County population in 2016: 3,121 (all rural); it was 3,715 in 2000County owner-occupied with a mortgage or a loan houses and condos in 2010: 406 County owner-occupied free and clear houses and condos in 2010: 766 County owner-occupied houses and condos in 2000: 1,307 Renter-occupied apartments: 302 (it was 321 in 2000)
% of renters here:
20%
State:
35%
Land area: 982 sq. mi.
Water area: 27.1 sq. mi.
Population density: 3 people per square mile (very low).
Mar. 2016 cost of living index in Nelson County: 79.3 (low, U.S. average is 100)
Industries providing employment: Agriculture,forestry,fishing and hunting, and mining (52.0%), Wholesale trade (13.4%), Construction (11.8%), Educational, health and social services (10.2%).
Estimated median household income in 2016: $52,617 ($28,892 in 1999)
This county:
$52,617
North Dakota:
$60,656
Median contract rent in 2016 for apartments: $452 (lower quartile is $308, upper quartile is $501)
This county:
$452
State:
$709
Estimated median house or condo value in 2016: $86,998 (it was $36,000 in 2000)
Nelson:
$86,998
North Dakota:
$184,100
Lower value quartile - upper value quartile: $51,690 - $135,587 Median monthly housing costs for homes and condos with a mortgage: $1,016 Median monthly housing costs for units without a mortgage: $335
Institutionalized population: 80
Single-family new house construction building permits:
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2016: $733 (0.6%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2016: $579 (0.7%)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2016: 8.2%
Nelson County:
8.2%
North Dakota:
10.7%
(7.4% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 72.0% for Black residents, 5.1% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 8.3% for two or more races residents)
Median age of residents in 2016: 52.3 years old
(Males: 52.2 years old, Females: 52.6 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 53.0 years old, Black residents: 17.1 years old, American Indian residents: 68.5 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 35.9 years old)
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Nelson County is $459 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $548 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $741 a month.
Notable locations in this county outside city limits:
Notable locations in Nelson County: Larimore Country Club (A), Benton Town Hall (B), Americus Town Hall (C), Michigan Town Hall (D), Union Town Hall (E), Lind Town Hall (F), Loretta Town Hall (G), Walle Town Hall (H), Fairfield Town Hall (I), Pleasant View Town Hall (J), Avon Town Hall (K), Grace Town Hall (L), Brenna Town Hall (M), Oakville Town Hall (N), Chester Town Hall (O), Falconer Town Hall (P), Rye Town Hall (Q), Blooming Town Hall (R), Hegton Town Hall (S), Lakeville Town Hall (T). Display/hide their locations on the map
Churches in Nelson County include: West Union Church (A), Pleasant View Church (B), Washington Prairie Church (C), Washington Church (D), Calvary Church (E), Walle Church (F), Ascension Church (G), Rosendahl Church (H), Saint Olaf Church (I). Display/hide their locations on the map
Cemeteries: Americus-Saint Olaf Cemetery (1), Arvilla Cemetery (2), Evangelical United Brethren (3), Washington Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran (4), Saint James Cemetery (5), Walle Lutheran Church Cemetery (6), East Walle Evangelical Lutheran (7). Display/hide their locations on the map
Lakes and reservoirs: Lunby Lake (A), Smith Lakes (B), Stewart Lake (C), Grand Forks Sewage Disposal Ponds (D), Kellys Slough Reservoir (E), Little Goose Lake (F). Display/hide their locations on the map
Streams, rivers, and creeks: Turtle River (A), Kelly Slough (B), Wilson Creek (C), South Branch Forest River (D), Cole Creek (E), Salt Coulee (F), Salt Water Coulee (G), Spring Creek (H), Goose Creek (I). Display/hide their locations on the map
Parks in Nelson County include: Little Goose National Wildlife Refuge (1), Prairie Chicken State Game Management Area (2), Turtle River State Park (3), Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge (4). Display/hide their locations on the map
Current college students: 61 People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 91.9% People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 20.6%
Number of foreign born residents: 26 (39.7% naturalized citizens)
Nelson County:
0.8%
Whole state:
3.2%
Year of entry for the foreign-born population
2010 or later: 8
2000 to 2009: 5
1990 to 1999: 0
1980 to 1989: 10
1970 to 1979: 2
Before 1970: 33
Note: State values scaled to Nelson County population
Mean travel time to work (commute): 21.8 minutes
Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 75.8%
Housing units in structures:
One, detached: 1,604
One, attached: 5
Two: 15
3 or 4: 71
5 to 9: 150
10 to 19: 45
20 or more: 8
Mobile homes: 83
Housing units in Nelson County with a mortgage: 319 (2 second mortgage, 11 home equity loan, 3 both second mortgage and home equity loan) Houses without a mortgage: 856
Here:
27.1% with mortgage
State:
53.5% with mortgage
Religion statistics for Nelson County
Religion
Adherents
Congregations
Mainline Protestant
2,411
14
Catholic
429
4
Evangelical Protestant
168
5
Other
2
-
None
116
-
Nelson County Religion Details
Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center.
Food Environment Statistics:
Number of grocery stores: 2
Nelson County:
6.22 / 10,000 pop.
State:
3.23 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (no gas): 1
This county:
3.11 / 10,000 pop.
North Dakota:
1.88 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (with gas): 4
Nelson County:
12.45 / 10,000 pop.
North Dakota:
4.89 / 10,000 pop.
Number of full-service restaurants: 6
This county:
18.67 / 10,000 pop.
State:
8.90 / 10,000 pop.
Adult diabetes rate:
Nelson County:
9.9%
North Dakota:
7.6%
Adult obesity rate:
Nelson County:
27.2%
State:
27.6%
Agriculture in Nelson County:
Average size of farms: 889 acres Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $68,894 Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $121.45 The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 16.95% Average total farm production expenses per farm: $59,250 Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 53.00% Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $80,724 The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 93.31% Average age of principal farm operators: 59 years Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 2.11 Corn for grain: 10819 harvested acres All wheat for grain: 110122 harvested acres Soybeans for beans: 44856 harvested acres
Tornado activity:
Nelson County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is significantly below North Dakota state average. It is 3027344.4 times below overall U.S. average. Tornadoes in this county have caused one fatality and 20 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004. On 8/26/2007, a category 4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado killed one person and injured 18 people and caused $50 million in damages.
Earthquake activity:
Nelson County-area historical earthquake activity is slightly below North Dakota state average. It is 78% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
On 8/18/1959 at 06:37:13, a magnitude 7.7 (7.7 UK, Class: Major, Intensity: VIII - XII) earthquake occurred 639.3 miles away from Nelson County center, causing $26,000,000 total damage On 7/9/1975 at 14:54:15, a magnitude 4.6 (4.6 MB, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 184.9 miles away from the county center On 3/4/1983 at 06:32:18, a magnitude 4.6 (4.4 MB, 4.6 LG, 4.4 ML) earthquake occurred 262.2 miles away from the county center On 6/5/1993 at 01:24:53, a magnitude 4.1 (4.1 LG, Depth: 6.2 mi) earthquake occurred 178.4 miles away from the county center On 10/20/1995 at 15:57:18, a magnitude 3.7 (3.7 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 159.2 miles away from Nelson County center On 9/8/1984 at 00:59:31, a magnitude 5.1 (5.1 MB, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 450.2 miles away from the county center Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), local magnitude (ML)
Most recent natural disasters:
North Dakota Severe Storms and Flooding, Incident Period: May 17, 2013 to June 17, 2013, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-4128: July 12, 2013, FEMA Id: 4128, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
North Dakota Flooding, Incident Period: April 05, 2011 to July 01, 2011, Emergency Declared EM-3318: April 07, 2011, FEMA Id: 3318, Natural disaster type: Flood
North Dakota Flooding, Incident Period: February 14, 2011 to July 20, 2011, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1981: May 10, 2011, FEMA Id: 1981, Natural disaster type: Flood
