Grant County, North Dakota

Grant County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,301.^[1] The county seat is Carson and the largest city is Elgin.^[2]

Grant County
County
Carson Roller Mill
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46.357827°N 101.639049°W / 46.357827; -101.639049
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	November 7, 1916 (created) November 28, 1916 (organized)
Named after	Ulysses S. Grant
Seat	Carson
Largest city	Elgin
Area
• Total	1,666.014 sq mi (4,314.96 km2)
• Land	1,659.233 sq mi (4,297.39 km2)
• Water	6.781 sq mi (17.56 km2)  0.41%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,301
• Estimate  (2024)	2,247
• Density	1.354/sq mi (0.523/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Area code	701
Congressional district	At-large
Website	grantcountynd.com

History

The territory of Grant County was part of Morton County until 1916. On November 7 the county voters determined that the SW portion of the county would be partitioned off to form a new county, to be named after Ulysses S. Grant, the US President from 1869 to 1877. Accordingly, the county government was organized on November 28, with Carson as the seat. The county's boundaries have remained unchanged since its creation.^[3][4][5]

Outline map of Grant County, North Dakota, 1918

Geography

Heart Butte is a prominent geographic feature in Grant County, and the namesake for the nearby Heart Butte Dam.

The Heart River flows eastward through the upper part of Grant County, and Cedar Creek flows east-northeastward along the county's southern boundary line. The county terrain consists of isolated hills among rolling hills, carved by drainages. The semi-arid ground is partially devoted to agriculture.^[6] The terrain slopes to the east and south; its highest point is a rise near its southwestern corner, at 2,680 ft (820 m) ASL.^[7] The county has a total area of 1,666 square miles (4,310 km²), of which 1,659 square miles (4,300 km²) is land and 6.8 square miles (18 km²) (0.4%) is water.^[8] Lake Tschida, a Bureau of Reclamation reservoir and recreation area on the Heart River, is the county's largest body of water.^[9]

The southwestern corner of North Dakota observes Mountain Time (Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope, and Stark counties). The counties of McKenzie, Dunn, and Sioux counties are split, with the western portions of each observing Mountain Time.

Major highways

• North Dakota Highway 21
• North Dakota Highway 31
• North Dakota Highway 49

Adjacent counties

• Morton County - northeast (observes Central Time)
• Sioux County - south
• Adams County - southwest
• Hettinger County - west
• Stark County - northwest

Protected areas

Source:^[6]

• Cedar River National Grassland (part)
• Heart Butte River State Game Management Area
• Otter Creek State Game Management Area
• Pretty Rock National Wildlife Refuge
• Sheep Creek Dam State Recreation Area

Lakes

Source:^[6]

• Pretty Rock Lake
• Sheep Creek Dam
• Lake Tschida

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	9,553		—
1930	10,134		6.1%
1940	8,264		−18.5%
1950	7,114		−13.9%
1960	6,248		−12.2%
1970	5,009		−19.8%
1980	4,274		−14.7%
1990	3,549		−17.0%
2000	2,841		−19.9%
2010	2,394		−15.7%
2020	2,301		−3.9%
2024 (est.)	2,247	[10]	−2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13] 1990–2000[14] 2010–2020[1]

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Grant County was $90,910.^[15]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 2,301 people. 1,649 houses.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,394 people, 1,128 households, and 694 families in the county. The population density was 1.4 inhabitants per square mile (0.54/km²). There were 1,690 housing units at an average density of 1.02 units per square mile (0.39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.2% white, 1.1% American Indian, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 66.6% were German, 14.0% were Norwegian, 12.5% were Russian, 5.9% were Irish, 5.5% were English, and 2.2% were American.

Of the 1,128 households, 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.5% were non-families, and 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age was 51.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,500 and the median income for a family was $53,542. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $27,303 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,840. About 7.3% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

• Carson (county seat)
• Elgin
• Leith
• New Leipzig

Census-designated places

• Heil
• Raleigh

Unincorporated communities

• Brisbane
• Dogtooth
• Freda
• Johnson Ford^[6]
• Lark
• Saint Gertrude^[6]
• Shields

Townships

• Elm
• Fisher
• Freda
• Howe
• Lark
• Leipzig
• Minnie
• Pretty Rock
• Raleigh
• Rock
• Winona

Defunct township

• Otter Creek Township^[16]

Politics

Grant County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

United States presidential election results for Grant County, North Dakota^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,076	82.39%	205	15.70%	25	1.91%
2020	1,145	82.91%	207	14.99%	29	2.10%
2016	1,108	80.23%	185	13.40%	88	6.37%
2012	1,025	72.54%	334	23.64%	54	3.82%
2008	873	64.91%	405	30.11%	67	4.98%
2004	952	76.65%	264	21.26%	26	2.09%
2000	1,077	75.47%	235	16.47%	115	8.06%
1996	760	55.51%	300	21.91%	309	22.57%
1992	900	45.94%	415	21.18%	644	32.87%
1988	1,351	66.13%	654	32.01%	38	1.86%
1984	1,607	74.92%	507	23.64%	31	1.45%
1980	1,891	80.85%	317	13.55%	131	5.60%
1976	1,205	53.37%	952	42.16%	101	4.47%
1972	1,569	70.17%	596	26.65%	71	3.18%
1968	1,648	71.78%	488	21.25%	160	6.97%
1964	1,421	57.11%	1,063	42.73%	4	0.16%
1960	1,794	65.21%	955	34.71%	2	0.07%
1956	1,872	72.03%	718	27.63%	9	0.35%
1952	2,465	85.32%	403	13.95%	21	0.73%
1948	1,555	66.94%	689	29.66%	79	3.40%
1944	1,745	80.64%	410	18.95%	9	0.42%
1940	2,815	81.52%	627	18.16%	11	0.32%
1936	1,022	29.57%	1,858	53.76%	576	16.67%
1932	657	17.98%	2,912	79.69%	85	2.33%
1928	1,759	54.59%	1,434	44.51%	29	0.90%
1924	1,120	39.07%	125	4.36%	1,622	56.57%
1920	2,184	83.17%	296	11.27%	146	5.56%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Grant County, North Dakota