Stutsman County is a county in North Dakota, United States, centred on the city of Jamestown along Interstate 94. It had a population of 21,593 at the 2020 census and covers 2,298 square miles (5,950 km2) centred near 46°58′N 98°57′W.
Jamestown is the county seat, and its postal code is 58401. The county holds 11 incorporated cities, several unincorporated communities, and 76 organized civil townships. Stutsman County observes Central Time.
Towns & Villages in Stutsman County
Stutsman County’s settled places range from Jamestown, the county’s only city of any size, down to a scatter of townsite communities that never incorporated or that lost their post offices decades ago. The table below covers all 11 incorporated cities plus the unincorporated communities still shown on county maps and in the Wikipedia gazetteer. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamestown | City · seat | Jamestown | 15,849 | 58401 |
| Montpelier | City | Montpelier | — | 58472 |
| Pingree | City | Pingree | — | 58476 |
| Medina | City | Montpelier | — | 58467 |
| Cleveland | City | Cleveland | — | 58424 |
| Buchanan | City | Buchanan | — | 58420 |
| Kensal | City | Kensal | — | 58455 |
| Streeter | City | Streeter | — | 58483 |
| Woodworth | City | Iosco | — | 58496 |
| Courtenay | City | Courtenay | — | 58426 |
| Spiritwood Lake | City | Spiritwood | — | 58401 (Jamestown) |
| Spiritwood | Unincorp. | Spiritwood | — | 58401 (Jamestown) |
| Bloom | Unincorp. | Bloom | — | — |
| Clementsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Durupt | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fried | Unincorp. | Fried | — | — |
| Kloze | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Millarton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sharlow | Unincorp. | Sharlow | — | — |
| Sydney | Unincorp. | Sydney | — | — |
| Vashti | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Windsor | Unincorp. | Windsor | — | — |
| Ypsilanti | Unincorp. | Ypsilanti | — | 58497 |
| Eldridge | Unincorp. | Eldridge | — | — |
| Homer | Unincorp. | Homer | — | — |
| Edmunds | Unincorp. | Edmunds | — | — |
| Johnson | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Parkhurst | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Reeves | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Frontier Village | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jamestown Junction | Unincorp. | Jamestown | — | — |
| Goldwin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Most of the county’s dozens of dot-on-the-map communities were rail sidings or country post offices platted between 1880 and 1910 and never grew beyond a grain elevator and a few houses; many are unpopulated today. Jamestown alone holds roughly three-quarters of the county’s population.
Townships
Stutsman County is organized into 76 civil townships, unusually many for a North Dakota county of its size. The 2020 census does not break out population by township, so the figures below are omitted rather than guessed; the list gives every township and, where one shares a name with a listed community, its main settlement.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Jamestown | — | Jamestown, Jamestown Junction |
| Alexander | — | — |
| Ashland | — | — |
| Bloom | — | Bloom |
| Bloomenfield | — | — |
| Buchanan | — | Buchanan |
| Chicago | — | — |
| Cleveland | — | Cleveland |
| Conklin | — | — |
| Corinne | — | — |
| Corwin | — | — |
| Courtenay | — | Courtenay |
| Cusator | — | — |
| Deer Lake | — | — |
| Durham | — | — |
| Edmunds | — | Edmunds |
| Eldridge | — | Eldridge |
| Flint | — | — |
| Fried | — | Fried |
| Gerber | — | — |
| Germania | — | — |
| Glacier | — | — |
| Gray | — | — |
| Griffin | — | — |
| Hidden | — | — |
| Homer | — | Homer |
| Iosco | — | Woodworth |
| Jim River Valley | — | — |
| Kensal | — | Kensal |
| Lenton | — | — |
| Lippert | — | — |
| Lowery | — | — |
| Lyon | — | — |
| Manns | — | — |
| Marstonmoor | — | — |
| Midway | — | — |
| Montpelier | — | Montpelier, Medina |
| Moon Lake | — | — |
| Newbury | — | — |
| Nogosek | — | — |
| Paris | — | — |
| Peterson | — | — |
| Pingree | — | Pingree |
| Pipestem Valley | — | — |
| Plainview | — | — |
| Rose | — | — |
| Round Top | — | — |
| St. Paul | — | — |
| Severn | — | — |
| Sharlow | — | Sharlow |
| Sinclair | — | — |
| Spiritwood | — | Spiritwood, Spiritwood Lake |
| Stirton | — | — |
| Streeter | — | Streeter |
| Strong | — | — |
| Sydney | — | Sydney |
| Valley Spring | — | — |
| Wadsworth | — | — |
| Walters | — | — |
| Weld | — | — |
| Windsor | — | Windsor |
| Winfield | — | — |
| Woodbury | — | — |
| Ypsilanti | — | Ypsilanti |
ZIP Codes
- 58401 — Jamestown (also serves Spiritwood, Spiritwood Lake and Jamestown Junction)
- 58402 — Jamestown (PO Box only)
- 58420 — Buchanan
- 58424 — Cleveland
- 58426 — Courtenay
- 58455 — Kensal
- 58467 — Medina
- 58472 — Montpelier
- 58476 — Pingree
- 58483 — Streeter
- 58496 — Woodworth
- 58497 — Ypsilanti
The smaller unincorporated communities without a post office of their own, such as Bloom, Clementsville, Durupt, Fried, Kloze, Millarton, Sharlow, Sydney and Vashti, are served by the nearest Jamestown-area ZIP.
