Benson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,964. Its county seat is Minnewaukan. The county was created on March 9, 1883 by the Dakota Territory legislature, and was named for Bertil W. Benson, a Dakota Territory legislator at the time. The county government was organized on June 4, 1884, and its boundary lines were altered by two legislative actions in 1885. White Horse Hill National Game Preserve and much of the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation are located within the county.

Geography

Much of the east boundary line of Benson County is delineated by the shore of Devils Lake, a closed-capture lake which would spill into the Sheyenne River in an overflow condition. The North Fork Sheyenne River flows southeasterly through the lower SW portion of the county. The terrain of Benson County consists of rolling hills dotted with lakes, ponds and drainages. The terrain slopes to the east, and its highest point is on the lower portion of its west boundary line, at 1,624 ft ASL. The county has a total area of 1439 sqmi, of which 1389 sqmi is land and 51 sqmi (3.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 5,964 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,660 people, 2,233 households, and 1,628 families in the county. The population density was 4.8 PD/sqmi. There were 2,950 housing units at an average density of 2.1 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 55.0% American Indian, 43.4% white, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.0% were Norwegian, 18.0% were German, 5.0% were Irish, and 0.6% were American. Of the 2,233 households, 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.1% were non-families, and 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.46. The median age was 31.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $30,479 and the median income for a family was $34,597. Males had a median income of $31,729 versus $25,253 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,545. About 26.1% of families and 35.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities and CDPs have population included as of 2020, and townships have the population as of 2020. The largest community by far is Fort Totten, followed by Leeds, Maddock and the county seat, Minnewaukan. There are nine cities in the county. The largest township by a 60% margin is Mission (935), which is on the south shore of Devils Lake and is popular for vacationing, as well as gambling at the Spirit Lake Casino and Resort. It is within the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. It is followed by Wood Lake Township (471), immediately to the south of Mission Township and also included in the reservation. The third largest is Lallie Township (325), to the west of Fort Totten on the south shore of Devils Lake and within the reservation.

Cities

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Politics

Typical of many counties in the state where a significant share of the population is Native American, Benson County leans Democratic in presidential elections. Prior to 2020, no Republican candidate had won the majority of the county's votes since Ronald Reagan in 1984. However, George W. Bush in 2000 & Donald Trump in 2016 both won a plurality of the county's votes.

Education

School districts include: K-12: Elementary districts: