Griggs County, North Dakota

state">U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,306. Its county seat is Cooperstown.

Griggs County
County
Griggs County Courthouse. Photographed in 1892.
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 47°28′N 98°14′W / 47.46°N 98.23°W / 47.46; -98.23
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	February 18, 1881 (created) June 16, 1882 (organized)
Named for	Alexander Griggs
Seat	Cooperstown
Largest city	Cooperstown
Area
• Total	716 sq mi (1,850 km2)
• Land	709 sq mi (1,840 km2)
• Water	7.6 sq mi (20 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,306
• Estimate  (2022)	2,252
• Density	3.2/sq mi (1.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	www.griggscountynd.gov

The county was created by the Dakota Territory legislature on February 18, 1881, with territories partitioned from Barnes, Foster, and Traill counties. It was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. It was named for Alexander Griggs, a steamboat captain who is credited with founding Grand Forks.

The county organization was effected on June 16, 1882. Its boundary was altered in 1883 when Steele County was partitioned off; it has retained its present boundary since then.

 

The Sheyenne River flows southward through the east-central part of Griggs County, discharging into Lake Ashtabula at the county's SE corner. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds across its central part, mostly devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is a hill at its NW corner, at 1,562' (476m) ASL. The county has a total area of 716 square miles (1,850 km²), of which 709 square miles (1,840 km²) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km²) (1.1%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in North Dakota by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

• Sibley Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Lakes

Source:

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 2,306 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,420 people, 1,131 households, and 694 families in the county. The population density was 3.4 inhabitants per square mile (1.3/km²). There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of 2.1 per square mile (0.81/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.8% white, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 60.8% were Norwegian, 36.7% were German, 5.9% were English, 5.6% were Swedish, and 1.2% were American.

Of the 1,131 households, 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.6% were non-families, and 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age was 51.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,085 and the median income for a family was $51,570. Males had a median income of $33,169 versus $27,038 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,122. About 9.5% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Cities

• Binford
• Cooperstown (county seat)
• Hannaford

Census-designated places

• Jessie
• Sutton

Unincorporated communities

Source:

• Karnak
• Walum
• Mose

Townships

Griggs County voters usually vote Republican. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

School districts include:

• Barnes County North Public School District 7
• Dakota Prairie Public School District 1
• Finley-Sharon Public School District 19
• Griggs County Central School District 18
• Hope-Page School District
• Midkota Public School District 7

Former:

• Hope Public School District 10 - Consolidated with Page district in 2020

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Griggs County, North Dakota
• USS Griggs (APA-110), U.S. Navy ship named for this county

47°28′N 98°14′W / 47.46°N 98.23°W / 47.46; -98.23