Sioux County, North Dakota

History

The county was created by proclamation of Governor Louis B. Hanna on September 3, 1914. It was named for the Native American Lakota, whose historic territory included this area. The county government organization was completed on September 12 of that year. The county lies entirely within the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, forming the northernmost 30 percent of the reservation; the balance of the reservation is in South Dakota. It is the only county in North Dakota that is entirely within an Indian reservation. From 2013 to 2018, Sioux County was included in the Bismarck, ND Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Sioux 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 north boundary line is formed by the east-northeastward-flowing Cedar Creek, which discharges into the Missouri River at the county's northeast corner, and its east boundary line is formed by the south-southeast-flowing Missouri River, which also forms Lake Oahe along the county boundary line. Porcupine Creek flows southeastward into the Missouri River, draining the northeastern part of the county. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills etched with gullies and drainages; the area is mostly devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east and south; its highest point is on the west line, near the southwestern corner of the county, at 2,602 ft ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1128.203 sqmi, of which 1094.052 sqmi is land and 34.151 sqmi (3.03%) is water. It is the 34th largest county in North Dakota by total area.

The southwest corner counties of North Dakota (Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope, and Stark) observe Mountain Time. The counties of McKenzie, Dunn, and Sioux are split, observing Mountain Time in their western portions.

Major highways

• [[Image:ND-6 (2015).svg|25px]] North Dakota Highway 6
• [[Image:ND-24 (2015).svg|25px]] North Dakota Highway 24
• [[Image:ND-31 (2015).svg|25px]] North Dakota Highway 31
• [[Image:ND-49 (2015).svg|25px]] North Dakota Highway 49
• [[Image:ND-1806 (2015).svg|25px]] North Dakota Highway 1806

Adjacent counties

• Morton County - north (observes Central Time)
• Emmons County - east (observes Central Time)
• Corson County, South Dakota - south (observes Mountain Time)
• Adams County - west (observes Mountain Time)
• Grant County - northwest (observes Mountain Time)

Protected areas

Source:

• Cedar River National Grassland (part)
• Froelich Dam State Game Management Area

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

Recent estimates

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Sioux County was $92,605.

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,067 estimated households in Sioux County with an average of 3.50 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $41,676. Approximately 34.9% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Sioux County has an estimated 50.9% employment rate, with 11.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 86.9% holding a high school diploma.

The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (92.7%), Spanish (0.3%), Indo-European (0.2%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.0%), and Other (6.7%).

Race and ethnicity

Sioux County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,898 people, 1,103 households, and 791 families residing in the county. The population density was 3.6 PD/sqmi. There were 1,277 housing units at an average density of 1.2 /sqmi.

Of the residents, 34.7% were under the age of 18 and 9.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 29.9 years. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.6 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 10.3% White, 0.1% African American, 85.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from some other race, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.

There were 1,103 households in the county, of which 47.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 35.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of the 1,277 housing units, 13.6% were vacant; of the occupied units, 46.7% were owner-occupied and 53.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,153 people, 1,158 households, and 900 families in the county. The population density was 3.8 PD/sqmi. There were 1,311 housing units at an average density of 1.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 12.64% White, 0.17% African American, **** , 0.10% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from some other races and 2.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.61% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.5% were German, and 0.3% were American.

Of the 1,158 households, 54.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.5% were married couples living together, 31.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 22.3% were non-families, and 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.55 and the average family size was 3.89. The median age was 26.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,990 and the median income for a family was $31,098. Males had a median income of $31,894 versus $26,619 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,542. About 39.0% of families and 47.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 58.4% of those under age 18 and 36.1% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

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PlotData= color:barra width:25 align:left bar:1920 from: 0 till:3308 bar:1930 from: 0 till:4687 bar:1940 from: 0 till:4419 bar:1950 from: 0 till:3696 bar:1960 from: 0 till:3662 bar:1970 from: 0 till:3632 bar:1980 from: 0 till:3620 bar:1990 from: 0 till:3761 bar:2000 from: 0 till:4044 bar:2010 from: 0 till:4153 bar:2020 from: 0 till:3898 bar:2024 from: 0 till:3713 color:darkblue

PlotData= bar:1920 at:3308 fontsize:M text:3308 shift:(-16,6) bar:1930 at:4687 fontsize:M text:4687 shift:(-16,6) bar:1940 at:4419 fontsize:M text:4419 shift:(-16,6) bar:1950 at:3696 fontsize:M text:3696 shift:(-16,6) bar:1960 at:3662 fontsize:M text:3662 shift:(-16,6) bar:1970 at:3632 fontsize:M text:3632 shift:(-16,6) bar:1980 at:3620 fontsize:M text:3620 shift:(-16,6) bar:1990 at:3761 fontsize:M text:3761 shift:(-16,6) bar:2000 at:4044 fontsize:M text:4044 shift:(-16,6) bar:2010 at:4153 fontsize:M text:4153 shift:(-16,6) bar:2020 at:3898 fontsize:M text:3898 shift:(-16,6) bar:2024 at:3713 fontsize:M text:3713 shift:(-16,6)

TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from U.S. Census Bureau

Communities

Cities

• Fort Yates (county seat)
• Selfridge
• Solen

Census-designated places

• Cannon Ball
• Porcupine

Township

• Menz

Politics

With its population being mostly Native American, Sioux County is one of the most consistently Democratic counties in North Dakota, having last backed a Republican presidential candidate in 1980. Since then the closest a Republican has gotten to winning the county was Ronald Reagan in 1984 who lost the county by 19 percent. John Hoeven, in his 2010 election to the Senate, as well as his 2008 reelection as governor, won the county. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the most votes in Sioux County, one of only two counties she won in the state. Green Party candidate Jill Stein received 10.4% of the popular vote.

Education

School districts include:

• Fort Yates Public School District 4 (in cooperation with the Standing Rock Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) grant school)
• Selfridge Public School District 8
• Solen Public School District 3

References

References

1. "Explore Census Data". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". [[National Association of Counties]].
3. (2006). "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". The [[Newberry Library]].
4. "County History". State of North Dakota.
5. "Sioux County, North Dakota". [[Google Maps]].
6. ""Find an Altitude/Sioux County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 22, 2019)".
7. "2024 County Gazetteer Files – North Dakota". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Sioux County, North Dakota".
9. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024".
10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2007). "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
12. Forstall, Richard L.. (April 20, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
14. "County Median Home Price". [[National Association of Realtors]].
15. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Sioux County, North Dakota".
16. "Sioux County, North Dakota — Population by Race". CensusScope.
17. (October 6, 2022). "1990 Census of Population: General Population Characteristics North Dakota".
18. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Sioux County, North Dakota". [[United States Census Bureau]].
19. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Sioux County, North Dakota". [[United States Census Bureau]].
20. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Sioux County, North Dakota". [[United States Census Bureau]].
21. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau.
22. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau.
23. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".
24. "2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Sioux County, ND". [[United States Census Bureau]].