Adams County, North Dakota | |
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.jpg) Postcard.Adams County Courthouse inHettinger | |
 Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNorth Dakota | |
| Coordinates:46°05′49″N102°32′00″W / 46.096815°N 102.533198°W /46.096815; -102.533198 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Dakota |
| Founded | April 17, 1907 (created) April 24, 1907 (organized) |
| Seat | Hettinger |
| Largest city | Hettinger |
| Area | |
• Total | 988.665 sq mi (2,560.63 km2) |
| • Land | 987.547 sq mi (2,557.73 km2) |
| • Water | 1.118 sq mi (2.90 km2) 0.11% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,200 |
• Estimate (2024) | 2,141 |
| • Density | 2.168/sq mi (0.837/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Area code | 701 |
| Congressional district | At-large |
| Website | adamscountynd.com |
Adams County is acounty in theU.S. state ofNorth Dakota. As of the2020 census, the population was 2,200,[1] and was estimated to be 2,141 in 2024,[2] Thecounty seat isHettinger.[3]
The county was created on April 17, 1907, and organized a week later.[4][5][6] It was named forJohn Quincy Adams (1848–1919), a railroad official for theMilwaukee Road Railroad and distant relative of sixthU.S. PresidentJohn Quincy Adams (1767–1848).[7] In 1923, Adams County was the site of one of the deadliest tornadoes in North Dakota's recorded history.[8] The "Adams County Twister' killed eight people and injured 20.[8]
Adams County lies on the south line of North Dakota. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state ofSouth Dakota. Its terrain consists of semi-arid low rolling hills.[9] Its terrain generally slopes eastward, and its highest point is on its upper west boundary line, at 3,002 ft (915 m) ASL.[10]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 988.665 square miles (2,560.63 km2), of which 987.547 square miles (2,557.73 km2) is land and 1.118 square miles (2.90 km2) (0.11%) is water.[11] It is the 40th largest county in North Dakota by total area.[12]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 5,407 | — | |
| 1920 | 5,593 | 3.4% | |
| 1930 | 6,343 | 13.4% | |
| 1940 | 4,664 | −26.5% | |
| 1950 | 4,910 | 5.3% | |
| 1960 | 4,449 | −9.4% | |
| 1970 | 3,832 | −13.9% | |
| 1980 | 3,584 | −6.5% | |
| 1990 | 3,174 | −11.4% | |
| 2000 | 2,593 | −18.3% | |
| 2010 | 2,343 | −9.6% | |
| 2020 | 2,200 | −6.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 2,141 | [13] | −2.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] 1790–1960[15] 1900–1990[16] 1990–2000[17] 2010–2020[2] | |||
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Adams County was $114,750.[18] As of the 2023American Community Survey, there are 1,019 estimated households in Adams County with an average of 2.06 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $55,417. Approximately 11.8% of the county's population lives at or below thepoverty line. Adams County has an estimated 56.9% employment rate, with 20.8% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.4% holding a high school diploma.[2]
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 (93.9%), Spanish (4.0%), Indo-European (1.4%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.0%), and Other (0.7%). The median age in the county was 50.0 years.
Adams County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
| Race / ethnicity(NH = non-Hispanic) | Pop. 1980[19] | Pop. 1990[20] | Pop. 2000[21] | Pop. 2010[22] | Pop. 2020[23] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 3,559 (99.30%) | 3,160 (99.56%) | 2,550 (98.34%) | 2,266 (96.71%) | 2,028 (92.18%) |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1 (0.03%) | 3 (0.09%) | 14 (0.54%) | 8 (0.34%) | 12 (0.55%) |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 8 (0.22%) | 10 (0.32%) | 8 (0.31%) | 15 (0.64%) | 14 (0.64%) |
| Asian alone (NH) | 7 (0.20%) | 0 (0.00%) | 4 (0.15%) | 9 (0.38%) | 39 (1.77%) |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | — | — | 1 (0.04%) | 2 (0.09%) | 1 (0.05%) |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | — | — | 9 (0.35%) | 23 (0.98%) | 70 (3.18%) |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 9 (0.25%) | 1 (0.03%) | 7 (0.27%) | 20 (0.85%) | 36 (1.64%) |
| Total | 3,584 (100.00%) | 3,174 (100.00%) | 2,593 (100.00%) | 2,343 (100.00%) | 2,200 (100.00%) |
As of the 2024 estimate, there were 2,141 people and 1,019 households residing in the county. There were 1,362 housing units at an average density of 1.38 per square mile (0.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% White(88.8% NH White), 1.7% African American, 1.1% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.0% of the population.[24]
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 2,200. There were 1,011 households and 599 families residing in the county.[25] Thepopulation density was 2.2 inhabitants per square mile (0.8/km2). There were 1,364 housing units at an average density of 1.38 per square mile (0.5/km2).[26]
Of the residents, 19.7% were under the age of 18 and 29.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 50.9 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.4 males.[26]
The racial makeup of the county was 92.7%White, 0.6%African American, 0.6%Native American, 1.8%Asian, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.8% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.[27]
There were 1,011 households in the county, of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[26]
There were 1,364 housing units, of which 25.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.4% were owner-occupied and 23.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 24.4%.[26]
As of the2010 census, there were 2,343 people, 1,098 households, and 658 families in the county. The population density was 2.4 inhabitants per square mile (0.9/km2). There were 1,377 housing units at an average density of 1.39 per square mile (0.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.27%White, 0.34%African American, 0.68%Native American, 0.38%Asian, 0.09%Pacific Islander, 0.17% from some other races and 1.07% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.85% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 51.8% wereGerman, 29.9% wereNorwegian, 8.0% wereIrish, 7.4% wereSwedish, 7.1% wereEnglish, 5.4% wereRussian, and 4.6% wereAmerican.
There were 1,098 households, 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.1% were non-families, and 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.69. The median age was 49.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,966 and the median income for a family was $50,227. Males had a median income of $31,290 versus $25,145 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,118. About 5.7% of families and 10.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.
Adams County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In only two national elections since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1908 | 577 | 70.45% | 201 | 24.54% | 41 | 5.01% |
| 1912 | 205 | 24.15% | 249 | 29.33% | 395 | 46.53% |
| 1916 | 469 | 43.63% | 532 | 49.49% | 74 | 6.88% |
| 1920 | 1,377 | 77.88% | 347 | 19.63% | 44 | 2.49% |
| 1924 | 776 | 40.25% | 106 | 5.50% | 1,046 | 54.25% |
| 1928 | 1,590 | 70.67% | 644 | 28.62% | 16 | 0.71% |
| 1932 | 915 | 35.11% | 1,514 | 58.10% | 177 | 6.79% |
| 1936 | 746 | 31.03% | 1,321 | 54.95% | 337 | 14.02% |
| 1940 | 1,231 | 58.76% | 837 | 39.95% | 27 | 1.29% |
| 1944 | 966 | 58.62% | 668 | 40.53% | 14 | 0.85% |
| 1948 | 908 | 51.01% | 753 | 42.30% | 119 | 6.69% |
| 1952 | 1,561 | 70.54% | 633 | 28.60% | 19 | 0.86% |
| 1956 | 1,338 | 64.86% | 723 | 35.05% | 2 | 0.10% |
| 1960 | 1,232 | 59.69% | 832 | 40.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 877 | 46.45% | 1,010 | 53.50% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1968 | 1,020 | 57.27% | 641 | 35.99% | 120 | 6.74% |
| 1972 | 1,177 | 62.77% | 665 | 35.47% | 33 | 1.76% |
| 1976 | 940 | 48.53% | 959 | 49.51% | 38 | 1.96% |
| 1980 | 1,334 | 68.73% | 470 | 24.21% | 137 | 7.06% |
| 1984 | 1,343 | 70.68% | 530 | 27.89% | 27 | 1.42% |
| 1988 | 1,018 | 58.61% | 708 | 40.76% | 11 | 0.63% |
| 1992 | 647 | 39.79% | 469 | 28.84% | 510 | 31.37% |
| 1996 | 575 | 49.91% | 366 | 31.77% | 211 | 18.32% |
| 2000 | 826 | 71.21% | 286 | 24.66% | 48 | 4.14% |
| 2004 | 915 | 70.88% | 353 | 27.34% | 23 | 1.78% |
| 2008 | 788 | 62.00% | 435 | 34.23% | 48 | 3.78% |
| 2012 | 918 | 71.38% | 328 | 25.51% | 40 | 3.11% |
| 2016 | 909 | 74.63% | 216 | 17.73% | 93 | 7.64% |
| 2020 | 981 | 77.30% | 258 | 20.33% | 30 | 2.36% |
| 2024 | 962 | 80.10% | 215 | 17.90% | 24 | 2.00% |
Places adjacent to Adams County, North Dakota | |
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Municipalities and communities ofAdams County, North Dakota,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Townships | ||
| Unorganized territories | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
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