Stark County, ND
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Stark 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
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 ...
of
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 33,646, and was estimated to be 33,767 in 2024, making it the 7th-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 Dickinson. Stark County is part of the Dickinson, North Dakota micropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the Dickinson Micro Area had a population of 38,686 (a July 1, 2024 estimate placed the population at 38,861) in Billings, Dunn, and Stark Counties.


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 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 The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...
. 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 Hettinger County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,489. Its county seat is Mott. The city of Hettinger, North Dakota is not located in Hettinger County North Dakota but located in ...
was created on March 9, 1883. On May 25, 1883, the Stark County organization was affected. 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.


Geography

The 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. The terrain slopes to the 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 (0.40%) is water. It is the 21st largest county in North Dakota by total area. The southwestern counties of North Dakota (Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope, Stark) observe
Mountain Time The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The clo ...
. The counties of McKenzie, Dunn, and Sioux counties are split.


Major highways

* * * *


Transit

* Dickinson Public Transit *
Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...
* West River Transit


Adjacent counties

* Dunn County – north/Central Time in the north part of the county * Mercer County – northeast/Central Time * Morton County – east/Central Time *
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 ...
– southeast/Central Time *
Hettinger County Hettinger County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,489. Its county seat is Mott. The city of Hettinger, North Dakota is not located in Hettinger County North Dakota but located in ...
– south * Slope County – southwest *
Billings County Billings County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 945, and was estimated to be 1,063 in 2024, making it the second-least populous county in North Dakota. The county seat and only incorpora ...
– west


Lakes

* Abbey Lake * Patterson Lake


Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Stark County was $275,908. 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 13,217 estimated households in Stark County with an average of 2.44 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $80,744. Approximately 9.6% 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 ...
. Stark County has an estimated 68.2% employment rate, with 27.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.2% 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 (92.2%), Spanish (3.7%), Indo-European (1.8%), Asian and Pacific Islander (1.1%), and Other (1.2%). The median age in the county was 34.5 years. Stark County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition


2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 33,767 people and 13,217 households residing in the county. There were 15,645 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.2% White ''(85.0% NH White)'', 2.6% African American, 2.2% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.5% of the population.


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 33,646 people, 13,561 households, and 8,394 families 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 15,381 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 85.97%
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 ...
, 3.12%
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 ...
, 1.39% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.17%
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 ...
, 2.76% from some other races and 5.54% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...
people of any race were 6.76% of the population.


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 24,199 people, 10,085 households, and 6,167 families in the county. The population density was . There were 10,735 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.15%
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 ...
, 0.81%
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 ...
, 0.99% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.04%
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 ...
, 0.52% from some other races and 1.28% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...
people of any race were 1.88% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 59.0% 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 ...
, 14.7% were Norwegian, 7.7% were
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
, 7.7% were Irish, 7.3% were
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
, 5.4% were English, and 3.5% 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, p ...
. There were 10,085 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% 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, 7.4% 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 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 $25,282. About 5.9% of families and 10.0% 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 12.9% of those under age 18 and 13.1% 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:33768 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:8442 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:4221 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= 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:1890 from: 0 till:2304 bar:1900 from: 0 till:7621 bar:1910 from: 0 till:12504 bar:1920 from: 0 till:13542 bar:1930 from: 0 till:15340 bar:1940 from: 0 till:15414 bar:1950 from: 0 till:16137 bar:1960 from: 0 till:18451 bar:1970 from: 0 till:19613 bar:1980 from: 0 till:23697 bar:1990 from: 0 till:22832 bar:2000 from: 0 till:22636 bar:2010 from: 0 till:24199 bar:2020 from: 0 till:33646 bar:2024 from: 0 till:33767 color:darkblue PlotData= bar:1890 at:2304 fontsize:M text:2,304 shift:(-16,6) bar:1900 at:7621 fontsize:M text:7,621 shift:(-16,6) bar:1910 at:12504 fontsize:M text:12,504 shift:(-16,6) bar:1920 at:13542 fontsize:M text:13,542 shift:(-16,6) bar:1930 at:15340 fontsize:M text:15,340 shift:(-16,6) bar:1940 at:15414 fontsize:M text:15,414 shift:(-16,6) bar:1950 at:16137 fontsize:M text:16,137 shift:(-16,6) bar:1960 at:18451 fontsize:M text:18,451 shift:(-16,6) bar:1970 at:19613 fontsize:M text:19,613 shift:(-16,6) bar:1980 at:23697 fontsize:M text:23,697 shift:(-16,6) bar:1990 at:22832 fontsize:M text:22,832 shift:(-16,6) bar:2000 at:22636 fontsize:M text:22,636 shift:(-16,6) bar:2010 at:24199 fontsize:M text:24,199 shift:(-16,6) bar:2020 at:33646 fontsize:M text:33,646 shift:(-16,6) bar:2024 at:33767 fontsize:M text:33,767 shift:(-16,6) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from U.S. Census Bureau


Communities


Cities

* Belfield * Dickinson (county seat) *
Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
* Richardton * South Heart *
Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) ...


Unincorporated communities

* Antelope * Daglum * Lefor * Schefield *
Zenith The zenith (, ) is the imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly "above" a particular location. "Above" means in the vertical direction (Vertical and horizontal, plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location (nadir). The z ...


Unorganized Territories

There are no townships in Stark County, but 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 ...
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. * Dickinson South, the southern part of the county, had a population of 577 at the 2020 Census. * East Stark, the eastern part of the county outside Gladstone, Taylor, and Richardton, had a population of 849 at the 2020 Census. * West Stark, the western part of the county outside Belfield and South Heart, had a population of 632 at the 2020 Census.


Politics

Stark 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.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Stark County, North Dakota


References


External links


Stark County, ND
official website * Stark County maps
Sheet 1
(eastern) an
Sheet 2
(western), ''North Dakota DOT'' {{Authority control Dickinson, North Dakota micropolitan area 1883 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1883