Pierce County, North Dakota

Pierce County, North Dakota
Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,990. Its county seat is Rugby.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on March 11, 1887, with areas partitioned from Bottineau, Rolette, McHenry and the now-extinct DeSmet counties. It was named for Gilbert A. Pierce, a Dakotas political figure. The county was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. It was attached to McHenry County on February 4, 1889, but that lasted only two months; on April 6 the county government was effected and the attachment to McHenry was terminated.
The county's boundaries were enlarged on November 8, 1892, when Church County was dissolved and a portion of its territory was annexed into Pierce.
The geographical center of North America is in Pierce County, approximately west of Balta. Rugby has a monument for the center at the intersection of U.S. 2 and N.D. 3.
Geography
The North Fork of the Sheyenne River flows easterly through central Pierce County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture. The terrain generally slopes to the north and east, with its highest point a hill near the SW county corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.9%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 2
U.S. Highway 52
North Dakota Highway 3
North Dakota Highway 17
North Dakota Highway 19
North Dakota Highway 60
Transit
Amtrak Empire Builder (Rugby station)
Adjacent counties
Rolette County - north
Towner County - northeast
Benson County - east
Wells County - southeast
Sheridan County - southwest
McHenry County - west
Bottineau County - northwest
Protected areas
Boyer National Wildlife Refuge
Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Hurricane Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Meyer Township National Wildlife Refuge
Lakes
Antelope Lakes
Aylmer Lake (part)
Battema Lake
Buffalo Lake
Clear Lake
Davis Lake
Girard Lake
Goose Lake
Gunderson Lake
Guss Lake
Horseshoe Lake
Kilgore Lake
Lesmeister Lake
Long Lake
Petrified Lake
Ranch Lake
Round Lake
Sand Lake
Smoky Lake (part)
Twin Lakes (part)
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 3,990 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,357 people, 1,835 households, and 1,145 families in the county. The population density was . There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.1% white, 3.9% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 52.3% were German, 34.5% were Norwegian, 5.5% were Irish, and 2.0% were American.
Of the 1,835 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 46.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,091 and the median income for a family was $55,304. Males had a median income of $39,511 versus $21,811 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,575. About 6.4% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.
Population by decade
Communities
Cities
Balta
Rugby (county seat)
Wolford
Census-designated places
Barton
Orrin
Selz
Unincorporated communities
Leverich
Silva
Tunbridge
Townships
Alexanter
Antelope Lake
Balta
Elling
Elverum
Hagel
Jefferson
Meyer
Ness
Reno Valley
Rush Lake
Torgerson
Truman
Tuscarora
White
Politics
Pierce County voters have tended to vote Republican for decades. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).
Education
School districts include:
Anamoose Public School District 14
Bottineau Public School District 1
Harvey Public School District 38
Leeds Public School District 6
Maddock Public School District 9
North Star School District
Rugby Public School District 5
Towner-Granville-Upham Public School District 60
Former districts:
Wolford Public School District 1 - Closed in 2019
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Pierce County ND
References
External links
Pierce County official website
A history of Pierce County (1936) from the Digital Horizons website
Fifty years in Pierce county (1943) from the Digital Horizons website
Pierce County maps, Sheet 1 (northern) and Sheet 2 (southern), North Dakota DOT
1889 establishments in Dakota Territory
Populated places established in 1889