{"id":6772,"date":"2023-08-17T13:23:42","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T13:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=6772"},"modified":"2026-08-20T19:23:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T19:23:49","slug":"stark-county-north-dakota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/stark-county-north-dakota\/","title":{"rendered":"Stark County, North Dakota"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Stark County is a county in North Dakota, United States, centred on the city of Dickinson along Interstate 94 in the southwestern part of the state. It had a population of 33,646 at the 2020 census and covers 1,340 square miles (3,471 km2) centred near 46&deg;53&prime;N 102&deg;47&prime;W.<\/p>\n<p>Dickinson is the county seat and its postal code is 58601. The county has six incorporated cities and five unincorporated communities, no organized townships, and sits in the Mountain Time zone.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Stark County<\/h2>\n<p>Stark County has 11 named places on the map: six incorporated cities and five unincorporated communities. All six incorporated places in North Dakota carry the legal designation &ldquo;city&rdquo; regardless of size, so the table below labels only the county seat separately. &ldquo;Unincorp.&rdquo; marks a place with no municipal government.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Dickinson<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>25,679<\/td>\n<td>58601<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Belfield<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>58622<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Richardton<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>58652<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>South Heart<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>58655<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Taylor<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>58656<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gladstone<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>58630<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Antelope<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Daglum<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lefor<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>37<\/td>\n<td>58641<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Schefield<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Zenith<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>58601 &mdash; Dickinson (also serves Antelope, Daglum, Schefield and Zenith)<\/li>\n<li>58602 &mdash; Dickinson (post office box ZIP)<\/li>\n<li>58622 &mdash; Belfield<\/li>\n<li>58630 &mdash; Gladstone<\/li>\n<li>58641 &mdash; Lefor<\/li>\n<li>58652 &mdash; Richardton<\/li>\n<li>58655 &mdash; South Heart<\/li>\n<li>58656 &mdash; Taylor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Eight ZIP codes cover the county; the unincorporated communities without their own post office use Dickinson&rsquo;s 58601.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Stark County sits on the mixed-grass plains of the Missouri Slope, cut by the Heart River and the Green River, tributaries that carve badlands-style buttes along the county&rsquo;s western edge near the Little Missouri River drainage. Land makes up 1,335 of the county&rsquo;s 1,340 square miles, with the remaining 5.4 square miles in small lakes and river channels.<\/p>\n<p>Stark County borders <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/dunn-county\/\">Dunn County<\/a> to the north, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/mercer-county-north-dakota\/\">Mercer County<\/a> to the northeast, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/morton-county-north-dakota\/\">Morton County<\/a> to the east, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/grant-county-north-dakota\/\">Grant County<\/a> to the southeast, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/hettinger-county\/\">Hettinger County<\/a> to the south, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/slope-county\/\">Slope County<\/a> to the southwest and <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/billings-county\/\">Billings County<\/a> to the west.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>The 2020 census counted 33,646 residents, a 39 percent jump from 2010 driven by Bakken-era oil development. Dickinson is by far the largest community, with Belfield and Richardton the next-largest incorporated cities. Density works out to about 25 people per square mile. Stark County&rsquo;s oil-boom years pushed local income above the North Dakota median of $76,525, though wages have cooled with drilling activity since the mid-2010s peak.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Oil and gas extraction from the Bakken and Three Forks shale formations anchors the county economy, alongside cattle ranching, wheat and small-grain farming on the surrounding plains. Dickinson State University and CHI St. Alexius Health Dickinson are two of the county&rsquo;s largest employers outside the energy sector. The Stark County Fair, held each summer in Dickinson, remains the county&rsquo;s main community gathering.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Stark County was organized on May 25, 1883, and named for George Stark, a vice president of the Northern Pacific Railroad, whose main line through Dickinson established the county seat as a rail division point. Richardton grew around a Benedictine abbey and college founded in the 1890s. A century later, hydraulic-fracturing technology unlocked the Bakken formation beneath the county, and Dickinson&rsquo;s population climbed sharply through the 2010s as drilling crews and support industries moved in.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>Interstate 94 runs east&ndash;west through Dickinson and South Heart; US Highway 85 crosses the county north&ndash;south through Belfield; North Dakota Highways 8 and 22 connect the county&rsquo;s smaller towns.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Belfield &mdash; 15 miles west of Dickinson<\/li>\n<li>Richardton &mdash; 20 miles east of Dickinson<\/li>\n<li>South Heart &mdash; 12 miles west of Dickinson<\/li>\n<li>Taylor &mdash; 17 miles northeast of Dickinson<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport, in Dickinson, is the county&rsquo;s commercial airport.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Stark County, North Dakota?<\/strong><br \/>It lies in southwestern North Dakota along Interstate 94, centred on Dickinson, roughly 100 miles west of Bismarck.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Stark County?<\/strong><br \/>33,646 people at the 2020 census.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Stark County?<\/strong><br \/>1,340 square miles (3,471 km2), of which 1,335 square miles is land.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Stark County?<\/strong><br \/>Dickinson is the county seat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns are in Stark County?<\/strong><br \/>Six incorporated cities &mdash; Dickinson, Belfield, Gladstone, Richardton, South Heart and Taylor &mdash; plus five unincorporated communities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes are in Stark County?<\/strong><br \/>58601 and 58602 (Dickinson), 58622 (Belfield), 58630 (Gladstone), 58641 (Lefor), 58652 (Richardton), 58655 (South Heart) and 58656 (Taylor).<\/p>\n<p><strong>What drives Stark County&rsquo;s economy?<\/strong><br \/>Bakken-formation oil and gas extraction, cattle ranching and small-grain farming, with Dickinson State University and the regional hospital as major non-energy employers.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/north-dakota\/\">Towns and villages in North Dakota<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stark County is a county in North Dakota, United States, centred on the city of Dickinson along Interstate 94 in the southwestern part of the state. It had a population of 33,646 at the 2020 census and covers 1,340 square miles (3,471 km2) centred near 46&deg;53&prime;N 102&deg;47&prime;W. Dickinson is the county seat and its postal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Stark County, North Dakota","_seopress_titles_desc":"Stark County, ND: 33,646 people, county seat Dickinson, 6 cities, ZIP codes, geography, economy, history and FAQ.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-6772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-north-dakota","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6772"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10542,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6772\/revisions\/10542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}