Stark County, North Dakota

County in North Dakota, United States

U.S. county in North Dakota

Stark County

U.S. county

Stark County Courthouse in Dickinson

Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota

North Dakota's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  North Dakota
Founded| February 10, 1879 (created)
May 25, 1883 (organized)
Named for| George Stark
Seat| Dickinson
Largest city| Dickinson
Area

• Total| 1,340 sq mi (3,500 km2)
• Land| 1,335 sq mi (3,460 km2)
• Water| 5.5 sq mi (14 km2)  0.4%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 33,646
• Estimate

(2021)

| 33,046
• Density| 25/sq mi (9.7/km2)
Time zone| UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district| At-large
Website| www.starkcountynd.gov

Stark County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,646.[1] Its county seat is Dickinson.[2]

Stark County is part of the Dickinson, ND Micropolitan Statistical Area.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Major highways
* 2.2 Adjacent counties
* 2.3 Lakes[7]
* 3 Demographics
* 3.1 2000 census
* 3.2 2010 census
* 4 Communities
* 4.1 Cities
* 4.2 Unincorporated communities[7]
* 4.3 Unorganized Territories
* 5 Politics
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## History

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The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on February 10, 1879, taking area from now-extinct Howard and Williams counties and some previously unincorporated territory. It was named for George Stark, a vice president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.[3] The county organization was not completed at that time, but the new county was not attached to another county for administrative and judicial purposes. The county lost a portion of its area when Hettinger County was created on March 9, 1883. On May 25, 1883, the Stark County organization was effected.

The county boundaries were altered in February and in March 1887. The county was slightly enlarged on January 18, 1908, by a small strip of land (due to a redefinition of county boundary lines), giving Stark County its present boundary lines.[4][5][6]

## Geography

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The south branch of the Heart River flows through the central part of Stark County, discharging into Patterson Lake at Dickinson, then flowing east-southeasterly into adjacent Morton County. The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture.[7] The terrain slopes to the east, with its highest point near its SW corner, at 2,831' (863m) ASL.[8] The county has a total area of 1,340 square miles (3,500 km2), of which 1,335 square miles (3,460 km2) is land and 5.5 square miles (14 km2) (0.4%) is water.[9]

The southwestern counties of North Dakota (Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope, Stark) observe Mountain Time. The counties of McKenzie, Dunn, and Sioux counties are split.

### Major highways

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* Interstate 94
* U.S. Highway 85
* North Dakota Highway 8
* North Dakota Highway 22

### Adjacent counties

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* Dunn County \- north/Central Time in the north part of the county
* Mercer County \- northeast/Central Time
* Morton County \- east/Central Time
* Grant County \- southeast/Central Time
* Hettinger County \- south
* Slope County \- southwest
* Billings County \- west

### Lakes[7]

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* Abbey Lake
* Patterson Lake

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1890| 2,304| | —
1900| 7,621| | 230.8%
1910| 12,504| | 64.1%
1920| 13,542| | 8.3%
1930| 15,340| | 13.3%
1940| 15,414| | 0.5%
1950| 16,137| | 4.7%
1960| 18,451| | 14.3%
1970| 19,613| | 6.3%
1980| 23,697| | 20.8%
1990| 22,832| | −3.7%
2000| 22,636| | −0.9%
2010| 24,199| | 6.9%
2020| 33,646| | 39.0%
2021 (est.)| 33,046| | −1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[1]

### 2000 census

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As of the 2000 census, there were 22,636 people, 8,932 households, and 5,877 families in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (7/km2). There were 9,722 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.52% White, 0.23% Black or African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 57.9% were of German and 10.6% Norwegian ancestry.

There were 8,932 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.

