Kidder County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,394. Its county seat is Steele.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with areas partitioned from Buffalo County. The county government was not organized at that time, nor was the area attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. It was named for Jefferson Parrish Kidder, a delegate to the United States Congress from Dakota Territory (1875–1879) and associate justice of the territorial supreme court (1865–1875, 1879–1883). The county government was effected on March 22, 1881. The county boundaries were altered on 1879 with territory partitioned to Burleigh, and in 1885 with territory partitioned from Burleigh County. Its boundaries have remained unchanged since 1885.

Geography

The terrain of Kidder County consists of hills dotted with lakes and ponds, largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east and south; its highest point is a hill near its northwestern corner, at 2,064 ft ASL. The county has a total area of 1433 sqmi, of which 1351 sqmi is land and 82 sqmi (5.7%) is water.

Major highways

Lakes

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Adjacent counties

Protected areas

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Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 2,394 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,435 people, 1,059 households, and 722 families in the county. The population density was 1.8 PD/sqmi. There were 1,674 housing units at an average density of 1.2 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.3% white, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 1.9% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 65.8% were German, 21.8% were Norwegian, 8.2% were Russian, 6.0% were English, and 1.7% were American. Of the 1,059 households, 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.8% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.77. The median age was 47.2 years. The median income for a household in the county was $34,250 and the median income for a family was $47,981. Males had a median income of $35,380 versus $24,330 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,502. About 15.1% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 23.1% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Unorganized territories

Politics

Kidder County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).