Major highways

• U.S. Highway 83
• North Dakota Highway 28
• North Dakota Highway 37
• North Dakota Highway 53
• North Dakota Highway 41
• North Dakota Highway 200
  North Dakota Highway 200
  North Dakota Highway 200 is a major east–west highway in North Dakota. It runs from Minnesota State Highway 200 at the Minnesota border near Halstad, Minnesota to Montana Highway 200 near Fairview, Montana....
  
  
• North Dakota Highway 1804

National protected area

Protected area

Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...

s

• Audubon National Wildlife Refuge
  Audubon National Wildlife Refuge
  The Audubon National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and consists of 14,735 acres . The refuge is managed with by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is the centerpiece of the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes numerous other refuges in the...
  
  
• Camp Lake National Wildlife Refuge
  Camp Lake National Wildlife Refuge
  The Camp Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and is a small Easement Refuge managed from Audubon National Wildlife Refuge by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge is located on privately owned land and has no public facilities....
  
  
• Hiddenwood National Wildlife Refuge
  Hiddenwood National Wildlife Refuge
  The Hiddenwood National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and is a small Easement Refuge managed from Audubon National Wildlife Refuge by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge consists of Hiddenwood Lake and surrounding farmland with a combined total of...
  
   (part)
• Lake Nettie National Wildlife Refuge
  Lake Nettie National Wildlife Refuge
  The Lake Nettie National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and is a small Easement Refuge managed from Audubon National Wildlife Refuge by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lake Nettie and Mud Lake are located in the refuge approximately 5 miles west of Turtle...
  
  
• Lake Otis National Wildlife Refuge
  Lake Otis National Wildlife Refuge
  The Lake Otis National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and is a small Easement Refuge managed from Audubon National Wildlife Refuge by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge is located on privately owned land and has no public facilities. Lake Otis is located in...
  
  
• Lost Lake National Wildlife Refuge
  Lost Lake National Wildlife Refuge
  The Lost Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and is a small Easement Refuge managed from Audubon National Wildlife Refuge by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service....
  
  
• McLean National Wildlife Refuge
  McLean National Wildlife Refuge
  The McLean National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and is a small Easement Refuge managed from Audubon National Wildlife Refuge by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge was originally named Lake Susie National Wildlife Refuge. It lies in northwestern McLean...
  
  

McLean County has more National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...

s than any other county in the United States.

Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 9,311 people, 3,815 households, and 2,712 families residing in the county. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 4 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 5,264 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.52% White

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.02% Black

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 5.95% Native American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.12% Asian

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.01% Pacific Islander

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.19% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.18% from two or more races. 0.87% of the population were Hispanic

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race. 48.6% were of German and 22.1% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 3,815 households out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.30% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 5.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.80% under the age of 18, 5.10% from 18 to 24, 22.70% from 25 to 44, 27.90% from 45 to 64, and 20.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,337, and the median income for a family was $39,604. Males had a median income of $32,376 versus $18,224 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $16,220. About 10.40% of families and 13.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

• Benedict
  Benedict, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 53 people, 22 households, and 13 families residing in the city. The population density was 210.7 people per square mile . There were 27 housing units at an average density of 107.4 per square mile...
  
  
• Butte
  Butte, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 92 people, 50 households, and 25 families residing in the city. The population density was 366.7 people per square mile . There were 82 housing units at an average density of 326.8 per square mile...
  
  
• Coleharbor
  Coleharbor, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 106 people, 42 households, and 30 families residing in the city. The population density was 581.2 people per square mile . There were 56 housing units at an average density of 307.0 per square mile...
  
  
• Garrison
  Garrison, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2010, there were 1,453 people, 590 households, and 362 families residing in the city. The population density was 941.5 people per square mile . There were 655 housing units at an average density of 467.9 per square mile...
  
  
• Max
  Max, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 278 people, 129 households, and 74 families residing in the city. The population density was 362.3 people per square mile . There were 150 housing units at an average density of 195.5 per square mile...
  
  
• Mercer
  Mercer, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 86 people, 49 households, and 22 families residing in the city. The population density was 398.2 people per square mile . There were 56 housing units at an average density of 259.3 per square mile...
  
  
• Riverdale
  Riverdale, North Dakota
  Riverdale is a town in McLean County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 205 at the 2010 census.Riverdale was the largest of the construction camps that sprang up in 1946 to house workers building the Garrison Dam just to the west...
  
  
• Ruso
  Ruso, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were six people, three households, and three families residing in the city. The population density was 23.9 people per square mile . There were three housing units at an average density of 11.9 per square mile...
  
  
• Turtle Lake
  Turtle Lake, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 580 people, 290 households, and 171 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,154.2 people per square mile . There were 329 housing units at an average density of 654.7 per square mile...
  
  
• Underwood
  Underwood, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 812 people, 323 households, and 229 families residing in the city. The population density was 910.8 people per square mile . There were 381 housing units at an average density of 427.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 96.80% White, 1.11%...
  
  
• Washburn
  Washburn, North Dakota
  Washburn is a city in McLean County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the county seat of McLean County. The population was 1,246 at the 2010 census...
  
  
• Wilton
  Wilton, North Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 807 people, 309 households, and 219 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,395.3 people per square mile . There were 347 housing units at an average density of 599.9 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 98.27% White, 0.12%...
  
  

Note: all incorporated communities in North Dakota are called "cities" regardless of their size.

Communities flooded by Garrison Dam

• Elbowoods
• Red Butte
• Lucky Mound
• Nishu
• Beaver Creek
• Independence
• Shell Creek
• Charging Eagle

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in McLean County, North Dakota