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 a quarter 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 | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 46°55′37.211″N 97°15′8.55″W / 46.92700306°N 97.2523750°W | |
Country | United States |
State | North Dakota |
Founded | October 27, 1873 |
Named for | George Washington Cass |
Seat | Fargo |
Largest city | Fargo |
Area | |
• Total | 1,767.811 sq mi (4,578.61 km2) |
• Land | 1,764.935 sq mi (4,571.16 km2) |
• Water | 2.876 sq mi (7.45 km2) 0.2% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 184,525 |
• Estimate (2023) | 196,362 |
• Density | 111.266/sq mi (42.960/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Congressional district | At-large |
Website | casscountynd.gov |
Cass County is part of the Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
editCass 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]
Geography
editCass 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 1,194 ft (364 m) ASL.[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,767.811 square miles (4,578.61 km2), of which 1,764.935 square miles (4,571.16 km2) is land and 2.876 square miles (7.45 km2) (0.2%) is water.[10]
Major highways
editTransit
editAdjacent counties
edit- Traill County - north
- Norman County, Minnesota - northeast
- Clay County, Minnesota - east
- Richland County - southeast
- Ransom County - southwest
- Barnes County - west
- Steele County - northwest
Lakes
editCass County has the following lakes:[8]
- Brewer Lake
- Lake Bertha
Demographics
editCensus | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 8,998 | — | |
1890 | 19,613 | 118.0% | |
1900 | 28,625 | 45.9% | |
1910 | 33,935 | 18.6% | |
1920 | 41,477 | 22.2% | |
1930 | 48,735 | 17.5% | |
1940 | 52,849 | 8.4% | |
1950 | 58,877 | 11.4% | |
1960 | 66,947 | 13.7% | |
1970 | 73,653 | 10.0% | |
1980 | 88,247 | 19.8% | |
1990 | 102,874 | 16.6% | |
2000 | 123,138 | 19.7% | |
2010 | 149,778 | 21.6% | |
2020 | 184,525 | 23.2% | |
2023 (est.) | 196,362 | [11] | 6.4% |
U.S. Decennial Census[12] 1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14] 1990-2000[15] 2010-2020[1] |
As of the first quarter of 2024, the median home value in Cass County was $309,530, an increase of 2.7% from the prior year.[16]
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 84,603 estimated households in Cass County with an average of 2.24 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $73,742. Approximately 9.9% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Cass County has an estimated 75.2% employment rate, with 43.4% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 96.4% holding a high school diploma.[17]
The median age in the county was 32.6 years.
Cass 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.
Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) | Pop. 1980[18] | Pop. 1990[19] | Pop. 2000[20] | Pop. 2010[21] | Pop. 2020[22] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 86,522 (98.05%) |
99,986 (97.19%) |
116,263 (94.42%) |
135,530 (90.49%) |
149,442 (80.99%) |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 141 (0.16%) |
274 (0.27%) |
978 (0.79%) |
3,372 (2.25%) |
12,761 (6.92%) |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 501 (0.57%) |
918 (0.89%) |
1,277 (1.04%) |
1,681 (1.12%) |
2,367 (1.28%) |
Asian alone (NH) | 392 (0.44%) |
973 (0.95%) |
1,543 (1.25%) |
3,524 (2.35%) |
6,034 (3.27%) |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | — | — | 42 (0.03%) |
49 (0.03%) |
79 (0.04%) |
Other race alone (NH) | 176 (0.20%) |
23 (0.02%) |
96 (0.08%) |
140 (0.09%) |
459 (0.25%) |
Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | — | — | 1,421 (1.15%) |
2,467 (1.65%) |
7,201 (3.90%) |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 515 (0.58%) |
700 (0.68%) |
1,518 (1.23%) |
3,015 (2.01%) |
6,182 (3.35%) |
Total | 88,247 (100.00%) |
102,874 (100.00%) |
123,138 (100.00%) |
149,778 (100.00%) |
184,525 (100.00%) |
2020 census
editAs of the 2020 census, there were 184,525 people, 78,672 households, and 42,849 families residing in the county.[23] The population density was 104.6 inhabitants per square mile (40.4/km2). There were 85,397 housing units at an average density of 48.4 inhabitants per square mile (18.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 82.00% White, 7.03% African American, 1.42% Native American, 3.29% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from some other races and 5.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.35% of the population.[24] 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.2% were under 5 years of age, and 13.2% were 65 and older.
2010 census
editAs of the 2010 census, there were 149,778 people, 63,899 households, and 35,215 families in the county. The population density was 84.9 inhabitants per square mile (32.8/km2). There were 67,938 housing units at an average density of 38.5 inhabitants per square mile (14.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.67% White, 2.29% African American, 1.22% Native American, 2.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from some other races and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.01% 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.