Geography
Stutsman County sits in the low rolling hills of south-central North Dakota, on the boundary between the drift prairie to the east and the flatter Missouri Coteau approach to the west. The James River crosses the east-central part of the county, feeding Jamestown Reservoir and Pipestem Reservoir near the city of Jamestown; the western townships hold numerous small lakes and potholes typical of the coteau, including Spiritwood Lake. Of the county’s 2,298 square miles, about 76 square miles, or 3.3%, is water. The highest point, in the southwestern corner, reaches roughly 1,965 feet.
Stutsman County borders Wells County to the northwest, Foster County to the north, Griggs County to the northeast, Barnes County to the east, LaMoure County to the southeast, Logan County to the southwest, and Kidder County to the west.
Demographics
Stutsman County had 21,593 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 9.7 people per square mile. Jamestown, with roughly 15,800 residents, is by far the largest community and home to nearly three-quarters of the county’s population; Medina and Montpelier are its next-largest towns, each under 500 residents. The North Dakota median household income is $76,525; Stutsman County, anchored by Jamestown’s hospital, college and manufacturing employers, tracks close to that state figure rather than the lower rural-county average typical of the surrounding wheat-belt counties.
Economy & Local Life
Jamestown functions as a regional trade and medical hub for south-central North Dakota, home to Jamestown Regional Medical Center and the University of Jamestown. Grain farming (wheat, corn, soybeans and sunflowers) and cattle ranching dominate the rural townships, supported by grain elevators along the BNSF Railway line through Jamestown, Buchanan, Courtenay, Kensal, Medina and Woodworth. Interstate 94 brings truck freight and tourist traffic through the county, and the National Buffalo Museum and the “World’s Largest Buffalo” statue on Jamestown’s east side are the county’s best-known visitor draws.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created Stutsman County on January 4, 1873, carving it from Buffalo and Pembina counties; it organized as a functioning county government on June 10, 1873. It is named for Enos Stutsman, an early territorial lawyer, legislator and customs official who helped survey and settle the region. Jamestown grew up around a military post, Fort Seward, established in 1872 to protect Northern Pacific Railway construction crews, and the rail line’s arrival cemented the city’s role as the county’s commercial center. Stutsman County has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1964.
Getting There
Interstate 94 crosses the county east–west through Jamestown, joined by U.S. Routes 52 and 281 and five North Dakota state highways.
- Fargo, ND — 95 miles east
- Bismarck, ND — 100 miles west
- Valley City, ND — 35 miles east
- Carrington, ND — 40 miles north
Jamestown Regional Airport (JMS) offers scheduled commercial service; Hector International Airport in Fargo is the nearest larger air hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Stutsman County?
It is in south-central North Dakota, along Interstate 94 between Fargo and Bismarck.
What is the population of Stutsman County?
21,593 at the 2020 census, with Jamestown holding roughly three-quarters of that total.
How big is Stutsman County?
2,298 square miles (5,950 km2), the second-largest county in North Dakota by land area.
What is the county seat of Stutsman County?
Jamestown is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Stutsman County?
11 incorporated cities and about 20 more unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Stutsman County?
Twelve ZIP codes, led by 58401 for Jamestown; smaller towns like Kensal, Medina, Montpelier, Pingree and Streeter each have their own.
Why is Stutsman County named as it is?
It honors Enos Stutsman, a lawyer and politician active in Dakota Territory’s early settlement and government.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in North Dakota.