Dickey County, North Dakota

Dickey County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,999 and was estimated to be 4,895 in 2025.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created Dickey County on March 5, 1881, with territories annexed from McPherson County, South Dakota; and Ransom County, North Dakota with some previously unorganized territories added. It was organized on August 18, 1882. It was named for a member of the Territorial Legislature, George H. Dickey.

Geography

Dickey County lies on the south side of North Dakota. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of South Dakota. The James River flows south-southeasterly through the east part of the county, and the Maple River flows south-southeasterly through the center part of the county. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds in its western portion, with the area devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point being a hill near the southwestern corner at ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.93%) is water. It is the 31st largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

25px U.S. Highway 281
25px North Dakota Highway 1
25px North Dakota Highway 11
25px North Dakota Highway 13
25px North Dakota Highway 56

Adjacent counties

LaMoure County - north
Ransom County - northeast
Sargent County - east
Brown County, South Dakota - south
McPherson County, South Dakota - southwest
McIntosh County - west

National protected areas

Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Maple River National Wildlife Refuge

Lakes

Source: As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,953 estimated households in Dickey County with an average of 2.37 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $63,125. Approximately 11.5% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Dickey County has an estimated 66.1% employment rate, with 27.1% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.4% 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 (94.5%), Spanish (1.9%), Indo-European (2.9%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.6%), and Other (0.0%). The median age in the county was 38.6 years.

Dickey 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)

| 7,134 (98.99%) || 6,032 (98.77%) || 5,584 (96.99%) || 5,044 (95.37%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |4,572 (91.46%)

| Black or African American alone (NH)

| 1 (0.01%) || 8 (0.13%) || 6 (0.10%) || 35 (0.66%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |19 (0.38%)

| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

| 11 (0.15%) || 21 (0.34%) || 20 (0.35%) || 30 (0.57%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |26 (0.52%)

| Asian alone (NH)

| 27 (0.37%) || 13 (0.21%) || 29 (0.50%) || 22 (0.42%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |27 (0.54%)

| Pacific Islander alone (NH)

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

| Other race alone (NH)

| 12 (0.17%) || 0 (0.00%) || 1 (0.02%) || 1 (0.02%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |17 (0.34%)

| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)

| — || — || 39 (0.68%) || 56 (1.06%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |139 (2.78%)

| Hispanic or Latino (any race)

| 22 (0.31%) || 33 (0.54%) || 78 (1.35%) || 100 (1.89%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |199 (3.98%)

| Total

| 7,207 (100.00%) || 6,107 (100.00%) || 5,757 (100.00%) || 5,289 (100.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |4,999 (100.00%)

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 4,930 people and 1,953 households residing in the county. There were 2,392 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.7% White (91.5% NH White), 0.8% African American, 1.4% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.2% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 4,999 people, 1,985 households, and 1,249 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 24.5% were under the age of 18 and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.5 males. The population density was . The 2,383 housing units had an average density of . There were 1,985 households in the county, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Education

School districts include:

Ashley Public School District 9
Edgeley Public School District 3
Ellendale Public School District 40
Kulm Public School District 7
LaMoure Public School District 8
Oakes Public School District 41

References

External links

Dickey County – official website
Dickey County map, North Dakota DOT