MarketBenson County, North Dakota
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Benson County, North Dakota

Benson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,964, and was estimated to be 5,759 in 2025. The county seat is Minnewaukan.

History
The county was created on March 9, 1883 by the Dakota Territory legislature, and was named for Bertil W. Benson, a Dakota Territory legislator at the time. The county government was organized on June 4, 1884, and its boundary lines were altered by two legislative actions in 1885. The White Horse Hill National Game Preserve and much of the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation is in the county. ==Geography==
Geography
Much of the east boundary line of Benson County is delineated by the shore of Devils Lake, a closed-capture lake which in an overflow condition spills into the Sheyenne River. The North Fork Sheyenne River flows southeasterly through the lower southwestern portion of the county. The terrain of Benson County consists of rolling hills dotted with lakes, ponds and drainages. The terrain slopes to the east, and its highest point is on the lower portion of its west boundary line, at ASL. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.53%) is water. It is the 19th largest county in North Dakota by total area. Adjacent countiesTowner County – north • Ramsey County – northeast • Nelson County – east • Eddy County – southeast • Wells County – southwest • Pierce County – west Major highwaysU.S. Highway 2U.S. Highway 281North Dakota Highway 19North Dakota Highway 20North Dakota Highway 57 Protected areasBuffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part) • Grahams Island State Park (part) • Pleasant Lake National Wildlife RefugeSilver Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part) • White Horse Hill National Game Preserve • Volk National Wildlife Refuge • Wood Lake National Wildlife Refuge • Wurgler National Wildlife Refuge Lakes • Broken Bone Lake • Cranberry Lake • Free Peoples Lake • Horseshoe Lake • Lake Murie • Lake Yri • Long Lake • Sand Lake • Shin Bone Lake • Spring Lake • Stink Lake • Stony Lake • Wood Lake ==Demographics==
Demographics
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Benson County was $88,049. As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,922 estimated households in Benson County with an average of 3.04 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $68,049. Approximately 22.7% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Benson County has an estimated 52.2% employment rate, with 22.1% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 88.5% holding a high school diploma. The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (91.9%), Spanish (1.1%), Indo-European (0.6%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.6%), and Other (5.8%). The median age in the county was 32.4 years. Benson County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition 2024 estimate As of the 2024 estimate, there were 5,756 people and 1,922 households residing in the county. There were 2,549 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 43.7% White (43.2% NH White), 0.5% African American, '''''', 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.0% of the population. 2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 5,964 people, 2,015 households, and 1,364 families residing in the county. The population density was and there were 2,542 housing units at an average density of . Of the residents, 34.2% were under the age of 18 and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 33.0 years. For every 100 females there were 106.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.4 males. There were 2,015 households in the county, of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Among the 2,542 housing units, 20.7% were vacant. Of the occupied units, 71.6% were owner-occupied and 28.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.4%. 2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 6,660 people, 2,233 households, and 1,628 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 2,950 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 43.38% White, 0.02% African American, ' Native American (U.S. Census)|', 0.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from some other races and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.16% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.0% were Norwegian, 18.0% were German, 5.0% were Irish, and 0.6% were American. Of the 2,233 households, 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.1% were non-families, and 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.46. The median age was 31.