2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,730.[12]
Of the residents, 19.2% were under the age of 18 and 27.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 51.3 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.2 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.[13]
The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 2.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.8% from some other race, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.1% of the population.[12]
There were 2,070 households in the county, of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
There were 2,633 housing units, of which 21.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.2% were owner-occupied and 22.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.3%.[14]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 4,538 people, 2,046 households, and 1,276 families in the county. The population density was 2.4 inhabitants per square mile (0.93/km2). There were 2,654 housing units at an average density of 1.4 units per square mile (0.54 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.1% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.1% were German, 16.5% were English, 16.1% were Irish, 7.6% were Norwegian, and 7.0% were American.
Of the 2,046 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 49.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,033 and the median income for a family was $47,860. Males had a median income of $33,182 versus $25,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,875. About 14.1% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