The county population contained 25.5% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,526, and the median income for a family was $41,527. Males had a median income of $30,474 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,929. About 7.9% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

### 2010 census

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As of the 2010 census, there were 24,199 people, 10,085 households, and 6,167 families in the county.[14] The population density was 18.1 inhabitants per square mile (7.0/km2). There were 10,735 housing units at an average density of 8.0 per square mile (3.1/km2).[15] The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% white, 1.2% Asian, 1.0% American Indian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population.[14] In terms of ancestry, 59.0% were German, 14.7% were Norwegian, 7.7% were Russian, 7.7% were Irish, 7.3% were Czech, 5.4% were English, and 3.5% were American.[16]

Of the 10,085 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.8% were non-families, and 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 38.3 years.[14]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,536 and the median income for a family was $62,560. Males had a median income of $42,338 versus $26,451 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,282. About 5.9% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.[17]

## Communities

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### Cities

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* Belfield
* Dickinson (county seat)
* Gladstone
* Richardton
* South Heart
* Taylor

### Unincorporated communities[7]

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* Antelope
* Daglum
* Lefor
* Schefield
* Zenith

### Unorganized Territories

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There are no townships in Stark County, but the United States Census Bureau divides the county into four unorganized territories:

* Dickinson North, the northern part of the county outside Dickinson, had a population of 3,326 at the 2020 Census.[18]
* Dickinson South, the southern part of the county, had a population of 577 at the 2020 Census.[19]
* East Stark, the eastern part of the county outside Gladstone, Taylor, and Richardton, had a population of 849 at the 2020 Census.[20]
* West Stark, the western part of the county outside Belfield and South Heart, had a population of 632 at the 2020 Census.[21]

## Politics

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Stark County voters have tended to vote Republican for decades. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).

United States presidential election results for Stark County, North Dakota[22] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 12,110  | 80.47% | 2,499  | 16.60%  | 441  | 2.93%
2016 | 9,755  | 79.17% | 1,753  | 14.23%  | 814  | 6.61%
2012 | 8,521  | 73.25% | 2,812  | 24.17%  | 300  | 2.58%
2008 | 7,024  | 63.13% | 3,802  | 34.17%  | 301  | 2.71%
2004 | 7,220  | 69.42% | 3,013  | 28.97%  | 167  | 1.61%
2000 | 6,387  | 65.33% | 2,784  | 28.47%  | 606  | 6.20%
1996 | 4,086  | 46.94% | 3,095  | 35.55%  | 1,524  | 17.51%
1992 | 4,491  | 42.06% | 3,003  | 28.12%  | 3,184  | 29.82%
1988 | 6,137  | 61.35% | 3,678  | 36.77%  | 188  | 1.88%
1984 | 7,641  | 71.15% | 2,759  | 25.69%  | 340  | 3.17%
1980 | 6,312  | 70.11% | 2,016  | 22.39%  | 675  | 7.50%
1976 | 4,374  | 49.93% | 4,076  | 46.53%  | 310  | 3.54%
1972 | 5,115  | 62.91% | 2,636  | 32.42%  | 380  | 4.67%
1968 | 4,365  | 58.64% | 2,577  | 34.62%  | 502  | 6.74%
1964 | 2,888  | 40.33%  | 4,270  | 59.63% | 3  | 0.04%
1960 | 3,223  | 43.43%  | 4,197  | 56.56% | 1  | 0.01%
1956 | 4,251  | 70.38% | 1,778  | 29.44%  | 11  | 0.18%
1952 | 5,322  | 79.58% | 1,332  | 19.92%  | 34  | 0.51%
1948 | 3,222  | 60.15% | 2,017  | 37.65%  | 118  | 2.20%
1944 | 2,852  | 64.85% | 1,534  | 34.88%  | 12  | 0.27%
1940 | 4,367  | 67.63% | 2,075  | 32.14%  | 15  | 0.23%
1936 | 1,602  | 26.10%  | 4,012  | 65.35% | 525  | 8.55%
1932 | 1,443  | 23.17%  | 4,786  | 76.83% | 0  | 0.00%
1928 | 1,924  | 37.28%  | 3,231  | 62.60% | 6  | 0.12%
1924 | 2,130  | 50.58% | 266  | 6.32%  | 1,815  | 43.10%
1920 | 3,526  | 86.23% | 532  | 13.01%  | 31  | 0.76%
1916 | 1,409  | 58.10% | 953  | 39.30%  | 63  | 2.60%
1912 | 387  | 22.40%  | 678  | 39.24% | 663  | 38.37%
1908 | 922  | 63.76% | 496  | 34.30%  | 28  | 1.94%
1904 | 703  | 73.92% | 231  | 24.29%  | 17  | 1.79%
1900 | 780  | 64.20% | 426  | 35.06%  | 9  | 0.74%

