Benson County, North Dakota

Benson County, North Dakota
Benson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,964. Its county seat is Minnewaukan. The county was created on March 9, 1883 by the Dakota Territory legislature, and was named for Bertil W. Benson, a Dakota Territory legislator at the time. The county government was organized on June 4, 1884, and its boundary lines were altered by two legislative actions in 1885.
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve and much of the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation are located within the county.
Geography
Much of the east boundary line of Benson County is delineated by the shore of Devils Lake, a closed-capture lake which would spill into the Sheyenne River in an overflow condition. The North Fork Sheyenne River flows southeasterly through the lower SW portion of the county.
The terrain of Benson County consists of rolling hills dotted with lakes, ponds and drainages. The terrain slopes to the east, and its highest point is on the lower portion of its west boundary line, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.5%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Towner County – north
Ramsey County – northeast
Nelson County – east
Eddy County – southeast
Wells County – southwest
Pierce County – west
Major highways
U.S. Highway 2
U.S. Highway 281
North Dakota Highway 19
North Dakota Highway 20
North Dakota Highway 57
Protected areas
Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Grahams Island State Park (part)
Pleasant Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Silver Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve
Volk National Wildlife Refuge
Wood Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Wurgler National Wildlife Refuge
Lakes
Broken Bone Lake
Cranberry Lake
Free Peoples Lake
Horseshoe Lake
Lake Murie
Lake Yri
Long Lake
Sand Lake
Shin Bone Lake
Spring Lake
Stink Lake
Stony Lake
Wood Lake
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 5,964 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,660 people, 2,233 households, and 1,628 families in the county. The population density was . There were 2,950 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 55.0% American Indian, 43.4% white, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.0% were Norwegian, 18.0% were German, 5.0% were Irish, and 0.6% were American.
Of the 2,233 households, 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.1% were non-families, and 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.46. The median age was 31.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,479 and the median income for a family was $34,597. Males had a median income of $31,729 versus $25,253 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,545. About 26.1% of families and 35.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.
Population by decade
Communities
Cities and CDPs have population included as of 2020, and townships have the population as of 2020. The largest community by far is Fort Totten, followed by Leeds, Maddock and the county seat, Minnewaukan. There are nine cities in the county. The largest township by a 60% margin is Mission (935), which is on the south shore of Devils Lake and is popular for vacationing, as well as gambling at the Spirit Lake Casino and Resort. It is within the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. It is followed by Wood Lake Township (471), immediately to the south of Mission Township and also included in the reservation. The third largest is Lallie Township (325), to the west of Fort Totten on the south shore of Devils Lake and within the reservation.
Cities
Brinsmade
Esmond
Knox
Leeds
Maddock
Minnewaukan (county seat)
Oberon
Warwick
York
Census-designated place
Fort Totten
Unincorporated communities
Baker
Fillmore
Flora
Harlow
Hesper
Isabel
Josephine
Lallie
Niles
Pleasant Lake
Saint Michael
Tokio
Townships
Albert
Arne
Aurora
Beaver
Broe
Butte Valley
East Fork
Eldon
Esmond
Hesper
Impark
Iowa
Irvine
Isabel
Knox
Lake Ibsen
Lallie
Leeds
Lohnes
McClellan
Minco
Mission
Normania
North Viking
Oberon
Pleasant Lake
Rich Valley
Riggin
Rock
South Viking
Twin Lake
Twin Tree
Warwick
West Antelope
West Bay
Wood Lake
York
Politics
Typical of many counties in the state where a significant share of the population is Native American, Benson County leans Democratic in presidential elections. Prior to 2020, no Republican candidate had won the majority of the county's votes since Ronald Reagan in 1984. However, George W. Bush in 2000 & Donald Trump in 2016 both won a plurality of the county's votes.
Education
School districts include:
K-12:
Dakota Prairie Public School District 1
Devils Lake Public School District 1
Fort Totten Public School District 30
Harvey Public School District 38
Leeds Public School District 6
Maddock Public School District 9
Minnewaukan Public School District 5
New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School District 2
North Star School District
Rugby Public School District 5
Warwick Public School District 29
Elementary districts:
Oberon Public School District 16
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Benson County, North Dakota
References
External links
Benson County maps, Sheet 1 (eastern) and Sheet 2 (western), North Dakota DOT
1884 establishments in Dakota Territory