Population by decade
editGovernment
editCass 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. 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.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2024 | 47,873 | 52.69% | 40,304 | 44.36% | 2,674 | 2.94% |
2020 | 42,619 | 49.53% | 40,311 | 46.84% | 3,123 | 3.63% |
2016 | 39,816 | 49.26% | 31,361 | 38.80% | 9,644 | 11.93% |
2012 | 36,855 | 49.90% | 34,712 | 47.00% | 2,288 | 3.10% |
2008 | 32,566 | 45.34% | 37,622 | 52.37% | 1,646 | 2.29% |
2004 | 39,619 | 59.39% | 26,010 | 38.99% | 1,082 | 1.62% |
2000 | 33,536 | 56.85% | 21,451 | 36.36% | 4,008 | 6.79% |
1996 | 24,238 | 48.02% | 21,693 | 42.98% | 4,540 | 9.00% |
1992 | 25,312 | 47.65% | 18,077 | 34.03% | 9,727 | 18.31% |
1988 | 26,699 | 54.34% | 22,107 | 44.99% | 331 | 0.67% |
1984 | 29,221 | 61.35% | 18,054 | 37.91% | 354 | 0.74% |
1980 | 23,886 | 54.76% | 13,562 | 31.09% | 6,172 | 14.15% |
1976 | 22,583 | 54.53% | 17,879 | 43.17% | 949 | 2.29% |
1972 | 21,770 | 59.96% | 14,073 | 38.76% | 463 | 1.28% |
1968 | 15,240 | 55.88% | 10,819 | 39.67% | 1,212 | 4.44% |
1964 | 12,972 | 45.25% | 15,674 | 54.67% | 23 | 0.08% |
1960 | 17,498 | 58.89% | 12,213 | 41.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 16,932 | 63.25% | 9,821 | 36.69% | 17 | 0.06% |
1952 | 18,094 | 66.17% | 9,193 | 33.62% | 57 | 0.21% |
1948 | 11,430 | 52.34% | 9,937 | 45.51% | 469 | 2.15% |
1944 | 10,661 | 50.37% | 10,390 | 49.09% | 116 | 0.55% |
1940 | 12,567 | 51.11% | 11,911 | 48.45% | 108 | 0.44% |
1936 | 7,632 | 35.22% | 12,400 | 57.22% | 1,638 | 7.56% |
1932 | 8,937 | 43.82% | 11,094 | 54.40% | 363 | 1.78% |
1928 | 12,480 | 66.18% | 6,315 | 33.49% | 63 | 0.33% |
1924 | 9,906 | 65.86% | 1,352 | 8.99% | 3,783 | 25.15% |
1920 | 10,735 | 77.02% | 2,817 | 20.21% | 386 | 2.77% |
1916 | 3,093 | 46.68% | 3,303 | 49.85% | 230 | 3.47% |
1912 | 1,316 | 26.22% | 1,814 | 36.14% | 1,889 | 37.64% |
1908 | 3,681 | 62.53% | 2,000 | 33.97% | 206 | 3.50% |
1904 | 3,788 | 80.41% | 609 | 12.93% | 314 | 6.67% |
1900 | 3,485 | 65.68% | 1,636 | 30.83% | 185 | 3.49% |
1896 | 3,050 | 58.80% | 2,089 | 40.27% | 48 | 0.93% |
1892 | 2,022 | 53.98% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,724 | 46.02% |
Communities
editCities
editCensus-designated places
editUnincorporated communities
editTownships
edit- Addison
- Amenia
- Arthur
- Ayr
- Barnes
- Bell
- Berlin
- Buffalo
- Casselton
- Clifton
- Cornell
- Davenport
- Dows
- Durbin
- Eldred
- Empire
- Erie
- Everest
- Fargo
- Gardner
- Gill
- Gunkel
- Harmony
- Harwood
- Highland
- Hill
- Howes
- Hunter
- Kinyon
- Lake
- Leonard
- Maple River
- Mapleton
- Noble
- Normanna
- Page
- Pleasant
- Pontiac
- Raymond
- Reed
- Rich
- Rochester
- Rush River
- Stanley
- Tower
- Walburg
- Warren
- Watson
- Wheatland
- Wiser
Education
editSchool districts include:[27]
K-12:
Elementary:
Former districts:
- Page Public School District 80[27] - Consolidated with Hope district in 2020[28]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Based on the 2020 Census: 184,525 / 779,094 (ND pop.) = 23.68%
- ^ "Top 100 Counties by Growth, 2017". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 3, 2018.[dead link ]
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the US. Govt. Print. Off. p. 71.
- ^ "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ^ "County History". North Dakota.gov. The State of North Dakota. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ^ a b Cass County ND Google Maps (accessed February 16, 2019)
- ^ ""Find an Altitude/Cass County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 16, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ "2024 County Gazetteer Files – North Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
- ^ "County Median Home Price". National Association of Realtors. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Cass County, North Dakota". www.census.gov. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ "Cass County, North Dakota — Population by Race". CensusScope. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ^ "Cass County, North Dakota — Population by Race". CensusScope. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Cass County, North Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Cass County, North Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Cass County, North Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ "How many people live in Cass County, North Dakota". USA Today. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 1,316 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 164 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 56 votes.
- ^ a b "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Cass County, ND" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2022. - Text list - 2010 map and 2010 text list - Hope-Page formed in 2020, but both the 2010 and 2020 maps show Page as a separate district
- ^ "Enrollment History Public School Districts 2009-2021". North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved August 19, 2021. - Check the 2020-2021 spreadsheet, which lists a single "Hope Page" school district, and compare with all previous sheets which show them as two separate school districts.
External links
edit- Cass County – official website
- Cass County maps, Sheet 1 Archived October 16, 2020, at the Wayback Machine (northern) and Sheet 2 Archived October 16, 2020, at the Wayback Machine (southern), North Dakota DOT