Towner County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population is 2,162, and was estimated to be 2,051 in 2024. The county seat and largest city is Cando. It is south of the CanadaâÂÂUS border with Manitoba.
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on March 8, 1883, with areas partitioned from Cavalier and Rolette counties. It was named for Oscar M. Towner (1842âÂÂ1897), a businessman and member of the 15th territorial legislature. The county organization was not completed at that time, and the county was attached to Pembina County for judicial and administrative purposes. That lasted until January 24, 1884, when the county organization was effected, and its attachment to Pembina was dissolved. However, on January 26, 1889, the county was attached to Ramsey County for judicial and administrative purposes. This arrangement only lasted a few months. The boundaries of Towner County, as first formed, have not been altered to the present (as of 2019).
The county should not be confused with the city of Towner, which is located in McHenry County.
Towner County lies on the north line of North Dakota, and thus on the north line of the continental United States. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of Canada. Its terrain consists of rolling hills dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is devoted to agriculture. The Laurentian Divide runs across Towner County - the northern terrain slopes to the north while the southern terrain slopes to the south, and the county as a whole slightly slopes to the east.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.59%) is water. It is the 36th largest county in North Dakota by total area.
Towner County, North Dakota Weather Data
Averages use 1901-2000
Records are from 1895âÂÂPresent
Source:
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Towner County was $130,113.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 958 estimated households in Towner County with an average of 2.17 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $63,017. Approximately 9.4% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Towner County has an estimated 63.0% employment rate, with 18.9% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 89.5% 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 (97.3%), Spanish (2.2%), Indo-European (0.1%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.0%), and Other (0.4%).
The median age in the county was 50.3 years.
Towner County, North Dakota â racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
As of the 2024 estimate, there were 2,051 people and 958 households residing in the county. There were 1,283 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.0% White (87.8% NH White), 0.5% African American, 5.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.8% of the population.
As of the 2020 census, there were 2,162 people, 965 households, and 587 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 22.8% were under the age of 18 and 24.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 51.1 years. For every 100 females there were 105.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.4 males.
The population density was . There were 1,290 housing units at an average density of . Of the housing units, 25.2% were vacant, 77.8% of the occupied units were owner-occupied, and 22.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 24.8%.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.9% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 3.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.
Of the 965 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 19.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
As of the 2010 census, there were 2,246 people, 1,048 households, and 639 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 1,449 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.75% White, 0.09% African American, 2.18% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from some other races and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.45% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 46.5% were German, 41.5% were Norwegian, 10.4% were Irish, 7.4% were English, 5.5% were Swedish, and 3.2% were American.
There were 1,048 households, 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.0% were non-families, and 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age was 50.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,684 and the median income for a family was $54,609. Males had a median income of $36,350 versus $26,164 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,203. About 8.5% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
School districts include:
Former school districts: