Kidder County is a county in North Dakota, United States, on the Missouri Coteau in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 2,394 at the 2020 census and covers 1,351 square miles (3,499 km2) of land centred near 46°56′N 99°44′W.
Steele is the county seat, and its postal code is 58482. The county has six incorporated cities and towns plus two unincorporated communities, runs on Central time, and Interstate 94 crosses its northwest corner.
Towns & Villages in Kidder County
Eight named places appear on the map of Kidder County: six incorporated cities and towns and two unincorporated communities (marked Unincorp. below). None has a verified 2020 place-level population figure independent of the county total, so those cells are left blank rather than estimated.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steele | City · seat | — | 58482 |
| Tappen | City | — | 58487 |
| Tuttle | City | — | 58488 |
| Dawson | City | — | 58428 |
| Robinson | City | — | 58478 |
| Pettibone | City | — | 58475 |
| Crystal Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lake Williams | Unincorp. | — | — |
Crystal Springs and Lake Williams are unincorporated communities that share ZIP coverage with the nearest post-office town rather than carrying their own code.
ZIP Codes
- 58482 — Steele (county seat)
- 58487 — Tappen
- 58488 — Tuttle
- 58428 — Dawson
- 58478 — Robinson
- 58475 — Pettibone
Crystal Springs and Lake Williams have no dedicated ZIP code and are served by the nearest of the six post offices above.
Geography
Kidder County sits on the Missouri Coteau, a belt of rolling, glacially pitted terrain pocked with thousands of small prairie-pothole wetlands that make it a major duck-production area. The county holds 1,351 square miles of land and about 82 square miles of water, most of it small lakes and sloughs rather than a single large river system. Lake Williams, near the community of the same name, is one of the larger of these water bodies.
Kidder County borders Wells County to the north, Sheridan County to the northeast, Stutsman County to the east, Logan County to the south, Emmons County to the southwest, and Burleigh County to the west.
Demographics
Kidder County’s population was 2,394 at the 2020 census, one of the smaller counts among North Dakota’s 53 counties. Steele and Tappen are the county’s two largest communities. Median household income runs well below the North Dakota median of $76,525, typical of the state’s sparsely populated Coteau counties. Population density works out to under two people per square mile, among the lowest in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the county economy — small-grain and sunflower farming on the cropland, cattle ranching on the rougher Coteau pasture. The prairie-pothole wetlands also support a hunting economy; waterfowl hunting draws visitors to the county every fall. Steele, as county seat, hosts the Kidder County courthouse and the small-town services — schools, grain elevators, a weekly newspaper — that anchor the local economy.
History
Kidder County was organized on March 22, 1881, and named for Jefferson Parrish Kidder, a territorial delegate to Congress who also served as a Dakota Territory supreme court justice from 1865 to 1875 and again from 1879 to 1883. The county’s small towns grew up along the Northern Pacific Railway line that crosses it, with Steele emerging as the seat.
Getting There
Interstate 94 clips the northwest corner of the county, and North Dakota Highways 3 and 36 run through it.
- Bismarck — 35 miles west
- Jamestown — 30 miles east
- Carrington — 40 miles north
Bismarck Municipal Airport, about 35 miles west of Steele, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kidder County?
It is in south-central North Dakota, on the Missouri Coteau between Bismarck and Jamestown.
What is the population of Kidder County?
2,394 at the 2020 census.
How big is Kidder County?
1,351 square miles (3,499 km2) of land, plus about 82 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Kidder County?
Steele.
How many towns are in Kidder County?
Six incorporated cities and towns — Steele, Tappen, Tuttle, Dawson, Robinson and Pettibone — plus the unincorporated communities of Crystal Springs and Lake Williams.
What ZIP codes are in Kidder County?
58482 (Steele), 58487 (Tappen), 58488 (Tuttle), 58428 (Dawson), 58478 (Robinson) and 58475 (Pettibone).
What is Kidder County known for?
Its Missouri Coteau prairie-pothole wetlands, one of the continent’s most productive duck-breeding landscapes.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in North Dakota.