North Dakota Flooding, Incident Period: February 26, 2010 to July 15, 2010, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1907: April 30, 2010, FEMA Id: 1907, Natural disaster type: Flood
North Dakota Flooding, Incident Period: February 26, 2010 to April 30, 2010, Emergency Declared EM-3309: March 14, 2010, FEMA Id: 3309, Natural disaster type: Flood
North Dakota Severe Storms and Flooding, Incident Period: March 13, 2009 to August 10, 2009, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1829: March 24, 2009, FEMA Id: 1829, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
North Dakota Hurricane Katrina Evacuation, Incident Period: August 29, 2005 to October 01, 2005, Emergency Declared EM-3247: September 13, 2005, FEMA Id: 3247, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
North Dakota Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation, Incident Period: June 01, 2005 to July 07, 2005, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1597: July 22, 2005, FEMA Id: 1597, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
North Dakota Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation, Incident Period: March 26, 2004 to June 14, 2004, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1515: May 05, 2004, FEMA Id: 1515, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
North Dakota Floods, Incident Period: March 01, 2001 to August 09, 2001, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1376: May 28, 2001, FEMA Id: 1376, Natural disaster type: Flood
14 other natural disasters have been reported since 1953.
The number of natural disasters in Nelson County (24) is a lot greater than the US average (13). Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 21 Emergencies Declared: 3
Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 22, Storms: 11, Snows: 3, Blizzard: 1, Heavy Rain: 1, Hurricane: 1, Landslide: 1, Mudslide: 1, Tornado: 1, Winter Storm: 1 (Note: Some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).
Law enforcement workers including supervisors (8%)
Material moving occupations (7%)
Transportation occupations (7%)
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (5%)
Office and administrative support occupations (22%)
Healthcare support occupations (14%)
Food preparation and serving related occupations (10%)
Management occupations (9%)
Education, training, and library occupations (9%)
Sales and related occupations (7%)
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (5%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):
Brazil (31%)
Canada (27%)
Peru (15%)
Denmark (8%)
Norway (8%)
Ireland (0%)
Sweden (0%)
Most common first ancestries reported in Nelson County (%):
Norwegian (47%)
German (15%)
Scandinavian (6%)
Czech (5%)
American (4%)
English (3%)
Irish (2%)
Means of transportation to work:
Drove a car alone: 884 (69.1%)
Carpooled: 103 (8.1%)
Taxicab, motorcycle, or other means: 40 (3.1%)
Walked: 93 (7.3%)
Worked at home: 131 (10.2%)
Owners and renters by unit type in %
Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders ($)
People in group quarters in Nelson County, North Dakota in 2000:
138 people in nursing homes
14 people in religious group quarters
8 people in wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere
80 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilitiesAverage gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2010 was $56,100.