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $30,479 and the median income for a family was $34,597. Males had a median income of $31,729 versus $25,253 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,545. About 26.1% of families and 35.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over. Population by decade Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.55,0.0,0.0) ImageSize = width:750 height:375 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:13328 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:3332 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1666 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1890 text:1890 bar:1900 text:1900 bar:1910 text:1910 bar:1920 text:1920 bar:1930 text:1930 bar:1940 text:1940 bar:1950 text:1950 bar:1960 text:1960 bar:1970 text:1970 bar:1980 text:1980 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2010 text:2010 bar:2020 text:2020 bar:2025 text:present PlotData= color:barra width:25 align:left bar:1890 from: 0 till:2460 bar:1900 from: 0 till:8320 bar:1910 from: 0 till:12681 bar:1920 from: 0 till:13095 bar:1930 from: 0 till:13327 bar:1940 from: 0 till:12629 bar:1950 from: 0 till:10675 bar:1960 from: 0 till:9435 bar:1970 from: 0 till:8245 bar:1980 from: 0 till:7944 bar:1990 from: 0 till:7198 bar:2000 from: 0 till:6964 bar:2010 from: 0 till:6660 bar:2020 from: 0 till:5964 bar:2025 from: 0 till:5759 color:darkblue PlotData= bar:1890 at:2460 fontsize:M text: 2,460 shift:(-16,6) bar:1900 at:8320 fontsize:M text: 8,320 shift:(-16,6) bar:1910 at:12681 fontsize:M text: 12,681 shift:(-16,6) bar:1920 at:13095 fontsize:M text: 13,095 shift:(-16,6) bar:1930 at:13327 fontsize:M text: 13,327 shift:(-16,6) bar:1940 at:12629 fontsize:M text: 12,629 shift:(-16,6) bar:1950 at:10675 fontsize:M text: 10,675 shift:(-16,6) bar:1960 at:9435 fontsize:M text: 9,435 shift:(-16,6) bar:1970 at:8245 fontsize:M text: 8,245 shift:(-16,6) bar:1980 at:7944 fontsize:M text: 7,944 shift:(-16,6) bar:1990 at:7198 fontsize:M text: 7,198 shift:(-16,6) bar:2000 at:6964 fontsize:M text: 6,964 shift:(-16,6) bar:2010 at:6660 fontsize:M text: 6,660 shift:(-16,6) bar:2020 at:5964 fontsize:M text: 5,964 shift:(-16,6) bar:2025 at:5759 fontsize:M text: 5,759 shift:(-16,6) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from U.S. Census Bureau ==Communities==
Communities
Cities and CDPs have population included as of 2020, and townships have the population as of 2020. The largest community by far is Fort Totten, followed by Leeds, Maddock and the county seat, Minnewaukan. There are nine cities in the county. The largest township by a 60% margin is Mission (935), which is on the south shore of Devils Lake and is popular for vacationing, as well as gambling at the Spirit Lake Casino and Resort. It is within the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. It is followed by Wood Lake Township (471), immediately to the south of Mission Township and also included in the reservation. The third largest is Lallie Township (325), to the west of Fort Totten on the south shore of Devils Lake and within the reservation. CitiesBrinsmadeEsmondKnoxLeedsMaddockMinnewaukan (county seat) • OberonWarwickYork Census-designated placeFort Totten Unincorporated communitiesBakerFillmoreFloraHarlowHesperIsabelJosephineLallieNilesPleasant LakeSaint MichaelTokio TownshipsAlbertArneAuroraBeaverBroeButte ValleyEast ForkEldonEsmondHesperImparkIowaIrvineIsabelKnoxLake IbsenLallieLeedsLohnesMcClellanMincoMissionNormaniaNorth VikingOberonPleasant LakeRich ValleyRigginRockSouth VikingTwin LakeTwin TreeWarwickWest AntelopeWest BayWood LakeYork ==Politics==
Politics
Typical of many counties in the state where a significant share of the population is Native American, Benson County used to lean Democratic in presidential elections. Prior to 2020, no Republican candidate had won the majority of the county's votes since Ronald Reagan in 1984. However, George W. Bush in 2000 & Donald Trump in 2016 both won a plurality of the county's votes. In 2020, Trump won a majority of the county's votes, gaining nearly 56% of the county's votes, and in 2024 he further increased his vote share, gaining over 58% of the votes. ==Education==
Education
School districts include: K-12: • Dakota Prairie Public School District 1 • Devils Lake Public School District 1Fort Totten Public School District 30 • Harvey Public School District 38 • Leeds Public School District 6 • Maddock Public School District 9 • Minnewaukan Public School District 5 • New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School District 2 • North Star School DistrictRugby Public School District 5Warwick Public School District 29 Elementary districts: • Oberon Public School District 16 ==See also==
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