Burleigh County, North Dakota

Burleigh County
County
Burleigh County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°59′N 100°28′W / 46.98°N 100.47°W / 46.98; -100.47
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	January 4, 1873
Named for	Walter A. Burleigh
Seat	Bismarck
Largest city	Bismarck
Area
• Total	1,668 sq mi (4,320 km2)
• Land	1,633 sq mi (4,230 km2)
• Water	36 sq mi (90 km2)  2.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	98,458
• Estimate  (2023)	100,012
• Density	59/sq mi (23/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	www.burleighco.com

Burleigh County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 98,458,^[1] making it the second most populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat is Bismarck, the state capital.^[2] The county was named for Dakota Territory political figure Walter A. Burleigh.

The territorial legislature created Burleigh County on January 4, 1873, annexing territory from Buffalo County. Burleigh was not organized at that time, but the organization was effected on July 16, 1873. Its boundaries were altered in 1879, 1881, 1883, and twice in 1885.^[3][4]

Burleigh County is included in the Bismarck, ND Metropolitan Statistical Area, commonly called "Bismarck–Mandan".

The Missouri River flows south-southeasterly along the lower west boundary line of Burleigh County. The central part of the county is drained by south-flowing creeks. The county terrain consists of semi-arid low rolling hills, partially devoted to agriculture.^[5] The terrain slopes to the south, and its western portion also slopes to the river valley. The terrain's highest point is on the upper portion of the east boundary line, at 2,060 ft (630 m) ASL.^[6] The county has a total area of 1,668 square miles (4,320 km²), of which 1,633 square miles (4,230 km²) is land and 36 square miles (93 km²) (2.1%) is water.^[7]

• Bis-Man Transit
• Jefferson Lines

^[5]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	3,246		—
1890	4,247		30.8%
1900	6,081		43.2%
1910	13,087		115.2%
1920	15,578		19.0%
1930	19,769		26.9%
1940	22,736		15.0%
1950	25,673		12.9%
1960	34,016		32.5%
1970	40,714		19.7%
1980	54,811		34.6%
1990	60,131		9.7%
2000	69,416		15.4%
2010	81,308		17.1%
2020	98,458		21.1%
2023 (est.)	100,012	[8]	1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[1]

As of the 2020 census, there were 98,458 people, 39,927 households, and 24,822 families in the county.^[13] The population density was 60.3 inhabitants per square mile (23.3/km²) There were 42,692 housing units.

As of the 2010 census, there were 81,308 people, 33,976 households, and 21,213 families in the county. The population density was 49.8 inhabitants per square mile (19.2/km²). There were 35,754 housing units at an average density of 21.9 per square mile (8.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.0% white, 4.2% American Indian, 0.6% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% 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, 61.0% were German, 21.1% were Norwegian, 8.1% were Russian, 6.8% were Irish, and 2.6% were American.

Of the 33,976 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 37.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,465 and the median income for a family was $71,103. Males had a median income of $44,944 versus $31,943 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,784. About 6.3% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

• Bismarck (county seat)
• Lincoln
• Regan
• Wilton (partly in McLean County)
• Wing

• Apple Valley
• Driscoll
• Menoken

Burleigh County voters have voted Republican for several decades. With the exception of 1964, no Democratic Party candidate has received even 40 percent of the county's vote after 1940.

United States presidential election results for Burleigh County, North Dakota^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	36,552	70.72%	14,183	27.44%	953	1.84%
2020	34,744	68.46%	14,348	28.27%	1,661	3.27%
2016	32,532	67.80%	10,881	22.68%	4,566	9.52%
2012	27,951	64.42%	14,122	32.55%	1,314	3.03%
2008	25,443	60.58%	15,600	37.14%	956	2.28%
2004	26,577	68.47%	11,621	29.94%	616	1.59%
2000	22,467	65.16%	9,842	28.54%	2,173	6.30%
1996	15,464	51.74%	10,679	35.73%	3,747	12.54%
1992	16,484	50.90%	8,940	27.61%	6,960	21.49%
1988	18,000	61.89%	10,760	37.00%	324	1.11%
1984	19,913	68.25%	8,781	30.10%	482	1.65%
1980	18,437	67.94%	6,129	22.59%	2,571	9.47%
1976	13,680	58.09%	9,188	39.02%	681	2.89%
1972	13,909	67.38%	5,841	28.29%	894	4.33%
1968	10,661	64.03%	5,139	30.87%	849	5.10%
1964	7,239	46.95%	8,120	52.66%	60	0.39%
1960	9,492	62.13%	5,761	37.71%	25	0.16%
1956	9,199	73.79%	3,231	25.92%	37	0.30%
1952	9,526	79.55%	2,400	20.04%	49	0.41%
1948	5,049	59.45%	3,117	36.70%	327	3.85%
1944	4,616	59.95%	3,061	39.75%	23	0.30%
1940	5,858	57.06%	4,350	42.37%	58	0.56%
1936	2,447	25.17%	6,314	64.94%	962	9.89%
1932	2,687	31.84%	5,621	66.61%	131	1.55%
1928	3,955	55.59%	3,076	43.23%	84	1.18%
1924	3,152	53.17%	379	6.39%	2,397	40.44%
1920	4,300	77.28%	943	16.95%	321	5.77%
1916	1,182	45.46%	1,267	48.73%	151	5.81%
1912	720	36.20%	609	30.62%	660	33.18%
1908	1,375	65.82%	660	31.59%	54	2.58%
1904	1,340	83.23%	237	14.72%	33	2.05%
1900	679	66.44%	339	33.17%	4	0.39%

School districts include:^[15]

K-12:

Elementary:

Former districts:

• Montefiore Public School District 1^[16]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Burleigh County, North Dakota

• Burleigh County official website
• A brief history of Burleigh County : with a chronology of some of the county's earlier days (1932) from the Digital Horizons website
• A brief history of Burleigh County : with a chronology of some of the outstanding events of the county's earlier days (1932) from the Digital Horizons website
• Burleigh County maps, Sheet 1 (northern) and Sheet 2 (southern), North Dakota DOT

46°59′N 100°28′W / 46.98°N 100.47°W / 46.98; -100.47