Dunn County, North Dakota

Dunn County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,095, and was estimated to be 4,058 in 2025.

History

On March 9, 1883, the Dakota Territory legislature authorized the creation of a new county, using territory partitioned from Howard County (which is now extinct). The county organization was not affected at that time, but the county was not attached to another county for judicial purposes.

The county boundaries were altered in 1883, and on November 3, 1896, the legislature ordered Dunn dissolved, with its territory assigned to Stark County. However, the state supreme court overturned the legislature's act on May 24, 1901; in effect re-creating Dunn County. The county was still not assigned to another county. This was resolved on March 10, 1903, when the county was assigned to Stark County for judicial purposes.

On March 13, 1903, the legislature again voted to dissolve Dunn County, but again (during the 1905 session) the state supreme court voided the act. Dunn County continued to be attached to Stark County. However, on January 18, 1908, the county organization was affected, and Dunn became a standalone county. In the process, Dunn gained a tract of previously unattached land from Stark County, enlarging its boundary. The configuration thus created has remained to the present. The county was named for John Piatt Dunn, who opened the first drugstore in North Dakota, and who was a civic and commercial leader during the early history of Bismarck.

Geography

The Missouri River flows southeasterly along the northeastern boundary of Dunn County, and the Little Missouri River flows eastward across the center part of the county, to its confluence with the Missouri in the northeastern part of the county. The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, which are etched in the north and east by gullies and drainages to the river valleys. The terrain slopes to the east and north; its highest point is a hill at the southwestern corner, 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 6th largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Dunn County is somewhat unusual among western North Dakota counties. Like other counties in the region, it has both prairie and badlands areas. Located in the northwest part of the county are the Killdeer Mountains, which are more accurately described as hills. These hills help create a mini-ecosystem on the southern edge of the Little Missouri badlands, which has a greater abundance of aspen forests and wildlife than is typically found in southwestern North Dakota. The Killdeer Mountains' highest point, and the highest point in Dunn County, is 3281 feet above sea level.

The northwest corner of the county, northwest of the Killdeer Mountains, features many square miles of bur oak forest, mainly on the north-facing slopes of the hills. Bur oak and quaking aspen, though native to North Dakota, are sparse in western North Dakota, with Dunn County being a notable exception.

Major highways

25px North Dakota Highway 8
25px North Dakota Highway 22
25px North Dakota Highway 200

Adjacent counties

Mountrail County – north
McLean County – northeast
Mercer County – east
Stark County – south
Billings County – southwest
McKenzie County – northwest

Protected areas

Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge
Little Missouri Public Use Area
Kildeer Mountain State Game Preserve
Badlands Trail Rides
Little Mountain State Park

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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 1,513 estimated households in Dunn County with an average of 2.60 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $94,688. Approximately 11.2% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Dunn County has an estimated 63.0% employment rate, with 20.6% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.7% 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 (89.9%), Spanish (2.7%), Indo-European (2.4%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.6%), and Other (4.3%).

The median age in the county was 40.8 years.

Dunn 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)

| 4,144 (89.56%) || 3,596 (89.79%) || 3,101 (86.14%) || 2,984 (84.39%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |3,241 (79.15%)

| Black or African American alone (NH)

| 1 (0.02%) || 0 (0.00%) || 1 (0.03%) || 8 (0.23%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |23 (0.56%)

| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

| 447 (9.66%) || 377 (9.41%) || 441 (12.25%) || 443 (12.53%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |455 (11.11%)

| Asian alone (NH)

| 1 (0.02%) || 6 (0.15%) || 3 (0.08%) || 10 (0.28%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |32 (0.78%)

| Pacific Islander alone (NH)

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

| Other race alone (NH)

| 0 (0.00%) || 0 (0.00%) || 0 (0.00%) || 0 (0.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |10 (0.24%)

| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)

| — || — || 27 (0.75%) || 53 (1.50%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |227 (5.54%)

| Hispanic or Latino (any race)

| 34 (0.73%) || 26 (0.65%) || 27 (0.75%) || 38 (1.07%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |107 (2.61%)

| Total

| 4,627 (100.00%) || 4,005 (100.00%) || 3,600 (100.00%) || 3,536 (100.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |4,095 (100.00%)

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 4,031 people and 1,513 households residing in the county. There were 2,158 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 83.5% White (80.5% NH White), 1.9% African American, 9.2% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.3% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 4,095 people, 1,558 households, and 1,055 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 2,105 housing units at an average density of in the county.

Of the residents, 25.4% were under the age of 18 and 17.0% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 38.8 years. For every 100 females there were 109.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 112.7 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 80.0% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 11.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 1.0% from some other race, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.

Education

School districts include:

K-12:

Beulah Public School District 27
Dickinson Public School District 1
Halliday Public School District 19 (now closed)
Hebron Public School District 13
Killdeer Public School District 16
Mandaree Public School District 36
Richardton-Taylor Public School District 34
South Heart Public School District 9

Elementary:

Twin Buttes Public School District 37

References

External links

Killdeer Mountain Scenic Byway
Little Missouri State Park
Dunn County maps, Sheet 1 (northern) and Sheet 2 (southern), North Dakota DOT