Walsh County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,563, and was estimated to be 10,179 in 2025. The county seat and the largest city is Grafton.
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History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on May 2, 1881, with areas partitioned from Grand and Pembina counties. It was organized on August 30 of that same year, with Grafton as county seat. It was named for George H. Walsh (1845–1913), a newspaperman and politician in Grand Forks.
In 1946, Walsh County was the site of one of North Dakota's deadliest tornadoes. The storm killed 11 people, including eight in Walsh County, one in Manitoba, and two in Minnesota.
Geography
Walsh County lies on the eastern side of North Dakota. Its eastern boundary line abuts the western boundary line of the state of Minnesota (across the Red River). The Red River flows northward along the east side of the county on its way to Hudson Bay in Canada. The south branch of the Park River flows eastward through the county to discharge into the Red on the east side of the county. The terrain generally slopes to the north and east, but the highest point is its northwestern corner, at 1,647 ft (502 m) ASL.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,294.032 square miles (3,351.53 km2), of which 1,281.607 square miles (3,319.35 km2) is land and 12.425 square miles (32.18 km2) (0.96%) is water. It is the 22nd largest county in North Dakota by total area.
Lakes
Source:
Demographics
As of the fourth quarter of 2025, the median home value in Walsh County was $143,614.
As of the 2024 American Community Survey, there are 4,400 estimated households in Walsh County with an average of 2.28 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $71,944. Approximately 11.2% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Walsh County has an estimated 62.6% employment rate, with 19.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 88.8% holding a high school diploma. There were 5,184 housing units at an average density of 4.04 per square mile (1.6/km2).
The top five reported languages (people were allowed to report up to two languages, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (90.7%), Spanish (7.3%), Indo-European (1.4%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.3%), and Other (0.3%).
The median age in the county was 43.2 years.
2024 estimate
As of the 2024 estimate, there were 10,214 people, 4,450 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was 7.97 inhabitants per square mile (3.1/km2). There were 5,184 housing units at an average density of 4.04 per square mile (1.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.35% White, 0.88% African American, 2.34% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 14.20% of the population.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 10,563 people, 4,493 households, and 2,738 families residing in the county. The population density was 8.24 inhabitants per square mile (3.2/km2). There were 5,202 housing units at an average density of 4.06 inhabitants per square mile (1.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.01% White, 0.67% African American, 1.37% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.94% from some other races and 7.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.46% of the population.
There were 4,493 households in the county, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Of the residents, 22.8% were under the age of 18 and 22.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.5 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.8 males. Among occupied housing units, 75.3% were owner-occupied and 24.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 11,119 people, 4,746 households, and 3,021 families in the county. The population density was 8.67 inhabitants per square mile (3.3/km2). There were 5,498 housing units at an average density of 4.29 inhabitants per square mile (1.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.45% White, 0.22% African American, 1.51% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.10% from some other races and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.71% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 39.7% were Norwegian, 21.6% were German, 11.0% were Polish, 9.4% were Irish, 9.3% were Czech, 5.8% were English, and 5.4% were American.
There were 4,746 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.3% were non-families, and 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 45.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,139 and the median income for a family was $58,429. Males had a median income of $36,934 versus $26,826 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,829. About 5.4% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Census-designated places
Auburn
Nash
Politics
Walsh County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).
Education
School districts include:
Dakota Prairie Public School District 1, McVille
Drayton Public School District 19, Drayton
Edmore Public School District 2, Edmore
Fordville-Lankin Public School District 5, Fordville
Grafton Public School District 3, Grafton
Lakota Public School District 66, Lakota
Manvel Public School District 125, Manvel
Midway Public School District 128, Inkster
Minto Public School District 20, Minto
Park River Area Public School District 8, Park River
Valley-Edinburg Public School District 118, Crystal