Mercer County is located in west-central North Dakota along the Missouri River, northwest of Bismarck. Established in 1873 and organized in 1910, the county developed around river transportation, agriculture, and later large-scale energy production in the region’s lignite belt. It is a sparsely populated, rural county, with a population of roughly 8,000 residents, making it small in overall scale. The landscape includes Missouri River breaks, rolling prairie, and reservoirs associated with the river system, supporting farming, ranching, and outdoor recreation. Mercer County’s economy is shaped by coal mining and electric power generation alongside agricultural activity and local services. The county seat is Stanton, and other communities include Hazen and Beulah, which function as local service centers for surrounding rural areas.

Mercer County Local Demographic Profile

Mercer County is located in west-central North Dakota along the Missouri River, with Stanton as the county seat. The county is part of the broader energy-producing region of central North Dakota.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Mercer County, North Dakota, Mercer County had a population of 8,372 (2023 estimate).

Age & Gender

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Mercer County (latest available profile metrics):

  • Age distribution (selected measures)
    • Under age 5: reported by QuickFacts
    • Under age 18: reported by QuickFacts
    • Age 65+: reported by QuickFacts
  • Gender
    • Female persons: reported by QuickFacts (male share is the remainder)

Note: QuickFacts provides standardized county indicators but does not display a full age-by-year distribution table on the summary page. For detailed age-by-sex tables, use the U.S. Census Bureau’s data table tools (ACS) for Mercer County.

Racial & Ethnic Composition

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Mercer County (latest available profile metrics), the county’s racial and ethnic composition is reported using standard Census categories, including:

  • White alone
  • Black or African American alone
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone
  • Asian alone
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone
  • Two or more races
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

Household & Housing Data

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Mercer County (latest available profile metrics), commonly used household and housing indicators for Mercer County include:

  • Number of households
  • Average household size
  • Owner-occupied housing unit rate
  • Median value of owner-occupied housing units
  • Median gross rent
  • Building permits and housing stock indicators (where available in QuickFacts)

For local government and planning resources, visit the Mercer County official website.

Email Usage

Mercer County, North Dakota is largely rural, with small population centers and long distances between households; this settlement pattern tends to raise per‑premise network costs and can limit high‑capacity connectivity options, shaping how residents access email and other digital services. Direct county-level email usage statistics are not routinely published, so broadband and device access serve as proxies for likely email adoption.

Digital access indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau (data.census.gov) (ACS) commonly used for this purpose include household broadband subscription and computer ownership; these measures track the practical ability to use webmail and app-based email reliably. Age structure from the same source is also relevant because email adoption is generally higher among working-age adults and lower among the oldest cohorts; Mercer County’s age distribution therefore influences overall email use through the share of older residents.

Gender distribution is typically less predictive of email adoption than age and access, but it provides context for household composition patterns captured in ACS tables.

Connectivity limitations in rural North Dakota include fewer wired provider choices outside towns and variable mobile coverage; infrastructure context can be corroborated via NTIA broadband programs and mapping resources and the North Dakota Broadband Program.

Mobile Phone Usage

County context (geography, settlement patterns, and relevance to connectivity)

Mercer County is in west-central North Dakota along the Missouri River corridor, with a largely rural settlement pattern and small population centers (notably Hazen, Beulah, and the Stanton area). The county’s mix of open prairie, river breaks, and low-density housing increases the cost per mile of building and maintaining mobile infrastructure, which tends to produce uneven coverage away from highways and town cores. Basic geographic and population characteristics can be referenced through the U.S. Census Bureau’s county profiles on Census.gov.

Key distinction: network availability vs. household/adult adoption

  • Network availability refers to whether mobile broadband service is reported as present in an area (coverage footprints by technology such as LTE or 5G).
  • Adoption refers to whether residents actually subscribe to mobile service, own smartphones, and use mobile data as part of household internet connectivity.

County-level discussions often have better availability data than adoption data, because carrier-reported coverage maps are published more consistently than county-specific smartphone ownership or mobile-only usage rates.

Mobile network availability (reported coverage and service footprint)

FCC broadband availability reporting (mobile)

The primary standardized source for sub-county mobile broadband availability in the United States is the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection (BDC), which provides location-based availability and coverage layers. These data can be viewed and downloaded via the FCC’s broadband mapping resources at the FCC National Broadband Map.

What is generally available at the county level from FCC sources

  • Reported availability of mobile broadband by provider and technology category.
  • Sub-county granularity (coverage polygons and/or location-based availability), which is important for rural counties where service can vary sharply between towns, highways, and sparsely populated areas.

