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.

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

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 counties

Towner County – north
Ramsey County – northeast
Nelson County – east
Eddy County – southeast
Wells County – southwest
Pierce County – west

Major highways

25px U.S. Highway 2
25px U.S. Highway 281
25px North Dakota Highway 19
25px North Dakota Highway 20
25px North Dakota Highway 57

Protected areas

Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Grahams Island State Park (part)
Pleasant Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Silver Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve
Volk National Wildlife Refuge

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|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020 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

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 95%;"

! Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic)

! Pop. 1980 !! Pop. 1990 !! Pop. 2000 !! Pop. 2010 !!

| White alone (NH)

| 5,606 (70.57%) || 4,408 (61.24%) || 3,533 (50.73%) || 2,861 (42.96%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |2,532 (42.45%)

| Black or African American alone (NH)

| 1 (0.01%) || 0 (0.00%) || 7 (0.10%) || 1 (0.02%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |2 (0.03%)

|- style='background: #F4A460;

| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

| 2,309 (29.07%) || 2,760 (38.34%) || 3,312 (47.56%) || 3,631 (54.52%) || 3,190 (53.49%)

| Asian alone (NH)

| 1 (0.01%) || 3 (0.04%) || 1 (0.01%) || 3 (0.05%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |7 (0.12%)

| Pacific Islander alone (NH)

| — || — || 1 (0.01%) || 1 (0.02%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |0 (0.00%)

| Other race alone (NH)

| 0 (0.00%) || 3 (0.04%) || 0 (0.00%) || 0 (0.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |1 (0.02%)

| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)

| — || — || 55 (0.79%) || 86 (1.29%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |143 (2.40%)

| Hispanic or Latino (any race)

| 27 (0.34%) || 24 (0.33%) || 55 (0.79%) || 77 (1.16%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |89 (1.49%)

| Total

| 7,944 (100.00%) || 7,198 (100.00%) || 6,964 (100.00%) || 6,660 (100.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |5,964 (100.00%)

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.

Education

School districts include:

K-12:

Dakota Prairie Public School District 1
Devils Lake Public School District 1
Fort 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 District
Rugby Public School District 5
Warwick Public School District 29

Elementary districts:

Oberon Public School District 16

References

External links

Benson County– official website
Benson County maps, Sheet 1 (eastern) and Sheet 2 (western), North Dakota DOT