Richland is a county in North Dakota, United States, occupying the southeast corner of the state along the Minnesota and South Dakota borders. It had a population of 16,529 at the 2020 census and covers 1,445 square miles (3,743 km2) centred near 46°16′N 96°56′W.
Wahpeton is the county seat, and its postal code is 58075. The county has 14 incorporated cities and towns, more than a dozen unincorporated communities, and 37 organized civil townships. Richland County observes Central time and carries FIPS code 38077. It anchors the Wahpeton, ND–MN Micropolitan Statistical Area, itself part of the larger Fargo–Wahpeton Combined Statistical Area.
Towns & Villages in Richland County
Fourteen places in Richland County are incorporated cities or towns under North Dakota law; the rest are unincorporated communities, several of them railroad-era settlements that never grew past a grain elevator and a few houses. In the table, CDP marks a Census-Designated Place and Unincorp. marks an unincorporated community with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wahpeton | City · seat | Wahpeton | 7,795 | 58075 |
| Hankinson | City | Hankinson | — | 58041 |
| Lidgerwood | City | Lidgerwood | — | 58053 |
| Wyndmere | City | Wyndmere | — | 58081 |
| Fairmount | City | Fairmount | — | 58030 |
| Mooreton | City | Mooreton | — | 58061 |
| Colfax | City | Colfax | — | 58018 |
| Walcott | City | Walcott | — | 58077 |
| Abercrombie | City | Abercrombie | — | 58001 |
| Christine | City | — | — | 58015 |
| Barney | City | Barney | — | 58008 |
| Mantador | City | Mantador | — | 58058 |
| Great Bend | City | — | — | — |
| Dwight | City | Dwight | — | 58018 (Colfax) |
| Barrie | Unincorp. | Barrie | — | — |
| Bayne | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Blackmer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Elmore | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Enloe | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fairview Junction | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Farmington | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Galchutt | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| La Mars | Unincorp. | LaMars | — | — |
| Lithia | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Moselle | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oswald | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pitcairn | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Power | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sonora | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stiles | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tyler | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Townships
North Dakota is a civil-township state, and Richland County is organized into 37 of them. Population figures below the township level are not published between census years, so the table lists them alphabetically with their principal settlement where one shares the township’s name.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Abercrombie | — | Abercrombie |
| Antelope | — | — |
| Barney | — | Barney |
| Barrie | — | Barrie |
| Belford | — | — |
| Brandenburg | — | — |
| Brightwood | — | — |
| Center | — | — |
| Colfax | — | Colfax |
| Danton | — | — |
| Devillo | — | — |
| Dexter | — | — |
| Duerr | — | — |
| Dwight | — | Dwight |
| Eagle | — | — |
| Elma | — | — |
| Fairmount | — | Fairmount |
| Freeman | — | — |
| Garborg | — | — |
| Grant | — | — |
| Greendale | — | — |
| Helendale | — | — |
| Homestead | — | — |
| Ibsen | — | — |
| LaMars | — | La Mars |
| Liberty Grove | — | — |
| Lidgerwood | — | Lidgerwood |
| Mooreton | — | Mooreton |
| Moran | — | — |
| Nansen | — | — |
| Sheyenne | — | — |
| Summit | — | — |
| Viking | — | — |
| Walcott | — | Walcott |
| Waldo | — | — |
| West End | — | — |
| Wyndmere | — | Wyndmere |
ZIP Codes
- 58075 — Wahpeton (also serves 58074 and 58076, PO Box ranges)
- 58041 — Hankinson
- 58053 — Lidgerwood
- 58081 — Wyndmere
- 58077 — Walcott
- 58030 — Fairmount
- 58018 — Colfax (also serves Dwight)
- 58061 — Mooreton
- 58015 — Christine
- 58001 — Abercrombie
- 58008 — Barney
- 58058 — Mantador
Great Bend and the county’s smaller unincorporated communities have no ZIP code of their own and are covered by the nearest post office town above.
Geography
Richland County sits in the flat, fertile Red River Valley, the bed of glacial Lake Agassiz, on the western bank of the Red River of the North. The Wild Rice River crosses the county from west to east and joins the Red River at Wahpeton. Elevation across the county varies by only a few hundred feet, and the land is given over almost entirely to row-crop farming.
The county borders Cass County, North Dakota to the north (cass-county-north-dakota); Sargent County (sargent-county) and Ransom County (ransom-county) to the west, both in North Dakota; Wilkin County (wilkin-county), Clay County (clay-county-minnesota), and Traverse County (traverse-county) to the east across the Red River, all in Minnesota; and Roberts County (roberts-county) and Marshall County (marshall-county-south-dakota) to the south, both in South Dakota.
Demographics
Richland County had 16,529 residents at the 2020 census. Wahpeton, the seat, is by far the largest community; Hankinson and Lidgerwood are the county’s next-largest cities. Median household income in the county runs below the North Dakota median of $76,525, reflecting the county’s farm-dependent economy and its distance from the oil-patch wage premium found in the western part of the state. Population density is roughly 11.5 people per square mile, typical of a rural Great Plains county.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the county’s economy. Richland County lies in North Dakota’s sugar beet belt, and Wahpeton is home to a sugar beet processing plant that anchors the local farm economy alongside corn, soybean, and wheat production. Wahpeton is also a regional education and healthcare center: North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) is based there, as is the Circle of Nations Wahpeton Indian School, a federally operated boarding school. The Bagg Bonanza Farm near Mooreton, a National Historic Landmark, preserves one of the Red River Valley’s original 19th-century bonanza farms.
History
Richland County was organized on January 4, 1873, one of the earliest counties established in Dakota Territory, and takes its name from Morgan T. Rich, an early settler at the site that became Wahpeton. Its position at the junction of the Red River and Wild Rice River made Wahpeton a natural trading post and later a rail junction, drawing settlers to the surrounding farmland through the late 19th century. The Bonanza Farm era of the 1880s, when investors ran large mechanized wheat operations across the Red River Valley, left its mark on the county’s farm layout and its handful of grand farmhouses.
Getting There
North Dakota Highway 13 and U.S. Route 81 cross the county; Wahpeton sits directly across the Red River from Breckenridge, Minnesota, connected by local bridges.
- Fargo, ND — about 45 miles north
- Breckenridge, MN — adjacent to Wahpeton, across the Red River
- Sisseton, SD — about 50 miles southwest
- Sioux Falls, SD — about 140 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Hector International Airport in Fargo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Richland County, North Dakota?
It occupies the southeast corner of North Dakota, bordering both Minnesota and South Dakota along the Red River of the North.
What is the population of Richland County?
16,529 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Richland County?
1,445 square miles (3,743 km2), including 9.7 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Richland County?
Wahpeton is the county seat.
How many towns are in Richland County?
Fourteen incorporated cities and towns, plus more than a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Richland County?
The main ZIP codes are 58075 (Wahpeton), 58041 (Hankinson), 58053 (Lidgerwood), 58081 (Wyndmere), and 58030 (Fairmount), among others listed above.
What river runs through Richland County?
The Red River of the North forms the county’s eastern boundary, joined by the Wild Rice River at Wahpeton.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in North Dakota.