Dunn County, North Dakota
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Dunn County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,095,<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was estimated to be 4,031 in 2024.<ref name="QF"/> The county seat is Manning and the largest city in Killdeer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> who opened the first drugstore in North Dakota, and who was a civic and commercial leader during the early history of Bismarck.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref name="DCND">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The terrain slopes to the east and north; its highest point is a hill at the southwestern corner, at Template:Convert ASL.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (3.53%) is water.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is the 6th largest county in North Dakota by total area.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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
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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Lakes
- Moffet Slough
- Lake Sakakawea (part)
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Demographics
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Dunn County was $258,531.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref name="QF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 4,144 (89.56%) |
3,596 (89.79%) |
3,101 (86.14%) |
2,984 (84.39%) |
3,241 (79.15%) | |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1 (0.02%) |
0 (0.00%) |
1 (0.03%) |
8 (0.23%) |
23 (0.56%) | |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 447 (9.66%) |
377 (9.41%) |
441 (12.25%) |
443 (12.53%) |
455 (11.11%) | |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1 (0.02%) |
6 (0.15%) |
3 (0.08%) |
10 (0.28%) |
32 (0.78%) | |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | — | — | 0 (0.00%) |
0 (0.00%) |
0 (0.00%) | |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 (0.00%) |
0 (0.00%) |
0 (0.00%) |
0 (0.00%) |
10 (0.24%) | |
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | — | — | 27 (0.75%) |
53 (1.50%) |
227 (5.54%) | |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 34 (0.73%) |
26 (0.65%) |
27 (0.75%) |
38 (1.07%) |
107 (2.61%) | |
| Total | 4,627 (100.00%) |
4,005 (100.00%) |
3,600 (100.00%) |
3,536 (100.00%) |
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 Template:Convert. 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 4,095 people, 1,558 households, and 1,055 families residing in the county.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,105 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 80.02% White, 0.61% African American, 11.16% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from some other races and 6.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.61% of the population.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 3,536 people, 1,401 households, and 977 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,132 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 84.93% White, 0.23% African American, 12.70% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from some other races and 1.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.07% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 57.6% were German, 20.3% were Norwegian, 8.5% were Czech, 6.0% were Russian, 5.7% were Irish, 5.3% were English, and 1.8% were American.
There were 1,401 households, 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.3% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 44.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,707 and the median income for a family was $65,122. Males had a median income of $37,270 versus $23,599 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,832. About 6.2% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.
Population by decade
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Sites of interest
- Killdeer Mountains
- Killdeer Mountain National Battlefield
Communities
Cities
Census-designated place
- Manning (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
- Emerson
- Fayette
- Hirschville
- Marshall
- Medicine Hole
- New Hradec
- Twin Buttes
- Werner
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Politics
Dunn County has voted Republican in every election since 1976. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
Education
School districts include:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} - Text list</ref>
K-12: Template:Div col
- Beulah Public School District 27
- Dickinson Public School District 1
- Halliday Public School District 19
- 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:
See also
References
External links
- Killdeer Mountain Scenic Byway
- Little Missouri State Park
- Dunn County maps, Sheet 1 (northern) and Sheet 2 (southern), North Dakota DOT
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