## See also

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* National Register of Historic Places listings in Stark County, North Dakota

## References

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1. ^ a b "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Stark County, North Dakota". www.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Beatty, Michael A. (May 17, 2001). County Name Origins of the United States. McFarland. ISBN 9780786410255 - via Google Books.
4. ^ "County History". North Dakota.gov. The State of North Dakota. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
5. ^ Long, John H. (2006). "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
6. ^ Long, John H. (2006). "North Dakota: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries". North Dakota Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. Archived from the original on November 27, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
7. ^ a b c "Stark County". Stark County.
8. ^ ""Find an Altitude/Stark County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 20, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
9. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
10. ^ "United States Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
12. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (April 20, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
13. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
14. ^ a b c "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
15. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
16. ^ "Selected Social Characteristics in the US – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
17. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
18. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
19. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
20. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
21. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
22. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.

## External links

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* Stark County, ND official website
* Stark County maps, Sheet 1 (eastern) and Sheet 2 (western), North Dakota DOT

Places adjacent to Stark County, North Dakota

|  | Dunn County | Mercer County

|
|

|  |
Billings County |

Stark County, North Dakota

| Morton County
|  |
Slope County | Hettinger County | Grant County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Stark County, North Dakota, United States

County seat: Dickinson

Cities|

* Belfield
* Dickinson
* Gladstone
* Richardton
* South Heart
* Taylor

Map of North Dakota highlighting Stark County

Unincorporated
communities|

* Lefor
* Zenith

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of North Dakota

Bismarck (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Climate
* Colleges and universities
* Cuisine
* Delegations
* Geography
* Governors
* History
* Bibliography
* Islands
* LGBT history
* Music
* People
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions

Society|

* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Politics

Regions|

* Badlands
* Missouri Coteau
* Drift Prairie
* Red River Valley
* Turtle Mountains

Larger cities
pop. over 5,000|

* Bismarck
* Devils Lake
* Dickinson
* Fargo
* Grand Forks
* Jamestown
* Mandan
* Minot
* Valley City
* Wahpeton
* Watford City
* West Fargo
* Williston

Smaller cities
pop. 1,000–5,000|

* Beach
* Beulah
* Bottineau
* Bowman
* Burlington
* Cando
* Carrington
* Casselton
* Cavalier
* Cooperstown
* Crosby
* Ellendale
* Garrison
* Grafton
* Hankinson
* Harvey
* Hazen
* Hettinger
* Hillsboro
* Horace
* Kenmare
* Langdon
* Larimore
* Lincoln
* Linton
* Lisbon
* Mayville
* New Rockford
* New Town
* Oakes
* Park River
* Rolla
* Rugby
* Stanley
* Thompson
* Tioga
* Velva
* Walhalla
* Washburn
* Watford City
* Wishek

Counties|

* Adams
* Barnes
* Benson
* Billings
* Bottineau
* Bowman
* Burke
* Burleigh
* Cass
* Cavalier
* Dickey
* Divide
* Dunn
* Eddy
* Emmons
* Foster
* Golden Valley
* Grand Forks
* Grant
* Griggs
* Hettinger
* Kidder
* LaMoure
* Logan
* McHenry
* McIntosh
* McKenzie
* McLean
* Mercer
* Morton
* Mountrail
* Nelson
* Oliver
* Pembina
* Pierce
* Ramsey
* Ransom
* Renville
* Richland
* Rolette
* Sargent
* Sheridan
* Sioux
* Slope
* Stark
* Steele
* Stutsman
* Towner
* Traill
* Walsh
* Ward
* Wells
* Williams

Coordinates: 46°49′N 102°40′W﻿ / ﻿46.81°N 102.66°W﻿ / 46.81; -102.66
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*[%±]: Percent change
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