Limitations

  • FCC availability reflects reported service presence, not guaranteed indoor performance, real-world speeds, or congestion.
  • The FCC map is the appropriate source for determining whether parts of Mercer County are reported to have LTE and/or 5G coverage, but it does not directly quantify “mobile penetration” (subscriptions per person).

4G LTE and 5G availability (county-specific caveats)

  • 4G LTE service is typically the dominant technology in rural North Dakota counties in terms of geographic reach, but the extent within Mercer County should be confirmed using FCC BDC layers rather than assumed from state-level patterns.
  • 5G availability in rural counties often appears in and around town centers and along major travel corridors, with more limited geographic footprint than LTE. County-specific confirmation and provider-by-provider detail are best obtained via the FCC map interface and data download.

For state-level broadband planning context that may reference mobile alongside fixed broadband, North Dakota’s broadband resources are commonly centralized through state government channels such as the State of North Dakota website (program placement and naming can vary over time). County and municipal public works or planning pages may also document tower siting and right-of-way activities; Mercer County government information is accessible via the Mercer County, North Dakota official website.

Actual adoption and access indicators (subscriptions, smartphones, and “mobile-only” reliance)

What can be measured reliably at county scale

County-level mobile adoption is not consistently published as a single definitive metric. Two types of indicators are more commonly available, with important limitations:

  1. Household internet subscription types (ACS)

    • The American Community Survey (ACS) publishes county estimates on household internet subscriptions, including categories that can reflect cellular data plans as a household internet service. These estimates are accessible through Census.gov (tables related to computer and internet use).
    • This is an adoption measure (households reporting subscription types), not coverage.

    Limitations

    • ACS measures are survey-based and may have larger margins of error in sparsely populated counties.
    • ACS “cellular data plan” categories capture a household’s reported subscription, but not quality of service, device ownership, or whether the plan is the primary connection.

  2. Device ownership and smartphone use

    • County-specific smartphone ownership shares are not reliably available as official statistics in most counties.
    • Some device and usage indicators are available at broader geographies (state or national), but those are not definitive for Mercer County and should not be treated as county estimates.

What cannot be stated definitively without county-specific data

  • “Mobile penetration” as subscriptions per capita for Mercer County is not generally published in a way that can be cited as an official county metric.
  • Shares of residents relying exclusively on smartphones for internet access (“smartphone-only”) are typically not available as Mercer County-specific official figures.

Mobile internet usage patterns (technology mix and practical use)

Network availability (technology mix)

  • The FCC map is the most appropriate public reference for the availability side (LTE versus 5G footprints). It distinguishes reported coverage by providers and can be used to identify where mobile broadband is reported as available across Mercer County.

Adoption and behavior (how people use mobile data)

At the county level, direct measures of behavior (streaming, hotspot dependence, daily mobile data use) are rarely available from official sources. The most defensible proxy indicators are:

  • ACS household subscription categories (including cellular data plans) via Census.gov.
  • Local context factors such as rural distance to services and commuting corridors, which influence how heavily residents may depend on mobile coverage during travel, though this does not quantify usage volumes.

Limitations

  • Publicly available official datasets typically do not provide Mercer County-specific breakdowns of mobile usage by network generation (LTE vs 5G) as a share of actual user traffic.

Common device types (smartphones vs. other devices)

County-specific device-type prevalence (smartphone vs. basic phone vs. tablet-only) is not typically published in official datasets for Mercer County. The most defensible statements at county level are constrained to:

  • Household device availability where captured in ACS “computer” and “internet subscription” topics (which relate more to computers/tablets and internet subscriptions than to smartphone ownership specifically). These data can be accessed through Census.gov.

Practical interpretation

  • FCC availability data indicates where smartphones and other mobile broadband-capable devices could connect.
  • ACS adoption data indicates whether households report subscribing to cellular data plans and other internet services, but it does not enumerate “smartphone vs. flip phone” shares.

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage in Mercer County

Rurality and population density

  • Low population density generally reduces the economic incentive for dense tower placement, often resulting in coverage that is strongest around towns and along highways, with weaker service in remote areas and river breaks.
  • Sparse settlement patterns also influence adoption patterns, as households may combine mobile service with fixed options where available. County-specific adoption mix is measurable through ACS subscription categories on Census.gov, subject to sampling error.

Terrain and land use

  • The Missouri River corridor and associated topography can affect propagation and line-of-sight, contributing to localized variability in mobile performance. FCC-reported coverage remains the standardized way to describe “availability,” while real-world performance varies by location and indoor/outdoor conditions.

Community and economic anchors

  • Mercer County includes energy and industrial activity in the broader region, and localized worksite concentration can influence where carriers prioritize capacity. Public, county-level documentation of carrier capacity planning is generally limited; availability should be validated through FCC BDC coverage and locally observed service.

Recommended public sources for Mercer County-specific documentation (availability vs. adoption)

Data limitations specific to county-level mobile reporting

  • Availability data is stronger than adoption data at fine geographies because the FCC publishes standardized coverage reporting, while smartphone ownership and usage behavior are not consistently measured at county scale.
  • Carrier-reported coverage does not equal consistent user experience, particularly in rural terrain and indoors.
  • Survey-based adoption estimates (ACS) can carry substantial margins of error in smaller counties; county estimates should be interpreted with those uncertainties in mind.

Social Media Trends

Mercer County is a sparsely populated, predominantly rural county in central North Dakota, anchored by communities such as Beulah, Hazen, and Stanton, with much of its economic activity tied to energy production (including the lignite coal and power-generation corridor around Lake Sakakawea). Long travel distances, reliance on local news networks, and uneven broadband availability in rural areas can shape social media use toward mobile-first access and community-oriented platforms.

Overall social media use (county-level context and best-available estimates)

  • Direct, county-specific social media penetration data is not published in major U.S. public datasets. As a result, Mercer County usage is most reliably represented by statewide and national survey benchmarks plus local demographic structure.
  • North Dakota (statewide): Approximately 83% of North Dakota residents are active social media users, according to DataReportal’s compiled estimates for “Digital 2024.” (Methodology is modeled/aggregated from multiple sources rather than a single probability survey.) See DataReportal: Digital 2024 United States and the North Dakota excerpting commonly cited in state-level summaries.
  • United States (benchmark): About 69% of U.S. adults use social media, based on the Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.
  • Mercer County implication: Mercer County’s penetration is generally expected to track rural Great Plains patterns: high overall use among working-age adults, with lower adoption among older residents relative to urban counties. The county’s older age profile relative to many U.S. counties typically reduces overall penetration versus statewide totals.

Age-group trends (who uses social media most)

Nationally, social media use is strongly age-graded:

  • Ages 18–29: highest use (roughly mid‑80%+ of adults in Pew’s reporting across recent waves).
  • Ages 30–49: next highest (typically upper‑70% to ~80% range).
  • Ages 50–64: majority use (typically ~60–70% range).
  • Ages 65+: lowest, but still substantial (often ~40–50%+ depending on platform and year). Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.

Mercer County context: With a rural economy and comparatively older population, the county’s social media audience tends to be concentrated in 25–64, with notable platform skew toward Facebook among older cohorts and YouTube usage spanning nearly all age groups.

Gender breakdown

  • Overall social media use: Pew finds men and women in the U.S. use social media at broadly similar rates in aggregate, with differences more visible at the platform level rather than total adoption.
  • Platform-level pattern (U.S.):

Mercer County context: The county’s platform mix is typically shaped more by age structure and rural community networks than by strong gender-driven differences in total usage.

Most-used platforms (percentages from reliable U.S. benchmarks)

County-level platform market shares are not published in standard public datasets; the most reliable comparison uses U.S. adult usage rates from Pew:

  • YouTube: ~83% of U.S. adults
  • Facebook: ~68%
  • Instagram: ~47%
  • Pinterest: ~35%
  • TikTok: ~33%
  • LinkedIn: ~30%
  • X (Twitter): ~22%
  • Snapchat: ~27%
  • WhatsApp: ~23%
  • Reddit: ~22% Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.

Mercer County likely ranking (directional, based on rural demographics):

  1. Facebook (dominant for local groups, community announcements, school and civic updates)
  2. YouTube (broad reach across ages for news, how-to, entertainment)
  3. Instagram (stronger among under‑45)
  4. TikTok/Snapchat (concentrated among teens and young adults)
  5. LinkedIn (smaller footprint; used primarily by professionals and job seekers)

Behavioral and engagement trends (rural-county patterns)

  • Community information utility is a primary driver: Rural counties commonly rely on Facebook Pages and Groups for event notices, weather closures, local commerce, and community discussion, reflecting the platform’s role as a “digital bulletin board.”
  • Video is central to time spent: High reach for YouTube aligns with national patterns in which video is a dominant content format across age groups (Pew platform reach: YouTube and social media usage (Pew)).
  • Age-based platform specialization:
    • Older adults: higher reliance on Facebook for staying in touch and local news circulation.
    • Younger adults/teens: higher frequency and creator-driven discovery on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, with heavier use of short-form video and messaging.
  • Engagement style: Rural audiences tend to show higher engagement with locally relevant posts (schools, sports, local businesses, public safety) and lower engagement with brand-led content outside the region’s immediate interests.
  • Access patterns: Rural areas often show greater dependence on smartphones for social access; national device-use patterns in rural communities are tracked in Pew’s internet and technology reporting, including broadband and smartphone reliance (see Pew Research Center Internet & Technology for related rural connectivity findings).

Data limitations note: Mercer County–specific penetration, platform share, and demographic splits are not available in widely used public social media datasets. The percentages above represent national platform usage rates (Pew) and state-level modeled penetration (DataReportal), used to characterize the most defensible baseline for Mercer County in the absence of county-representative survey samples.

Family & Associates Records

Mercer County family-related public records primarily include vital records (birth and death), marriage and divorce records, and some court records affecting family status (guardianship, probate). In North Dakota, certified birth and death records are maintained at the state level through the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Records; local registration occurs through county and local entities, but issuance is handled by the state. Adoption records are generally sealed and managed through state and court processes, with access restricted by law.

Publicly searchable databases for family status are limited. Property ownership and related filings are available through the county Recorder’s office, which can help document family associations through deeds and liens. Mercer County also provides access to some court-related information via state court systems rather than county-hosted databases.

Access methods include in-person county offices and state online services. County recording and property records are accessed through the Mercer County Recorder. County administrative contact points and office locations are listed on the Mercer County official website. State vital records requests and eligibility rules are provided by North Dakota HHS Vital Records. Court case access and records policies are provided through the North Dakota Courts.

Privacy restrictions commonly apply to birth/death certificates, adoption files, and many family court matters; certified copies typically require proof of eligibility and identification.

Marriage & Divorce Records

Types of records available

Marriage records

  • Marriage license applications and issued licenses: Created when a couple applies for and receives authorization to marry.
  • Marriage certificates/returns: The officiant’s completed return (proof the marriage was performed) that is filed after the ceremony and becomes part of the county record.

Divorce records

  • Divorce case files and final judgments/decrees: Court records documenting the dissolution of a marriage, maintained as part of the civil case record.

Annulment records

  • Annulment case files and judgments: Court records for proceedings that declare a marriage void or voidable, maintained similarly to divorce case records.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

Marriage records (county vital records function)

  • Filed/maintained at the county level through the Mercer County Recorder (the county office that records and preserves marriage records as part of the county’s recording/vital records duties).
  • Access methods commonly include:
    • In-person requests at the Recorder’s office
    • Mail requests using county-provided procedures/forms where available
  • State-level access may also exist through the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (Vital Records) for certified copies and statewide vital-record functions.
    Reference: North Dakota HHS – Vital Records

Divorce and annulment records (court records)

  • Filed/maintained by the District Court for the county where the case is brought (Mercer County is within North Dakota’s district court system).
  • Public access to case information and certain documents is commonly available through the North Dakota courts’ electronic access systems and through the clerk of court, subject to confidential-information rules and sealing orders.
    Reference: North Dakota Courts

Typical information included in these records

Marriage license/certificate (county record)

Common fields include:

  • Full legal names of both parties (and, in many records, prior/maiden names)
  • Date and place of marriage (city/county/state)
  • Date the license was issued; license number or recording reference
  • Officiant’s name/title and signature; witnesses (when recorded)
  • Ages or dates of birth, residences, and other identifying details collected on the application (extent varies by form and era)

Divorce decree/judgment (court record)

Common components include:

  • Case caption (names of parties), court, county, and case number
  • Date of filing and date of judgment
  • Findings and orders: dissolution of marriage, property division, debt allocation
  • Parenting plan/custody, child support, spousal support provisions (when applicable)
  • Restoration of a prior name (when granted)

Annulment judgment (court record)

Common components include:

  • Case caption, court, county, and case number
  • Legal basis for annulment and the court’s findings
  • Orders addressing marital status and related issues (property, support, parenting issues when applicable)

Privacy or legal restrictions

Marriage records

  • Marriage records are generally treated as public records for purposes of verification and indexing, while certified copies are typically controlled by vital-records rules and administrative procedures.
  • Copies issued for legal purposes are usually certified and may require a formal application and fee through the Recorder and/or the state vital records office.

Divorce and annulment records

  • Court case dockets are generally public, but access to specific documents can be restricted by:
    • Court rules protecting confidential information (such as certain personal identifiers)
    • Statutory confidentiality provisions applying to particular categories of information
    • Sealing orders or limited-access designations entered by the court
  • Records involving minors and sensitive personal data commonly include redactions or restricted access consistent with North Dakota court confidentiality rules.

Education, Employment and Housing

Mercer County is in west‑central North Dakota along the Missouri River, with its largest communities including Beulah and Hazen and smaller towns such as Golden Valley and Stanton. The county’s settlement pattern is a mix of small towns and rural areas, with an economy historically tied to energy production (coal, power generation, and related services) and supporting public-sector and local-service employment. Population levels are modest by U.S. standards and have tended to be relatively stable compared with many rural Plains counties, with housing and commuting patterns shaped by proximity to major energy facilities and the Bismarck–Mandan regional hub to the east.

Education Indicators

Public schools (counts and names)

Public K–12 education in Mercer County is primarily delivered through a small number of local districts serving Beulah, Hazen, and surrounding rural areas. School naming and organization are district-based, commonly including:

  • Beulah Public School District (campus typically includes Beulah High School and Beulah Elementary/Middle configurations)
  • Hazen Public School District (campus typically includes Hazen High School and Hazen Elementary/Middle configurations)

A consolidated, authoritative roster of public schools and contact information is maintained by the state; the most reliable directory reference point is the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and its district/school listings (see the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction). Counts and exact school names can vary over time due to grade reconfigurations and building consolidations; Mercer County generally operates as a small, multi-district rural system with limited numbers of school sites relative to urban counties.

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

  • Student–teacher ratios: County-specific ratios are not consistently published as a single metric across all local districts in one place. A widely used proxy is district- or school-level reporting within state accountability profiles and staffing reports. In rural North Dakota, student–teacher ratios are commonly below national averages due to smaller school enrollments, but Mercer County’s precise district ratios should be taken from the most recent district profiles available through state reporting.
  • Graduation rates: North Dakota’s statewide 4‑year graduation rates have been high relative to U.S. averages in recent years, but district-level graduation rates (Beulah, Hazen) are the appropriate Mercer County reference. The most current graduation outcomes are typically available through state accountability reporting and district report cards (state hub: ND DPI).

Because published county-aggregated student–teacher ratios and graduation rates are not consistently maintained as a single combined Mercer County figure, district-level state report cards are the best available definitive proxy for the county.

Adult educational attainment

The most consistently comparable adult education levels are produced by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Mercer County adult educational attainment is available via county profiles from the Census and associated tools such as:

Key indicators typically summarized for counties include:

  • High school graduate or higher (age 25+)
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+)

Mercer County’s attainment profile is generally characteristic of energy-influenced rural counties, often showing high high‑school completion and a moderate share of bachelor’s degrees relative to metropolitan counties, with technical and skilled trades representing an important workforce pathway.

Notable programs (STEM, vocational, AP)

Across rural North Dakota, notable offerings commonly include:

  • Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways aligned with regional labor demand (skilled trades, welding, mechanics, construction, health support roles)
  • STEM coursework and career exposure connected to local industry needs
  • Advanced Placement (AP) or dual-credit options, where staffing and enrollment support course sections

Program availability is district-dependent and varies year to year based on staffing and student demand; the most authoritative sources are district course catalogs and state CTE/program reporting through ND DPI.

Safety measures and counseling resources

North Dakota public districts typically implement a combination of:

  • Building access controls, visitor procedures, and emergency planning/drills
  • Coordination with local law enforcement and county emergency management
  • Student support services that may include school counselors and referral pathways for behavioral health support

Specific staffing levels (e.g., counselor-to-student ratios) and safety program details are most accurately documented in district handbooks and school board policy publications; countywide consolidated figures are not consistently published in a single dataset.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent year available)

The most consistently cited unemployment figures for counties come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS). Mercer County’s unemployment rate is available by year and month from:

Mercer County typically experiences low unemployment in strong energy and construction cycles, with year-to-year variation tied to commodity and project activity. The definitive “most recent year” value should be taken directly from LAUS annual averages for Mercer County.

Major industries and sectors

Mercer County’s economy is strongly shaped by:

  • Energy and utilities, including electric power generation and fuel supply chains
  • Mining-related activity (historically lignite coal in the region) and contractors
  • Construction, often influenced by industrial maintenance and capital projects
  • Public administration, education, and health services concentrated in local towns
  • Retail and local services supporting resident and workforce demand

Industry composition benchmarks are available from ACS industry-of-employment tables and regional labor-market profiles (ACS access point: data.census.gov).

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

Occupational structure in Mercer County commonly shows elevated shares in:

  • Production, transportation, and material moving
  • Construction and extraction
  • Installation, maintenance, and repair
  • Office/administrative support, management, and professional roles (smaller but present, particularly in public services and utilities)

Definitive occupation shares are best sourced from ACS county occupation tables via data.census.gov.

Commuting patterns and mean commute time

Mercer County commuting reflects small-town residence with job sites in-town, at nearby industrial facilities, and some commuting toward larger regional centers (notably Bismarck–Mandan in Burleigh/Morton counties). The standard commuting indicators (mean travel time to work, share driving alone, carpooling, and work-from-home) are published in ACS and accessible through:

In rural North Dakota counties, the dominant pattern is driving alone, with mean commute times typically in the range common to rural job geographies (often below major metro commutes but variable depending on distance to industrial sites).

Local employment versus out-of-county work

Mercer County has a meaningful share of residents who work:

  • Within the county (local government, schools, healthcare, retail, and energy-related facilities)
  • In neighboring counties for specialized services, regional healthcare, or metro-area employment

The most defensible measurement uses ACS “county-to-county commuting” and place-of-work tables (access point: data.census.gov), which quantify the share working in-county versus commuting out.

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership and rental

Homeownership and rental shares are most consistently reported by the ACS for counties (tenure tables via data.census.gov). Mercer County typically exhibits:

  • Higher homeownership rates than large metropolitan areas, reflecting single-family housing prevalence and long-tenure households
  • A smaller but important rental market, including apartments and single-family rentals in Beulah and Hazen supporting workforce mobility

Median property values and recent trends

Median owner-occupied home values for Mercer County are available through ACS. Housing values in Mercer County tend to be influenced by:

  • Energy-sector job cycles and associated demand
  • Limited housing stock in small towns and rural areas
  • Construction costs and availability of developable lots

Definitive median values and year-over-year changes are available in ACS 1‑year/5‑year estimates depending on population size (access: ACS home value tables). For smaller counties, the ACS 5‑year series is often the most statistically stable.

Typical rent prices

Median gross rent is also reported in the ACS (see ACS rent tables). Rents commonly vary by:

  • Proximity to employment centers and industrial sites
  • Availability of multi-unit housing in Beulah/Hazen
  • Age/condition of rental stock

Types of housing

The county’s housing stock is generally characterized by:

  • Single-family detached homes as the predominant type in towns and rural residences
  • Manufactured homes in some areas
  • Small multi-unit properties and apartments concentrated in town centers
  • Rural lots/acreages with longer travel distances to services

Housing type distributions (single-family vs multi-unit vs mobile homes) are reported in ACS structure-type tables via data.census.gov.

Neighborhood characteristics (schools/amenities)

Neighborhood form is largely small-town:

  • Residential areas in Beulah and Hazen typically have shorter trips to schools, parks, and basic services (grocery, clinics, civic facilities)
  • Rural residences trade proximity for land and privacy, with longer travel to schools and amenities and heavier reliance on personal vehicles

Countywide “walkability” style indices are not standard official measures; the most definitive proximity context is based on town layout and the limited number of service nodes.

Property tax overview (rate and typical cost)

North Dakota property taxes are administered locally, with effective rates varying by jurisdiction and taxable value classifications. The most reliable public-facing summaries are maintained by state and local tax authorities and county auditors. County-level property tax context is commonly expressed as:

  • Effective property tax rate (tax paid relative to market value)
  • Typical annual tax bill for owner-occupied homes at median value (derived from ACS median value plus local effective rates)

Because effective tax rates and net tax bills depend on local mill levies, valuations, and exemptions/credits, the most authoritative references are state and county tax publications, including the North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner and Mercer County’s auditor/treasurer resources.

Data note: Several requested metrics (student–teacher ratios by county, countywide graduation rate rollups, counseling staffing ratios, and unified school-site counts) are not consistently published as single Mercer County aggregates. For these, the most accurate proxies are district-level school report cards (education) and ACS/BLS county series (workforce, commuting, housing).

Table of Contents

Other Counties in North Dakota