Dickey County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,999 and was estimated to be 4,895 in 2025. The county seat is Ellendale and the largest city is Oakes.

History The Dakota Territory legislature created Dickey County on March 5, 1881, with territories annexed from McPherson County, South Dakota; and Ransom County, North Dakota with some previously unorganized territories added. It was organized on August 18, 1882. It was named for a member of the Territorial Legislature, George H. Dickey.

Geography Dickey County lies on the south side of North Dakota. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of South Dakota. The James River flows south-southeasterly through the east part of the county, and the Maple River flows south-southeasterly through the center part of the county. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds in its western portion, with the area devoted to agriculture.Dickey County ND Google Maps (accessed February 17, 2019) The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point being a hill near the southwestern corner at ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.93%) is water. It is the 31st largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 281 North Dakota Highway 1 North Dakota Highway 11 North Dakota Highway 13 North Dakota Highway 56

Adjacent counties

LaMoure County - north Ransom County - northeast Sargent County - east Brown County, South Dakota - south McPherson County, South Dakota - southwest McIntosh County - west

National protected areas Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge Maple River National Wildlife Refuge

Lakes Source: Hilles Lake Pheasant Lake

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Dickey County was $177,052. As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,953 estimated households in Dickey County with an average of 2.37 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $63,125. Approximately 11.5% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Dickey County has an estimated 66.1% employment rate, with 27.1% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.4% holding a high school diploma.

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 (94.5%), Spanish (1.9%), Indo-European (2.9%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.6%), and Other (0.0%). The median age in the county was 38.6 years.

Dickey County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) Pop. 1980 Pop. 1990 Pop. 2000 Pop. 2010 White alone (NH) 7,134(98.99%) 6,032(98.77%) 5,584(96.99%) 5,044(95.37%) 4,572(91.46%) Black or African American alone (NH) 1(0.01%) 8(0.13%) 6(0.10%) 35(0.66%) 19(0.38%) Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 11(0.15%) 21(0.34%) 20(0.35%) 30(0.57%) 26(0.52%) Asian alone (NH) 27(0.37%) 13(0.21%) 29(0.50%) 22(0.42%) 27(0.54%) Pacific Islander alone (NH) — — 0(0.00%) 1(0.02%) 0(0.00%) Other race alone (NH) 12(0.17%) 0(0.00%) 1(0.02%) 1(0.02%) 17(0.34%) Mixed race or multiracial (NH) — — 39(0.68%) 56(1.06%) 139(2.78%) Hispanic or Latino (any race) 22(0.31%) 33(0.54%) 78(1.35%) 100(1.89%) 199(3.98%) Total 7,207(100.00%) 6,107(100.00%) 5,757(100.00%) 5,289(100.00%) 4,999(100.00%)

2024 estimate As of the 2024 estimate, there were 4,930 people and 1,953 households residing in the county. There were 2,392 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.7% White (91.5% NH White), 0.8% African American, 1.4% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.2% of the population.

2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 4,999 people, 1,985 households, and 1,249 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 24.5% were under the age of 18 and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.5 males. The population density was . The 2,383 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.6% White, 0.6% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from some other races and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.0% of the population. There were 1,985 households in the county, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of the housing units, 16.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.7% were owner-occupied and 25.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.3%.

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 5,289 people, 2,180 households, and 1,379 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 2,636 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.50% White, 0.70% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from some other races and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.89% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 56.3% were German, 16.9% were Norwegian, 11.4% were Irish, 7.4% were Swedish, 5.1% were Russian, and 1.1% were American.

Of 2,180 households in the county, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.7% were non-families, and 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 43.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,179 and the median income for a family was $53,333. Males had a median income of $36,029 versus $25,625 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,824. About 6.8% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities Cities

Ellendale (county seat) Forbes Fullerton Monango Ludden Oakes

Unincorporated communities Source:

Glover Guelph Keystone Silverleaf Wirch

Former communities Merricourt

Government Townships Administration of certain aspects of county government in North Dakota are assigned to subsidiary townships.

Ada Albertha Albion Bear Creek Clement Divide Elden Ellendale Elm German Grand Valley Hamburg Hudson James River Valley Kent Kentner Keystone Lorraine Lovell Maple Northwest Port Emma Porter Potsdam Riverdale Spring Valley Valley Van Meter Whitestone Wright Yorktown Young

Politics Dickey County voters are traditionally Republican-leaning. In only one national election since 1936 (1964) has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

Education School districts include: - Text list

Ashley Public School District 9 Edgeley Public School District 3 Ellendale Public School District 40 Kulm Public School District 7 LaMoure Public School District 8 Oakes Public School District 41

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Dickey County, North Dakota

References

External links Dickey County – official website Dickey County map, North Dakota DOT