Foster County, North Dakota


Foster County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,397, and was estimated to be 3,323 in 2024. The county seat and the largest city is Carrington.
WWW fostercounty.com

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with lands partitioned from Pembina County. It was named for George I. Foster, a pioneer and member of the Territorial legislature. Its governing structure was not completed at that time, and it was not attached to another county for administrative purposes. Its boundaries were altered in 1881, two times in 1883, and finally in 1885 its boundary was set at the present configuration. Its county organization was effected on October 11, 1883.

Geography

The James River flows south-southeastward through the central part of Foster County. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture, its eastern portion dotted with lakes and ponds. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is at its 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 52nd largest county and the second-smallest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Lakes

Source:
  • Blue Cloud Lake
  • Jack Lake
  • Juanita Lake
  • Lake Bonita
  • Lake George
  • Russell Lake

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Foster County was $172,495.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,515 estimated households in Foster County with an average of 2.16 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $83,412. Approximately 11.4% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Foster County has an estimated 67.5% employment rate, with 27.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.2% 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 43.3 years.
Foster County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Race / ethnicity Pop. 1980Pop. 1990Pop. 2000Pop. 2010
White alone 4,572
3,949
3,717
3,272
3,199
Black or African American alone 1
0
5
3
7
Native American or Alaska Native alone 18
22
16
20
18
Asian alone 5
2
0
3
13
Pacific Islander alone ——0
0
0
Other race alone 4
0
1
0
6
Mixed race or multiracial ——13
16
88
Hispanic or Latino 11
10
7
29
66
Total4,611
3,983
3,759
3,343
3,397

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 3,323 people and 1,515 households residing in the county. There were 1,790 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White , 1.0% African American, 1.7% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 1.3% 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 3,397 people, 1,458 households, and 924 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 1,773 housing units at an average density of.
Of the residents, 22.7% were under the age of 18 and 21.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 45.5 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.2 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 94.6% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.9% from some other race, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.9% of the population.
Of the 1,458 households in the county, 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,773 housing units, of which 17.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.8% were owner-occupied and 23.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 15.8%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,343 people, 1,495 households, and 930 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 1,801 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 98.44% White, 0.09% [African Americans|American (U.S. census)|African American], 0.60% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from some other races and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.87% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 54.2% were German, 35.9% were Norwegian, 9.8% were Irish, 5.8% were American, and 5.1% were Swedish.
There were 1,495 households, 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.8% were non-families, and 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 46.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,066 and the median income for a family was $55,278. Males had a median income of $40,076 versus $29,189 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,945. About 3.4% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade


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Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Government

The county is divided into 18 townships for certain aspects of governance.

Townships

Politics

Foster County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In only two national elections since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

Education

School districts include: