Pierce County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,990. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

History

The

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

legislature created the county on March 11, 1887, with areas partitioned from Bottineau, Rolette, McHenry and the now-extinct DeSmet counties. It was named for

Gilbert A. Pierce Gilbert Ashville Pierce (January 11, 1839February 15, 1901) was an American author, journalist, playwright, and a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, the eighth Governor of Dakota Territory (serving from 1884 to 1887), and representat ...

, a Dakotas political figure. The county was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. It was attached to McHenry County on February 4, 1889, but that lasted only two months; on April 6 the county government was effected and the attachment to McHenry was terminated. The county's boundaries were enlarged on November 8, 1892, when Church County was dissolved and a portion of its territory was annexed into Pierce. The geographical center of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

is in Pierce County, approximately six miles (10 km) west of Balta. Rugby has a monument for the center at the intersection of U.S. 2 and N.D. 3. Map of Pierce County, N

Geography

The North Fork of the Sheyenne River flows easterly through central Pierce County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture.''Pierce County ND'' Google Maps (accessed February 26, 2019)
/ref> The terrain generally slopes to the north and east, with its highest point a hill near the SW county corner, at 1,634' (498m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.9%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, wh ...

U.S. Highway 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

* North Dakota Highway 3 * North Dakota Highway 17 *

North Dakota Highway 19 North Dakota Highway 19 (ND 19) is an east–west route through central North Dakota. It runs from County Road 19 (CR 19) at the McHenry– Pierce county line to ND 20 in Devils Lake, a total of . It has one concurrency with ...

* North Dakota Highway 60

Adjacent counties

* Rolette County - north * Towner County - northeast * Benson County - east * Wells County - southeast * Sheridan County - southwest * McHenry County - west * Bottineau County - northwest

Protected areas

* Boyer National Wildlife Refuge *

Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge 290px Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in Randall County in the Texas Panhandle. Its shortgrass prairies spill into marshes, woodlands, riparian habitat, croplands, and water-carved canyon walls that together form of h ...

* Hurricane Lake National Wildlife Refuge * Meyer Township National Wildlife Refuge

Lakes

* Antelope Lakes * Aylmer Lake (part) * Battema Lake * Buffalo Lake * Clear Lake * Davis Lake * Girard Lake * Goose Lake * Gunderson Lake * Guss Lake * Horseshoe Lake * Kilgore Lake * Lesmeister Lake * Long Lake * Petrified Lake * Ranch Lake * Round Lake * Sand Lake * Smoky Lake (part) * Twin Lakes (part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,675 people, 1,964 households, and 1,276 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 4.59/sqmi (1.77/km²). There were 2,269 housing units at an average density of 2.23/sqmi (0.86/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.50%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.11%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.68% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 47.7% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and 32.7% Norwegian ancestry. There were 1,964 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 6.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.00% were non-families. 32.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.94. The county population contained 23.90% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 23.90% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 24.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,524, and the median income for a family was $34,412. Males had a median income of $25,037 versus $16,946 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $14,055. About 9.30% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 17.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,357 people, 1,835 households, and 1,145 families in the county. The population density was 4.28/sqmi (1.65/km²). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 2.16/sqmi (0.83/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.1% white, 3.9% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 52.3% were

, 34.5% were Norwegian, 5.5% were Irish, and 2.0% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 1,835 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 46.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $37,091 and the median income for a family was $55,304. Males had a median income of $39,511 versus $21,811 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,575. About 6.4% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the

, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Balta *

(county seat) * Wolford

Census-designated places

* Barton * Orrin * Selz

Unincorporated communities

* Leverich * Silva * Tunbridge

Townships

* Alexanter * Antelope Lake * Balta * Elling * Elverum * Hagel * Jefferson * Meyer * Ness * Reno Valley * Rush Lake * Torgerson * Truman * Tuscarora * White

Politics

Pierce County voters have tended to vote Republican for decades. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2016).

Education

School districts include:
Text list
- The map shows Wolford district's boundaries even though it was disestablished in 2019
2010 map2010 text list
/ref> *

Anamoose Public School District 14 Anamoose is a city in McHenry County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 230 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Minot Micropolitan Statistical Area. Anamoose was established along the main line of the Soo Line Railroad in 1898 ...

Bottineau Public School District 1 Bottineau Public School District No. 1 a.k.a. Bottineau Public Schools, is a school district headquartered in Bottineau, North Dakota. Mostly in Bottineau County, it serves Bottineau, Gardena, and Overly. It also has a section in Rolette Coun ...

Harvey Public School District 38 Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

* Leeds Public School District 6 * Maddock Public School District 9 *

North Star School District The North Star School District in Boswell, Somerset County, Pennsylvania in the United States was formed in 1969 with the merger of predecessors Jenner-Boswell and Forbes school districts. The district includes the boroughs of Boswell, St ...

* Rugby Public School District 5 * Towner-Granville-Upham Public School District 60 Former districts: * Wolford Public School District 1 - Closed in 2019 - Check the 2019-2020 spreadsheet, which does not list Wolford, while previous years do.