Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,200. The county seat is Hettinger. The county was created on April 17, 1907, and organized one week later. It was named for John Quincy Adams (1848–1919), a railroad official for the Milwaukee Road Railroad and distant relative of sixth U.S. President John Quincy Adams (1767–1848). In 1923, Adams County was the site of one of the deadliest tornadoes in North Dakota's recorded history. The "Adams County Twister' killed eight people and injured 20.

Geography

Adams County lies on the south line of North Dakota. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of South Dakota. Its terrain consists of semi-arid low rolling hills. Its terrain generally slopes eastward, and its highest point is on its upper west boundary line, at 3,002 ft ASL. The county has a total area of 989 sqmi, of which 988 sqmi is land and 1.1 sqmi (0.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 2,200 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,343 people, 1,098 households, and 658 families in the county. The population density was 2.4 PD/sqmi. There were 1,377 housing units at an average density of 1.4 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 97.3% white, 0.7% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 51.8% were German, 29.9% were Norwegian, 8.0% were Irish, 7.4% were Swedish, 7.1% were English, 5.4% were Russian, and 4.6% were American. Of the 1,098 households, 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.1% were non-families, and 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.69. The median age was 49.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $35,966 and the median income for a family was $50,227. Males had a median income of $31,290 versus $25,145 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,118. About 5.7% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Townships

Unorganized territories

Defunct townships

Politics

Adams County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In only two national elections since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.