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Stark County
Stark County
County
	Stark County Courthouse in Dickinson
	Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
	North Dakota's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 46°49′N 102°40′W / 46.81°N 102.66°W
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	February 10, 1879 (created); May 25, 1883 (organized)
Named for	George Stark
Seat	Dickinson
Largest city	Dickinson
Area
• Total	1,340 sq mi (3,500 km2)
• Land	1,335 sq mi (3,460 km2)
• Water	5.5 sq mi (14 km2) 0.4%
Population (2020)
• Total	33,646
• Estimate (2023)	33,001
• Density	25/sq mi (9.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	www.starkcountynd.gov

Stark County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,646, making it the 7th most populous county in North Dakota.^[1] Its county seat is Dickinson.^[2]

Stark County is part of the Dickinson, ND Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on February 10, 1879, taking area from now-extinct Howard and Williams counties and some previously unincorporated territory. It was named for George Stark, a vice president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.^[3] The county organization was not completed at that time, but the new county was not attached to another county for administrative and judicial purposes. The county lost a portion of its area when Hettinger County was created on March 9, 1883. On May 25, 1883, the Stark County organization was effected.

The county boundaries were altered in February and in March 1887. The county was slightly enlarged on January 18, 1908, by a small strip of land (due to a redefinition of county boundary lines), giving Stark County its present boundary lines.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Geography

The south branch of the Heart River flows through the central part of Stark County, discharging into Patterson Lake at Dickinson, then flowing east-southeasterly into adjacent Morton County. The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture.^[7] The terrain slopes to the east, with its highest point near its SW corner, at 2,831 ft (863 m) ASL.^[8] The county has a total area of 1,340 square miles (3,500 km²), of which 1,335 square miles (3,460 km²) is land and 5.5 square miles (14 km²) (0.4%) is water.^[9]

The southwestern counties of North Dakota (Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope, Stark) observe Mountain Time. The counties of McKenzie, Dunn, and Sioux counties are split.

Major highways

Transit

Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

Dunn County - north/Central Time in the north part of the county
Mercer County - northeast/Central Time
Morton County - east/Central Time
Grant County - southeast/Central Time
Hettinger County - south
Slope County - southwest
Billings County - west

Lakes^[7]

Abbey Lake
Patterson Lake

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	2,304		—
1900	7,621		230.8%
1910	12,504		64.1%
1920	13,542		8.3%
1930	15,340		13.3%
1940	15,414		0.5%
1950	16,137		4.7%
1960	18,451		14.3%
1970	19,613		6.3%
1980	23,697		20.8%
1990	22,832		−3.7%
2000	22,636		−0.9%
2010	24,199		6.9%
2020	33,646		39.0%
2023 (est.)	33,001	^[10]	−1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census^[11] 1790-1960^[12] 1900-1990^[13] 1990-2000^[14] 2010-2020^[1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 33,646 people, 13,561 households, and 8,394 families in the county.^[15] The population density was 25.2 inhabitants per square mile (9.7/km²) There were 15,381 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 24,199 people, 10,085 households, and 6,167 families in the county. The population density was 18.1 inhabitants per square mile (7.0/km²). There were 10,735 housing units at an average density of 8.0 per square mile (3.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% white, 1.2% Asian, 1.0% American Indian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 59.0% were German, 14.7% were Norwegian, 7.7% were Russian, 7.7% were Irish, 7.3% were Czech, 5.4% were English, and 3.5% were American.

Of the 10,085 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.8% were non-families, and 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 38.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,536 and the median income for a family was $62,560. Males had a median income of $42,338 versus $26,451 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,282. About 5.9% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities^[7]

Antelope
Daglum
Lefor
Schefield
Zenith

Unorganized Territories

There are no townships in Stark County, but the United States Census Bureau divides the county into four unorganized territories:

Dickinson North, the northern part of the county outside Dickinson, had a population of 3,326 at the 2020 Census.^[16]
Dickinson South, the southern part of the county, had a population of 577 at the 2020 Census.^[16]
East Stark, the eastern part of the county outside Gladstone, Taylor, and Richardton, had a population of 849 at the 2020 Census.^[17]
West Stark, the western part of the county outside Belfield and South Heart, had a population of 632 at the 2020 Census.^[18]

Politics

Stark County voters have tended to vote Republican for decades. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024). Despite its rapid population growth due to a massive oil boom, Stark County has swung right faster than almost any county, with oil-friendly Republican candidate Donald Trump collapsing Democratic support in 2016 by almost 10% and increasing Republican margins to 79%, the highest since Eisenhower in 1952. While Joe Biden managed to stop a three-election slide in percentage in 2020, Trump further increased his percentage to 80%, the highest since 1920.

United States presidential election results for Stark County, North Dakota^[19]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	12,323	81.61%	2,473	16.38%	304	2.01%
2020	12,110	80.47%	2,499	16.60%	441	2.93%
2016	9,755	79.17%	1,753	14.23%	814	6.61%
2012	8,521	73.25%	2,812	24.17%	300	2.58%
2008	7,024	63.13%	3,802	34.17%	301	2.71%
2004	7,220	69.42%	3,013	28.97%	167	1.61%
2000	6,387	65.33%	2,784	28.47%	606	6.20%
1996	4,086	46.94%	3,095	35.55%	1,524	17.51%
1992	4,491	42.06%	3,003	28.12%	3,184	29.82%
1988	6,137	61.35%	3,678	36.77%	188	1.88%
1984	7,641	71.15%	2,759	25.69%	340	3.17%
1980	6,312	70.11%	2,016	22.39%	675	7.50%
1976	4,374	49.93%	4,076	46.53%	310	3.54%
1972	5,115	62.91%	2,636	32.42%	380	4.67%
1968	4,365	58.64%	2,577	34.62%	502	6.74%
1964	2,888	40.33%	4,270	59.63%	3	0.04%
1960	3,223	43.43%	4,197	56.56%	1	0.01%
1956	4,251	70.38%	1,778	29.44%	11	0.18%
1952	5,322	79.58%	1,332	19.92%	34	0.51%
1948	3,222	60.15%	2,017	37.65%	118	2.20%
1944	2,852	64.85%	1,534	34.88%	12	0.27%
1940	4,367	67.63%	2,075	32.14%	15	0.23%
1936	1,602	26.10%	4,012	65.35%	525	8.55%
1932	1,443	23.17%	4,786	76.83%	0	0.00%
1928	1,924	37.28%	3,231	62.60%	6	0.12%
1924	2,130	50.58%	266	6.32%	1,815	43.10%
1920	3,526	86.23%	532	13.01%	31	0.76%
1916	1,409	58.10%	953	39.30%	63	2.60%
1912	387	22.40%	678	39.24%	663	38.37%
1908	922	63.76%	496	34.30%	28	1.94%
1904	703	73.92%	231	24.29%	17	1.79%
1900	780	64.20%	426	35.06%	9	0.74%

References

^ ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ Beatty, Michael A. (May 17, 2001). County Name Origins of the United States. McFarland. ISBN 9780786410255 – via Google Books.
^ "County History". North Dakota.gov. The State of North Dakota. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
^ Long, John H. (2006). "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
^ Long, John H. (2006). "North Dakota: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries". North Dakota Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. Archived from the original on November 27, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Stark County · North Dakota". Google Maps. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
^ ""Find an Altitude/Stark County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 20, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". Retrieved March 19, 2024.
^ "United States Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (April 20, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.