Griggs County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,306. The county seat and the largest city is Cooperstown.
The county was created by the Dakota Territory legislature on February 18, 1881, with territories partitioned from Barnes, Foster, and Traill counties. It was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. It was named for Alexander Griggs, a steamboat captain who is credited with founding Grand Forks.
The county organization was effected on June 16, 1882. Its boundary was altered in 1883 when Steele County was partitioned off; it has retained its present boundary since then.
The Conrad and Sylvia Fogderud farm in Griggs County is known as "Little Tornado Alley" due to the many tornadoes that have occurred there.
The Sheyenne River flows southward through the east-central part of Griggs County, discharging into Lake Ashtabula at the county's SE corner. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds across its central part, mostly devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is a hill at its NW corner, at 1,562' (476m) ASL.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.10%) is water. It is the 51st largest county and the third-smallest county in North Dakota by total area.
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As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Griggs County was $135,835.
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 2,306. Of the residents, 20.8% were under the age of 18 and 30.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 49.2 years. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.8 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 95.6% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.0% of the population.
There were 1,015 households in the county, of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,378 housing units, of which 26.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.6% were owner-occupied and 22.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 16.3%.
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,420 people, 1,131 households, and 694 families in the county. The population density was . There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.8% white, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.4% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 60.8% were Norwegian, 36.7% were German, 5.9% were English, 5.6% were Swedish, and 1.2% were American.
There were 1,131 households, 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.6% were non-families, and 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age was 51.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,085 and the median income for a family was $51,570. Males had a median income of $33,169 versus $27,038 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,122. About 9.5% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.
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Griggs County voters usually vote Republican. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.
School districts include:
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