Renville County, North Dakota

Renville County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,282, and was estimated to be 2,331 in 2025.

Renville County is part of the Minot, ND Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located south of the Canada–United States border with Saskatchewan.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873. It was named for Joseph Renville, an influential fur trader, interpreter, translator, and important figure in dealings between white men and the Sioux. The county was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. The proposed county boundaries were altered in 1883, in 1885, and 1887, and on November 8, 1892, the county was dissolved and absorbed into Bottineau and Ward counties due to a lack of settlement.

The general election held November 3, 1908 included a question asking whether a portion of Ward County should be partitioned off and named Renville County (covering a different area than the original county). This question reportedly failed to pass, but it was promptly contested in court, resulting in a ruling by the state Supreme Court ruled on June 3, 1910, that the split should be carried out. The state governor proclaimed the result in a July 12 proclamation, and the county government was organized on July 20 of that year, with Mohall as the county seat.

thumb|Outline map of Renville County, North Dakota, 1914

Geography

Renville County lies on the north line of North Dakota; its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of Canada. The Souris River flows southeasterly through the county on its way to Hudson Bay. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is its SW corner, at ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.76%) is water. It is the 45th largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

25px U.S. Highway 52
25px U.S. Highway 83
25px North Dakota Highway 5
25px North Dakota Highway 28

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

Mount Pleasant No. 2, Saskatchewan - northwest
Argyle No. 1, Saskatchewan - northeast
Bottineau County - east
McHenry County - southeast
Ward County - south
Burke County - west

Protected areas

Source:

|align-fn=center

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

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 922 estimated households in Renville County with an average of 2.42 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $76,311. Approximately 7.1% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Renville County has an estimated 65.3% employment rate, with 22.0% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.0% 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 (97.7%), Spanish (0.0%), Indo-European (2.0%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.3%), and Other (0.0%).

The median age in the county was 42.5 years.

Renville 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)

| 3,578 (99.17%) || 3,106 (98.29%) || 2,535 (97.13%) || 2,401 (97.21%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |2,146 (94.04%)

| Black or African American alone (NH)

| 0 (0.00%) || 14 (0.44%) || 6 (0.23%) || 2 (0.08%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |5 (0.22%)

| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

| 7 (0.19%) || 23 (0.73%) || 16 (0.61%) || 9 (0.36%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |14 (0.61%)

| Asian alone (NH)

| 9 (0.25%) || 11 (0.35%) || 12 (0.46%) || 5 (0.20%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |0 (0.00%)

| Pacific Islander alone (NH)

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

| Other race alone (NH)

| 3 (0.08%) || 0 (0.00%) || 3 (0.11%) || 0 (0.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |2 (0.09%)

| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)

| — || — || 19 (0.73%) || 29 (1.17%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |78 (3.42%)

| Hispanic or Latino (any race)

| 11 (0.30%) || 6 (0.19%) || 19 (0.73%) || 24 (0.97%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |37 (1.62%)

| Total

| 3,608 (100.00%) || 3,160 (100.00%) || 2,610 (100.00%) || 2,470 (100.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |2,282 (100.00%)

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 2,376 people and 922 households residing in the county. There were 1,312 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.1% White (95.4% NH White), 0.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.9% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 2,282, 982 households, and 638 families residing in the county; the population density was , and there were 1,282 housing units at an average density of .

Of the residents, 22.1% were under the age of 18 and 22.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 46.6 years. For every 100 females there were 111.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 109.4 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.7% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.0% Asian, 0.3% from some other race, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.

Grover
Norma
Rockford
White Ash

Townships

Brandon
Callahan
Clay
Colquhoun
Eden Valley
Ensign
Fairbanks
Grassland
Grover
Hamerly
Hamlet
Hurley
Ivanhoe
Lockwood
McKinney
Muskego
Plain
Prescott
Prosperity
Rockford
Roosevelt
Stafford
Van Buren
White Ash

Politics

Renville County voters have voted Republican in every national election since 1976 (as of 2024).

Education

School districts include:

Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood Public School District 1
Lewis and Clark Public School District 161
Glenburn Public School District 26
Kenmare Public School District 28
United Public School District 7

References

External links

Renville County – official website
Renville County North Dakota History website
Renville County maps, Sheet 1 (northern) and Sheet 2 (southern), North Dakota DOT