education

School districts include:
Text list

2010 map

2010 text list
/ref> * Fairmount Public School District 18 * Hankinson Public School District 8 * Kindred Public School District 2 * Lidgerwood Public School District 28 * Richland Public School District 44 * Wahpeton Public School District 37 * Wyndmere Public School District 42 Circle of Nations Wahpeton Indian School is a tribally controlled school affiliated with the

Bureau of Indian Education The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs that directs and manages education functions. Formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs ...

(BIE).

References

External links

Richland County – official website

A history of Richland County and the city of Wahpeton ND (1938?)
from th
Digital Horizons website
* Richland County maps
Sheet 1
(northern) an
Sheet 2
(southern), ''North Dakota DOT'' {{Authority control Wahpeton micropolitan area 1873 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1873