Dickey County, North Dakota


Dickey County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,999 and was estimated to be 4,930 in 2024. The county seat is Ellendale and the largest city is Oakes.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created Dickey County on March 5, 1881, with territories annexed from McPherson County, South Dakota; and Ransom County, North Dakota with some previously unorganized territories added. It was organized on August 18, 1882. It was named for a member of the Territorial Legislature, George H. Dickey.

Geography

Dickey County lies on the south side of North Dakota. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of South Dakota. The James River flows south-southeasterly through the east part of the county, and the Maple River flows south-southeasterly through the center part of the county. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds in its western portion, with the area devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point being a hill near the southwestern corner 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 31st largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

Source:
  • Hilles Lake
  • Pheasant Lake

    Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Dickey County was $177,052. As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,953 estimated households in Dickey County with an average of 2.37 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $63,125. Approximately 11.5% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Dickey County has an estimated 66.1% employment rate, with 27.1% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.4% 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 38.6 years.
Dickey County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Race / ethnicity Pop. 1980Pop. 1990Pop. 2000Pop. 2010
White alone 7,134
6,032
5,584
5,044
4,572
Black or African American alone 1
8
6
35
19
Native American or Alaska Native alone 11
21
20
30
26
Asian alone 27
13
29
22
27
Pacific Islander alone ——0
1
0
Other race alone 12
0
1
1
17
Mixed race or multiracial ——39
56
139
Hispanic or Latino 22
33
78
100
199
Total7,207
6,107
5,757
5,289
4,999

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 4,930 people and 1,953 households residing in the county. There were 2,392 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 94.7% White , 0.8% African American, 1.4% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.2% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 4,999 people, 1,985 households, and 1,249 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 24.5% were under the age of 18 and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.5 males. The population density was. The 2,383 housing units had an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 92.6% White, 0.6% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from some other races and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.0% of the population. There were 1,985 households in the county, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of the housing units, 16.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.7% were owner-occupied and 25.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.3%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,289 people, 2,180 households, and 1,379 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 2,636 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 96.50% White, 0.70% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from some other races and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.89% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 56.3% were German, 16.9% were Norwegian, 11.4% were Irish, 7.4% were Swedish, 5.1% were Russian, and 1.1% were American.
Of 2,180 households in the county, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.7% were non-families, and 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 43.0 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,179 and the median income for a family was $53,333. Males had a median income of $36,029 versus $25,625 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,824. About 6.8% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade


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Communities

Cities

Source:

Townships

Administration of certain aspects of county government in North Dakota are assigned to subsidiary townships.