Barnes County, North Dakota


Barnes County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,853, and was estimated to be 10,798 in 2024, The county seat and the largest city is Valley City.

History

In 1872–1873, the territorial legislature as Burbank County, being named for John A. Burbank, governor of the Dakota Territory from 1869 to 1873. It was renamed at the 1874–1875 session for Judge Alanson H. Barnes, associate justice assigned to the northern half of the territory. Government organized: January 6, 1879. County Seat: Valley City, 1879–present.

Geography

The Sheyenne River flows southerly through the central part of Barnes County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, carved with drainages, and dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is on its upper west boundary line, at ASL.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the 15th largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Barnes County was $178,111. As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 4,852 estimated households in Barnes County with an average of 2.09 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $70,230. Approximately 11.5% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Barnes County has an estimated 62.4% employment rate, with 30.0% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 95.3% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries were English, Spanish, Indo-European, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Other. The median age in the county was 42.9 years.
Barnes County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Race / ethnicity Pop. 1980Pop. 1990Pop. 2000Pop. 2010
White alone 13,846
12,389
11,477
10,599
9,964
Black or African American alone 17
27
53
83
177
Native American or Alaska Native alone 47
57
90
71
92
Asian alone 19
38
22
58
69
Pacific Islander alone ——0
1
2
Other race alone 3
0
2
1
24
Mixed race or multiracial ——67
130
340
Hispanic or Latino 28
34
64
123
185
Total13,960
12,545
11,775
11,066
10,853

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 10,798 people and 4,852 households residing in the county. There were 5,719 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 92.5% White , 2.2% African American, 1.7% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.1% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 10,853 people, 4,772 households, and 2,751 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of, of which 15.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.0% were owner-occupied and 32.0% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.8%.
Of the residents, 19.5% were under the age of 18 and 22.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.0 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% White, 1.7% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.7% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.
Of the 4,772 households, 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,066 people, 4,826 households, and 2,927 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 5,704 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 96.40% White, 0.78% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from some other races and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.11% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 48.4% were German, 37.2% were Norwegian, 8.3% were Irish, 5.2% were English, and 2.7% were American.
Of the 4,826 households, 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.3% were non-families, and 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 44.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,773 and the median income for a family was $59,558. Males had a median income of $42,575 versus $30,361 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,152. About 6.4% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade


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