Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,200, and was estimated to be 2,275 in 2025. The county seat is Hettinger.

History The county was created on April 17, 1907, and organized a week later. It was named for John Quincy Adams (1848–1919), a railroad official for the Milwaukee Road Railroad and distant relative of sixth U.S. President John Quincy Adams (1767–1848). In 1923, Adams County was the site of one of the deadliest tornadoes in North Dakota's recorded history. The "Adams County Twister' killed eight people and injured 20.

Geography Adams 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 terrain consists of semi-arid low rolling hills.Adams County ND Google Maps (accessed February 13, 2019) Its terrain generally slopes eastward, and its highest point is on its upper west boundary line, at ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.11%) is water. It is the 40th largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Adjacent counties

Hettinger County – north Grant County – northeast Sioux County – east Corson County, South Dakota – southeast Perkins County, South Dakota – south Harding County, South Dakota – southwest Bowman County – west Slope County – northwest

Major highways U.S. Highway 12 North Dakota Highway 8 North Dakota Highway 22

Protected areas North Lemmon Lake State Game Management Area

Lakes North Lemmon Lake Mirror Lake

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Adams County was $114,750. As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 1,019 estimated households in Adams County with an average of 2.06 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $55,417. Approximately 11.8% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Adams County has an estimated 56.9% employment rate, with 20.8% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.4% 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 (93.9%), Spanish (4.0%), Indo-European (1.4%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.0%), and Other (0.7%). The median age in the county was 50.0 years.

Adams County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) Pop. 1980 Pop. 1990 Pop. 2000 Pop. 2010 White alone (NH) 3,559(99.30%) 3,160(99.56%) 2,550(98.34%) 2,266(96.71%) 2,028(92.18%) Black or African American alone (NH) 1(0.03%) 3(0.09%) 14(0.54%) 8(0.34%) 12(0.55%) Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 8(0.22%) 10(0.32%) 8(0.31%) 15(0.64%) 14(0.64%) Asian alone (NH) 7(0.20%) 0(0.00%) 4(0.15%) 9(0.38%) 39(1.77%) Pacific Islander alone (NH) — — 1(0.04%) 2(0.09%) 1(0.05%) Other race alone (NH) 0(0.00%) 0(0.00%) 0(0.00%) 0(0.00%) 0(0.00%) Mixed race or multiracial (NH) — — 9(0.35%) 23(0.98%) 70(3.18%) Hispanic or Latino (any race) 9(0.25%) 1(0.03%) 7(0.27%) 20(0.85%) 36(1.64%) Total 3,584(100.00%) 3,174(100.00%) 2,593(100.00%) 2,343(100.00%) 2,200(100.00%)

2024 estimate As of the 2024 estimate, there were 2,141 people and 1,019 households residing in the county. There were 1,362 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% White (88.8% NH White), 1.7% African American, 1.1% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.0% of the population.

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 2,200. There were 1,011 households and 599 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 1,364 housing units at an average density of .

Of the residents, 19.7% were under the age of 18 and 29.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 50.9 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.4 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.7% White, 0.6% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.

There were 1,011 households in the county, of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 1,364 housing units, of which 25.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.4% were owner-occupied and 23.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 24.4%.

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 2,343 people, 1,098 households, and 658 families in the county. The population density was . There were 1,377 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.27% White, 0.34% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from some other races and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.85% of the population.

In terms of ancestry, 51.8% were German, 29.9% were Norwegian, 8.0% were Irish, 7.4% were Swedish, 7.1% were English, 5.4% were Russian, and 4.6% were American.

There were 1,098 households, 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.1% were non-families, and 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.69. The median age was 49.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,966 and the median income for a family was $50,227. Males had a median income of $31,290 versus $25,145 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,118. About 5.7% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

Bucyrus Haynes Hettinger (county seat) Reeder

Unincorporated communities North Lemmon

Ghost towns Petrel

Townships

Beisigl Bucyrus Cedar Chandler Clermont Darling Springs Duck Creek Gilstrap Hettinger Lightning Creek Maine Orange Reeder Scott South Fork Taylor Butte Wolf Butte

Unorganized territories

Central Adams East Adams HoldenHolden Unorganized Territory consists of the boundaries of the former Holden Township. West Adams

Defunct townships

Argonne Cedar Butte Dakota Holden Holt Jordan Kansas City Lemmon North Lemmon Spring Butte WhetstoneWhetstone Township disorganized and became part of West Adams Unorganized Territory January 1, 2006.

Politics Adams County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In only two national elections since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Adams County, North Dakota

References

External links

Adams County official website Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Official 1968 Adams County, North Dakota Farm & Ranch Directory Directory of service companies provided by Farm and Home, 1968 Adams County map North Dakota DOT, archived at the Wayback Machine