Pierce County, North Dakota


Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,990, and was estimated to be 3,853 in 2024. The county seat and the largest city is Rugby.
WWW piercecountynd.gov

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on March 11, 1887, with areas partitioned from Bottineau, Rolette, McHenry and the now-extinct DeSmet counties. It was named for Gilbert A. Pierce, a Dakotas political figure. The county was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. It was attached to McHenry County on February 4, 1889, but that lasted only two months; on April 6 the county government was affected and the attachment to McHenry was terminated.
The county's boundaries were enlarged on November 8, 1892, when Church County was dissolved and a portion of its territory was annexed into Pierce.
The geographical center of North America is in Pierce County, approximately west of Balta. Rugby has a monument for the center at the intersection of US 2 and ND 3.

Geography

The North Fork of the Sheyenne River flows easterly through central Pierce County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture. The terrain generally slopes to the north and east, with its highest point a hill near the SW county 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 37th largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

Transit

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Source:

Lakes

Source:
  • Antelope Lakes
  • Aylmer Lake
  • Battema Lake
  • Buffalo Lake
  • Clear Lake
  • Davis Lake
  • Girard Lake
  • Goose Lake
  • Gunderson Lake
  • Guss Lake
  • Horseshoe Lake
  • Kilgore Lake
  • Lesmeister Lake
  • Long Lake
  • Petrified Lake
  • Ranch Lake
  • Round Lake
  • Sand Lake
  • Smoky Lake
  • Twin Lakes

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Pierce County was $151,940.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,840 estimated households in Pierce County with an average of 2.07 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $63,214. Approximately 11.0% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Pierce County has an estimated 59.9% employment rate, with 27.9% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.9% 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 44.3 years.
Pierce County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Race / ethnicity Pop. 1980Pop. 1990Pop. 2000Pop. 2010
White alone 6,079
5,011
4,584
4,084
3,611
Black or African American alone 0
2
4
19
36
Native American or Alaska Native alone 20
23
32
169
146
Asian alone 28
15
12
3
17
Pacific Islander alone ——0
1
5
Other race alone 14
0
0
4
10
Mixed race or multiracial ——15
33
93
Hispanic or Latino 25
1
28
44
72
Total6,166
5,052
4,675
4,357
3,990

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 3,853 people and 1,840 households residing in the county. There were 2,049 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 90.9% White , 0.8% African American, 5.1% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 1.8% 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 3,990 people, 1,719 households, and 1,041 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 2,040 housing units at an average density of.
Of the residents, 22.4% were under the age of 18 and 24.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 46.3 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.6 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.2% White, 1.0% Black or African American, 3.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from some other race, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.8% of the population.
There were 1,719 households in the county, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,040 housing units, of which 15.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.7% were owner-occupied and 21.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.3%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,357 people, 1,835 households, and 1,145 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 94.10% White, 0.46% [African Americans|American (U.S. census)|African American], 3.90% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from some other races and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.01% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 52.3% were German, 34.5% were Norwegian, 5.5% were Irish, and 2.0% were American.
Of the 1,835 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 46.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,091 and the median income for a family was $55,304. Males had a median income of $39,511 versus $21,811 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,575. About 6.4% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade


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Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Source:
  • Leverich
  • Silva
  • Tunbridge

Townships

  • Alexanter
  • Antelope Lake
  • Balta
  • Elling
  • Elverum
  • Hagel
  • Jefferson
  • Meyer
  • Ness
  • Reno Valley
  • Rush Lake
  • Torgerson
  • Truman
  • Tuscarora
  • White

Politics

Pierce County voters have tended to vote Republican for decades. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

Education

School districts include:
Former districts: