| County: | Cass County |
| State: | North Dakota |
| Founded Year: | 1873 |
| Seat Wl: | Fargo |
| Largest City Wl: | Fargo |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1768 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1765 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 3.0 |
| Area Percentage: | 0.2 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 184525 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Est: | 196362 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Web: | https://www.casscountynd.gov |
| Ex Image: | Cass County Courthouse, Left Side.jpg |
| Ex Image Cap: | Cass County Courthouse in Fargo |
| District: | At-large |
| Named For: | George Washington Cass |
Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 184,525.[1] Cass County is the most populous county in North Dakota, accounting for nearly 24% of the state's population.[2] [3] The county seat is Fargo,[4] the state's most populous city. The county is named for George Washington Cass, president of the Northern Pacific Railway from 1872 to 1875. It is the only Cass County in the United States that is not named after Lewis Cass.
Cass County is part of the Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Cass County was defined by action of the Dakota Territory legislature on January 4, 1873, and its organization was effected on October 27 of that year. It was named for railroad executive George Washington Cass (1810–1888).[5] Its boundaries were altered in 1875, and in 1961.[6] [7]
Cass County lies on the east side of North Dakota. Its east boundary line abuts the west boundary line of the state of Minnesota across the river. The Red River flows northward along the county's east boundary, on its way to Lake Winnipeg and Hudson Bay. The county's terrain consists of low rolling hills, devoted to agriculture except around developed areas.[8] Its terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point on the southwestern corner at 1194feet ASL.[9] The county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.2%) is water.[10]
Cass County has the following lakes:[8]
As of the 2020 census, there were 184,525 people, 78,672 households, and 42,849 families in the county.[11] The population density was 104.6sp=usNaNsp=us There were 85,397 housing units.
As of the 2010 census, there were 149,778 people, 63,899 households, and 35,215 families in the county. The population density was . There were 67,938 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% white, 2.4% Asian, 2.3% black or African American, 1.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 45.4% were German, 35.8% were Norwegian, 9.2% were Irish, 6.3% were Swedish, and 1.7% were American.
Of the 63,899 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 44.9% were non-families, and 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 31.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,600 and the median income for a family was $68,858. Males had a median income of $42,557 versus $31,916 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,184. About 5.8% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
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TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from U.S. Census Bureau
Cass County is governed by a board of commissioners elected to four-year terms. Other elected officials include the sheriff and state's attorney. Appointed officials include administrator, extension agent, director of tax equalization, finance auditor, highway engineer, human services officer, information technology coordinator, recorder, veterans service officer, and weed control officer.
| District | Commissioner | In office since | Current term expires in | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Chad Peterson (Chair) | 2012 | 2020 | |
| 2nd | Rick Steen (vice chair) | 2014 | 2022 | |
| 3rd | Ken Pawluk | 2019 | 2020 | |
| 4th | Duane Breitling | 2018 | 2022 | |
| 5th | Mary Scherling | 2012 | 2020 |
The current Sheriff is Jesse F. Jahner. Jahner has served as Sheriff of Cass County since January 2, 2019.
The voters of Cass County have historically tended to vote Republican. As recently as the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush carried Cass County with nearly 60 percent of the vote. However, in recent elections, the county has become more politically diverse and competitive, particularly in Fargo. Since 2008, no Republican presidential candidate has received over 50% of the vote in Cass County, though they have been over 49% beginning in 2012. In 2008, Democratic candidate Barack Obama won the majority of votes in Cass County, with a voting percentage very close to the percentage Obama received in the entire nation, while John McCain won the majority of votes in North Dakota. Mitt Romney's winning margin in 2012 over Obama in Cass County was 49.9% to 47%, while Donald Trump received 49.3% of votes in 2016, compared to 38.8% for Hillary Clinton and 11.9% for third-party candidates. In 2018, Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp achieved a 14-point lead in Eastern North Dakota, although the state as a whole soundly elected Republican Kevin Cramer.
In the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, Fargo falls into 9 districts: 10th, 11th, 16th, 21st, 27th, 41st and 44th-46th. In the House, it's represented by 7 Democrats and 11 Republicans, in Senate by 4 Democrats and 5 Republicans.
School districts include:[12]
K-12:
Elementary:
Former districts: