Walsh County, North Dakota

Walsh County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,563, and was estimated to be 10,179 in 2025.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on May 2, 1881, with areas partitioned from Grand and Pembina counties. It was organized on August 30 of that same year, with Grafton as county seat. It was named for George H. Walsh (1845–1913), a newspaperman and politician in Grand Forks.

In 1946, Walsh County was the site of one of North Dakota's deadliest tornadoes. The storm killed 11 people, including eight in Walsh County, one in Manitoba, and two in Minnesota. The terrain generally slopes to the north and east, but the highest point is its northwestern corner, at ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.96%) is water. It is the 22nd largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

25px Interstate 29
25px U.S. Highway 81
25px North Dakota Highway 17
25px North Dakota Highway 18
25px North Dakota Highway 32
25px North Dakota Highway 35
25px North Dakota Highway 44
25px North Dakota Highway 54

Adjacent counties

Pembina County – north
Kittson County, Minnesota – northeast
Marshall County, Minnesota – east
Grand Forks County – south
Nelson County – southwest
Ramsey County – west
Cavalier County – northwest
Polk County - southeast

Protected areas

Ardoch National Wildlife Refuge
Fairdale Slough National Waterfowl Production Area
National Waterfowl Production Area
North Salt Lake State Game Management Area

Lakes

Source:

|align-fn=center

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

As of the fourth quarter of 2025, the median home value in Walsh County was $143,614.

As of the 2024 American Community Survey, there are 4,400 estimated households in Walsh County with an average of 2.28 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $71,944. Approximately 11.2% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Walsh County has an estimated 62.6% employment rate, with 19.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 88.8% holding a high school diploma. !! Pop. 1990 !! Pop. 2000 !! Pop. 2010 !! !! Pop. 2024

| White alone (NH)

| 15,005 (97.62%) || 13,231 (95.60%) || 11,436 (92.31%) || 9,834 (88.44%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |8,676 (82.14%) || 8,225 (80.53%)

| Black or African American alone (NH)

| 4 (0.03%) || 17 (0.12%) || 24 (0.19%) || 24 (0.22%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |69 (0.65%) || 75 (0.73%)

| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

| 97 (0.63%) || 97 (0.70%) || 120 (0.97%) || 153 (1.38%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |136 (1.29%) || 191 (1.87%)

| Asian alone (NH)

| 23 (0.15%) || 54 (0.39%) || 22 (0.18%) || 36 (0.32%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |45 (0.43%) || 107 (1.05%)

| Pacific Islander alone (NH)

| — || — || 2 (0.02%) || 4 (0.04%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |0 (0.00%) || 9 (0.09%)

| Other race alone (NH)

| 18 (0.12%) || 0 (0.00%) || 1 (0.01%) || 3 (0.03%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |31 (0.29%) || —

| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)

| — || — || 84 (0.68%) || 96 (0.86%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |290 (2.75%) || 157 (1.54%)

| Hispanic or Latino (any race)

| 224 (1.46%) || 441 (3.19%) || 700 (5.65%) || 969 (8.71%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |1,316 (12.46%) || 1,450 (14.20%)

| Total

| 15,371 (100.00%) || 13,840 (100.00%) || 12,389 (100.00%) || 11,119 (100.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |10,563 (100.00%) || 10,214 (100.00%)

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 10,214 people, 4,450 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 5,184 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.35% White, 0.88% African American, 2.34% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 14.20% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 10,563 people, 4,493 households, and 2,738 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 5,202 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.01% White, 0.67% African American, 1.37% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.94% from some other races and 7.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.46% of the population.

There were 4,493 households in the county, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Of the residents, 22.8% were under the age of 18 and 22.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.5 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.8 males. Among occupied housing units, 75.3% were owner-occupied and 24.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,119 people, 4,746 households, and 3,021 families in the county. The population density was . There were 5,498 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.45% White, 0.22% African American, 1.51% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.10% from some other races and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.71% of the population.

In terms of ancestry, 39.7% were Norwegian, 21.6% were German, 11.0% were Polish, 9.4% were Irish, 9.3% were Czech, 5.8% were English, and 5.4% were American.

There were 4,746 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.3% were non-families, and 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 45.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,139 and the median income for a family was $58,429. Males had a median income of $36,934 versus $26,826 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,829. About 5.4% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

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Communities

Cities

Adams
Ardoch
Conway
Edinburg
Fairdale
Fordville
Forest River
Grafton (county seat)
Hoople
Lankin
Minto
Park River
Pisek

Census-designated places

Auburn
Nash

Unincorporated communities

Herriott
Veseleyville
Voss
Warsaw

Townships

Acton
Adams
Ardoch
Cleveland
Dewey
Dundee
Eden
Farmington
Fertile
Forest River
Glenwood
Golden
Grafton
Harriston
Kensington
Kinloss
Lampton
Latona
Martin
Medford
Norton
Oakwood
Ops
Perth
Prairie Centre
Pulaski
Rushford
St. Andrews
Sauter
Shepherd
Silvesta
Tiber
Vernon
Vesta
Walsh Centre
Walshville

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"

|+ Township Numbers and Range Numbers

! scope="col" | Range 59

! scope="col" | Range 58

! scope="col" | Range 57

! scope="col" | Range 56

! scope="col" | Range 55

! scope="col" | Range 54

! scope="col" | Range 53

! scope="col" | Range 52

! scope="col" | Range 51

! scope="col" | Range 50

! scope="col" | Township 155

|| Sauter

|| Perth

|| Cleveland

|| Medford

|| Eden

|| Ops

|| Forest River

|| Ardoch

|| Walshville

! scope="col" | Township 156

|| Shepherd

|| Latona

|| Norton

|| Vernon

|| Rushford

|| Prairie Centre

|| Walsh Centre

|| Harriston

|| Pulaski

! scope="col" | Township 157

|| Dewey

|| Adams

|| Vesta

|| Golden

|| Kensington Township

|| Fertile

|| Grafton

|| Oakwood

|| Acton

! scope="col" | Township 158

|| St. Andrews

|| Martin

|| Farmington

|| Glenwood

|| Dundee

|| Lampton

|| Tiber

|| Silvesta

|| Kinloss

Politics

Walsh County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

Education

School districts include:

Dakota Prairie Public School District 1, McVille
Drayton Public School District 19, Drayton
Edmore Public School District 2, Edmore
Fordville-Lankin Public School District 5, Fordville
Grafton Public School District 3, Grafton
Lakota Public School District 66, Lakota
Manvel Public School District 125, Manvel
Midway Public School District 128, Inkster
Minto Public School District 20, Minto
Park River Area Public School District 8, Park River
Valley-Edinburg Public School District 118, Crystal

References

External links

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