History
The Dakota Territory legislature created Nelson County on March 2, 1883, with areas annexed from Foster, Grand Forks and Ramsey counties, and with some previously unorganized area. It was not organized at that time, but was attached to Grand Forks County for administrative and judicial purposes. Its proposed boundary was enlarged on March 9, 1883, and on June 9, 1883, the county organization was effected and the administrative attachment to Grand Forks County was terminated. [4] [5]
Demographics
Historical population| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|
| 1890 | 4,293 | | — |
|---|
| 1900 | 7,316 | | 70.4% |
|---|
| 1910 | 10,140 | | 38.6% |
|---|
| 1920 | 10,362 | | 2.2% |
|---|
| 1930 | 10,203 | | −1.5% |
|---|
| 1940 | 9,129 | | −10.5% |
|---|
| 1950 | 8,090 | | −11.4% |
|---|
| 1960 | 7,034 | | −13.1% |
|---|
| 1970 | 5,776 | | −17.9% |
|---|
| 1980 | 5,233 | | −9.4% |
|---|
| 1990 | 4,410 | | −15.7% |
|---|
| 2000 | 3,715 | | −15.8% |
|---|
| 2010 | 3,126 | | −15.9% |
|---|
| 2020 | 3,015 | | −3.6% |
|---|
| 2024 (est.) | 3,007 | [10] | −0.3% |
|---|
|
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Nelson County was $121,319. [15]
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,295 estimated households in Nelson County with an average of 2.25 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $68,051. Approximately 9.8% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Nelson County has an estimated 55.7% employment rate, with 28.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.3% 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 (94.5%), Spanish (1.1%), Indo-European (2.9%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.8%), and Other (0.6%).
The median age in the county was 50.4 years.
Nelson 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 [16] | Pop. 1990 [17] | Pop. 2000 [18] | Pop. 2010 [19] | Pop. 2020 [20] |
|---|
| White alone (NH) | 5,210
(99.56%) | 4,391
(99.57%) | 3,661
(98.55%) | 3,018
(96.55%) | 2,844
(94.33%) |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1
(0.02%) | 2
(0.05%) | 3
(0.08%) | 8
(0.26%) | 6
(0.20%) |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 8
(0.15%) | 6
(0.14%) | 13
(0.35%) | 28
(0.90%) | 16
(0.53%) |
| Asian alone (NH) | 2
(0.04%) | 3
(0.07%) | 11
(0.30%) | 2
(0.06%) | 9
(0.30%) |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | — | — | 0
(0.00%) | 1
(0.03%) | 1
(0.03%) |
| Other race alone (NH) | 2
(0.04%) | 0
(0.00%) | 0
(0.00%) | 0
(0.00%) | 5
(0.17%) |
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | — | — | 21
(0.57%) | 36
(1.15%) | 65
(2.16%) |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 10
(0.19%) | 8
(0.18%) | 6
(0.16%) | 33
(1.06%) | 69
(2.29%) |
| Total | 5,233
(100.00%) | 4,410
(100.00%) | 3,715
(100.00%) | 3,126
(100.00%) | 3,015
(100.00%) |
2024 estimate
As of the 2024 estimate, there were 3,007 people and 1,295 households residing in the county. There were 1,781 housing units at an average density of 1.81 per square mile (0.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.1% White (90.8% NH White), 0.9% African American, 2.6% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.2% of the population. [21]
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 3,015 people, 1,386 households, and 829 families residing in the county. [22] The population density was 3.07 inhabitants per square mile (1.2/km2). There were 1,791 housing units at an average density of 1.82 per square mile (0.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.96% White, 0.20% African American, 0.86% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.76% from some other races and 2.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.29% of the population. [23]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 3,126 people, 1,474 households, and 905 families residing in the county. The population density was 3.18 inhabitants per square mile (1.2/km2). There were 1,927 housing units at an average density of 1.96 per square mile (0.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.15% White, 0.26% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.03% from some other races and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.06% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 52.3% were Norwegian, 34.1% were German, 8.2% were Irish, and 3.9% were American.
There were 1,474 households, 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.6% were non-families, and 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age was 51.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,071 and the median income for a family was $51,731. Males had a median income of $33,629 versus $28,672 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,838. About 4.0% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.
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