Mercer County, North Dakota


Mercer County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,350. and was estimated to be 8,348 in 2024. The county seat is Stanton and the largest city is Beulah.
WWW mercercountynd.com

History

The Dakota Territory legislature enacted a January 8, 1873 law to create a county named Mercer, whose boundaries would be identical to Pratt. This county did not come into existence, as the 1873 act was nullified on January 14, 1875, by the legislature. On that date the legislature created another Mercer County, from previously unorganized territory. The county was named for William Henry Harrison Mercer,, a rancher who settled north of Bismarck in 1869. The unorganized county was not attached to another county for judicial or administrative purposes; this condition continued until November 6, 1883, when the county government was organized.
The county boundaries were altered in 1879, 1881, 1885, 1892, and 1901. Its boundaries have remained unchanged since 1901.

Geography

The northern boundary of Mercer County is delineated by Lake Sakakawea, created in 1956 on the Missouri River. The county's eastern boundary is delineated by the river as it flows southeastward from the dam that created the lake. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the north and east; its highest point is near the midpoint of its southern boundary, 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 35th largest county in North Dakota by total area.
The southwestern corner counties of North Dakota observe Mountain Time. The counties of McKenzie, Dunn, and Sioux counties are split, with their northern portions observing Central Time and the southern portions observing Mountain Time.
Prior to November 7, 2010, the western portion of Mercer County was in Mountain Time. But it was all moved into the Central Time on that date.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Source:

Lake

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Mercer County was $207,885.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 3,594 estimated households in Mercer County with an average of 2.27 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $79,405. Approximately 8.1% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Mercer County has an estimated 55.5% employment rate, with 22.6% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 90.4% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries were English, Spanish, Indo-European, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Other.
Mercer County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Race / ethnicity Pop. 1980Pop. 1990Pop. 2000Pop. 2010
White alone 9,090
9,493
8,280
7,996
7,571
Black or African American alone 10
12
4
16
42
Native American or Alaska Native alone 207
224
172
174
193
Asian alone 19
36
22
27
43
Pacific Islander alone ——33
12
1
Other race alone 33
1
4
0
18
Mixed race or multiracial ——97
78
264
Hispanic or Latino 45
42
32
121
218
Total9,404
9,808
8,644
8,424
8,350

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 8,348 people and 3,594 households residing in the county. There were 4,685 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% White , 0.6% African American, 3.0% Native American, 0.8% 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 2.8% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,350 people, 3,475 households, and 2,339 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 23.9% were under the age of 18 and 20.1% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.5 males.
The population density was. There were 4,657 housing units at an average density of.
There were 3,475 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 17.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.3% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 2.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.9% from some other race, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.
Of the 4,657 housing units, 25.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.8% were owner-occupied and 17.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 35.1%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 8,424 people, 3,625 households, and 2,500 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 4,450 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 95.58% White, 0.20% [African Americans|American (U.S. census)|African American], 2.33% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from some other races and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.44% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 64.7% were German, 21.5% were Norwegian, 6.6% were Russian, 6.2% were Irish, and 2.2% were American.
There were 3,625 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age was 46.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $60,191 and the median income for a family was $71,075. Males had a median income of $63,321 versus $32,294 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,616. About 4.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade


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Communities

Cities

Politics

Mercer County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

Education

School districts include:
Elementary:
  • Twin Buttes Public School District 37
Stanton previously had a separate school district, but it merged with Center's in 2004.
Riverdale School District 89 had portions in Mercer County and in McLean County. The Associated Press described the district as "divided equally" between the counties. In 1993 members of the Riverdale School District school board voted to abolish their school district, with the Underwood and Hazen districts to obtain pieces of it.
Zap formerly had its own school district. In 1994 the district voted to dissolve.