5.78% of this county's 2011 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2010 ($29,628 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
5.78%
North Dakota average:
7.91%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
3.70% relocated from other counties in North Dakota ($21,397 average AGI)
2.07% relocated from other states ($8,231 average AGI)
Nelson County:
2.07%
North Dakota average:
4.56%
Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries
Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2010 and 2011:
5.92% of this county's 2010 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2011 ($38,850 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
5.92%
North Dakota average:
7.15%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
3.99% relocated to other counties in North Dakota ($28,800 average AGI)
1.92% relocated to other states ($10,050 average AGI)
Nelson County:
1.92%
North Dakota average:
3.74%
Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries
Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2010 and 2011:
Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 8.0 Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 7.7
Births per 1000 population in Nelson County
Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 20.0 Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 19.3 Deaths per 1000 population from 2007 to 2014: 19.8
Deaths per 1000 population in Nelson County
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 13.1
Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Nelson County
Population without health insurance coverage in 2013: 13.4% Persons under 19 years old without health insurance coverage in 2013: 11.2%
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Nelson County
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Nelson County
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2007: 990 (926 aged, 64 disabled) Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2007: 63 (13%)
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Aged persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Disabled persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Most common underlying causes of death in Nelson County, North Dakota in 1999 - 2014:
Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (108)
Alzheimer's disease, unspecified (77)
Atherosclerotic heart disease (71)
Stroke, not specified as haemorrhage or infarction (57)
Bronchus or lung, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (45)
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described (25)
Malignant neoplasm of prostate (20)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 9% Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 10%
Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 29.03 Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 3,774 Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 552 Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 3,861
General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 818 Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,811 Dentists per 100,000 population in 1998: 29
Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 54 Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 29
Household type by relationship:
Households: 3,121
In family households: 2,272 (439 male householders, 445 female householders)
745 spouses, 599 children (587 natural, 1 adopted, 10 stepchildren), 0 grandchildren, 2 brothers or sisters, 0 parents, 1 other relatives, 48 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 776 (376 male householders (336 living alone)), 309 female householders (306 living alone)), 87 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 77
Size of family households: 552 2-persons, 120 3-persons, 101 4-persons, 93 5-persons, 3 6-persons, 11 7-or-more-persons.
451 married couples with children.
112 single-parent households (54 men, 58 women).
99.3% of residents of Nelson speak English at home.
0.4% of residents speak Spanish at home (100% speak English very well).
0.7% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (95% speak English very well, 5% speak English well).
0.5% of residents speak other language at home (100% speak English very well).
In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $49,138,000 ($14,264 per capita) Department of Defense expenditure: $509,000 Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $13,189,000 Federal other direct payments to individuals: $8,212,000 Federal direct payments not to individuals: $17,894,000 Federal grants: $7,730,000 Federal procurement contracts: $399,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal salaries and wages: $1,715,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal Government direct loans: $691,000 Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $2,402,000 Federal Government insurance: $35,709,000
Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 128
Here:
37 per 1000 residents
State:
64 per 1000 residents
Deaths: 341
Here:
100 per 1000 residents
State:
48 per 1000 residents
Net international migration: +7
Here:
+2 per 1000 residents
State:
+6 per 1000 residents
Net internal migration: -80
Here:
-23 per 1000 residents
State:
-29 per 1000 residents
Population growth in Nelson County
Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 0.44 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)
Median number of rooms in houses and condos:
Here:
7.0
State:
7.0
Median number of rooms in apartments:
Here:
3.9
State:
4.0
Year house built
2014 or later: 0
2010 to 2013: 44
2000 to 2009: 95
1990 to 1999: 63
1980 to 1989: 87
1970 to 1979: 395
1960 to 1969: 230
1950 to 1959: 252
1940 to 1949: 162
1939 or earlier: 579
Note: State values scaled to Nelson population
Rooms in houses/apartments in Nelson County, North Dakota
Note: State values scaled to Nelson County population
no vehicle: 9
1 vehicle: 237
2 vehicles: 521
3 vehicles: 264
4 vehicles: 82
5+ vehicles: 67
no vehicle: 42
1 vehicle: 138
2 vehicles: 165
3 vehicles: 30
4 vehicles: 3
5+ vehicles: 6
89% of Nelson County residents lived in the same house 1 years ago. Out of people who lived in different houses, 24% lived in this county. Out of people who lived in different counties, 77% lived in North Dakota.
Nelson County:
88.8%
State average:
83.2%
Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:
This state: 2,273
Other state: 781
Northeast: 5
Midwest: 445
South: 72
West: 256
Year Householders Moved Into Unit
Most commonly used house heating fuel in Nelson County
Click here to upload your Nelson County photos (outside city limits)
52.3 years
35.0 years
(50.6%)
(49.4%)
, Pierce County 
, Ramsey County 
, Lake County, Minnesota 
, Steele County 
, Pennington County, Minnesota 
