McLean County, North Dakota

McLean County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,771, and was estimated to be 9,740 in 2025.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on March 8, 1883, with areas partitioned from Burleigh, Sheridan, and (now-extinct) Stevens counties. The county was named for John A. McLean, the first mayor of Bismarck. The county organization was completed on November 1 of that year. Its boundaries were altered in 1885, in 1892, and in 1908. It has retained its current configuration since November 3, 1908, when a portion of its previous territory was partitioned to recreate Sheridan County (Sheridan had been dissolved on November 8, 1892, with its territory annexed to McLean).

Geography

The county's western boundary is delineated by Lake Sakakawea, created in 1956 by construction of Garrison Dam at the county's southwestern edge. The southwestern boundary of the county is delineated by the Missouri River as it continues its southeastward flow from the lake. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds in its eastern portion. The area is largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point on the north boundary line near its NW corner, at ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (9.35%) is water. It is the third-largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

25px U.S. Highway 83
25px North Dakota Highway 28
25px North Dakota Highway 37
25px North Dakota Highway 41
25px North Dakota Highway 48
25px North Dakota Highway 53
25px North Dakota Highway 200
23px North Dakota Highway 200A
23px North Dakota Highway 1804

Adjacent counties

Ward County - north
McHenry County - northeast
Sheridan County - east
Burleigh County - southeast
Oliver County - south
Mercer County - southwest
Dunn County - west
Mountrail County - northwest

Protected areas

Source:

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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 4,261 estimated households in McLean County with an average of 2.26 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $81,847. Approximately 9.9% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. McLean County has an estimated 58.8% employment rate, with 23.9% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.6% 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 (97.3%), Spanish (0.9%), Indo-European (1.0%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.3%), and Other (0.4%).

The median age in the county was 47.4 years.

McLean 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)

| 11,741 (94.82%) || 9,857 (94.26%) || 8,592 (92.28%) || 8,115 (90.55%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |8,372 (85.68%)

| Black or African American alone (NH)

| 2 (0.02%) || 3 (0.03%) || 2 (0.02%) || 6 (0.07%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |32 (0.33%)

| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

| 548 (4.43%) || 549 (5.25%) || 508 (5.46%) || 585 (6.53%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |766 (7.84%)

| Asian alone (NH)

| 13 (0.10%) || 9 (0.09%) || 11 (0.12%) || 12 (0.13%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |48 (0.49%)

| Pacific Islander alone (NH)

| — || — || 1 (0.01%) || 2 (0.02%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |7 (0.07%)

| Other race alone (NH)

| 14 (0.11%) || 1 (0.01%) || 10 (0.11%) || 3 (0.03%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |17 (0.17%)

| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)

| — || — || 106 (1.14%) || 128 (1.43%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |381 (3.90%)

| Hispanic or Latino (any race)

| 65 (0.52%) || 38 (0.36%) || 81 (0.87%) || 111 (1.24%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |148 (1.51%)

| Total

| 12,383 (100.00%) || 10,457 (100.00%) || 9,311 (100.00%) || 8,962 (100.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |9,771 (100.00%)

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 9,845 people and 4,261 households residing in the county. There were 5,862 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.3% White (88.3% NH White), 0.6% African American, 7.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.3% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,771, with 4,129 households and 2,712 families residing in the county. The population density was , and there were 5,728 housing units at an average density of .

The racial makeup of the county was 86.0% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 8.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% from some other race, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.|source2=

Education

School districts include:

Drake Public School District 57
Garrison Public School District 51
Lewis and Clark Public School District 161
Max Public School District 50
Parshall Public School District 3
Turtle Lake-Mercer Public School District 72
Underwood Public School District 8
Velva Public School District 1
Washburn Public School District 4
White Shield Public School District 85
Wilton Public School District 1 - Formerly known as the Montefiore Public School District 1

Riverdale School District 89 had portions in McLean County and in Mercer County. The Associated Press described the district as "divided equally" between the counties. In 1993 members of the Riverdale School District school board voted to abolish their school district, with the Underwood and Hazen districts to obtain pieces of it.

References

External links

McLean County – official website
McLean County maps, Sheet 1 (western), Sheet 2 (northeast), and Sheet 3 (southeast), North Dakota DOT