| County: | Benson County |
| State: | North Dakota |
| Ex Image: | Benson County Courthouse 2009.jpg |
| Founded: | March 9, 1883 (created) June 4, 1884 (organized) |
| Seat Wl: | Minnewaukan |
| Largest City Wl: | Fort Totten |
| City Type: | community |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1439 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1389 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 51 |
| Area Percentage: | 3.5 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 5964 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Est: | 5770 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Web: | https://www.bensoncountynd.com/ |
| District: | At-large |
Benson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,964.[1] Its county seat is Minnewaukan.[2] The county was created on March 9, 1883[3] 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.[4]
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve and much of the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation are located within the county.
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.[5] The terrain slopes to the east, and its highest point is on the lower portion of its west boundary line, at 1624feet ASL.[6] The county has a total area of, of which is land and (3.5%) is water.[7]
As of the census of 2020, there were 5,964 people.
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 . There were 2,950 housing units at an average density of 2.1adj=preNaNadj=pre. 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.
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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.
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.
School districts include:[8]
K-12:
Elementary districts: