The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on March 11, 1887, with areas partitioned from Bottineau, Rolette, McHenry and the now-extinct DeSmet counties. It was named for Gilbert A. Pierce, a Dakotas political figure. The county was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. It was attached to McHenry County on February 4, 1889, but that lasted only two months; on April 6 the county government was effected and the attachment to McHenry was terminated.
The county's boundaries were enlarged on November 8, 1892, when Church County was dissolved and a portion of its territory was annexed into Pierce.[3][4]
The geographical center of North America is in Pierce County, approximately six miles (9.7 km) west of Balta.[5] Rugby has a monument for the center at the intersection of U.S. 2 and N.D. 3.
The North Fork of the Sheyenne River flows easterly through central Pierce County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture.[6] The terrain generally slopes to the north and east, with its highest point a hill near the SW county corner, at 1,634 ft (498 m) ASL.[7] The county has a total area of 1,082 square miles (2,800 km2), of which 1,019 square miles (2,640 km2) is land and 64 square miles (170 km2) (5.9%) is water.[8]
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,357 people, 1,835 households, and 1,145 families in the county. The population density was 4.28 people per square mile (1.65 people/km2). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 2.16 units per square mile (0.83/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.1% white, 3.9% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 52.3% were German, 34.5% were Norwegian, 5.5% were Irish, and 2.0% were American.
Of the 1,835 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 46.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,091 and the median income for a family was $55,304. Males had a median income of $39,511 versus $21,811 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,575. About 6.4% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.
Pierce County voters have tended to vote Republican for decades. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).
United States presidential election results for Pierce County, North Dakota[14][15]
United States
North Dakota
U.S. Highway 52
North Dakota Highway 3
North Dakota Highway 17
North Dakota Highway 19
North Dakota Highway 60
