Sentinel Butte, North Dakota Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 57, Sentinel Butte's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Sentinel Butte is a small community located in North Dakota, within Golden Valley County. The total population is 57. It ranks as the 297th most populous out of 402 Census-designated places in North Dakota.

Age Demographics

The median age in Sentinel Butte is 62.8 years. This is 75% higher than the state median of 35.9 years. Only 12.3% of residents are under 18, indicating fewer families with children. 17.5% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Sentinel Butte is $51,250. This is 33% lower than the state median of $76,657. It is also 37% lower than the national median of $80,734. The ACS records no residents below the poverty line in Sentinel Butte. In a community this small the estimate rests on very few survey responses, so it should be read as an absence of measurement rather than a measured absence of poverty. The survey records no unemployed residents in Sentinel Butte, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. 100.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 59% higher than the state average of 62.8%.

Race & Ethnicity

Every resident counted in Sentinel Butte was recorded as White (non-Hispanic). A figure of exactly 100.0% reflects a survey sample too small to capture the community's full composition rather than a precise measurement.

Education

23.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 27% lower than the state rate of 32.7%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 97.8%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Sentinel Butte, North Dakota is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against North Dakota state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 402 Census-designated places in North Dakota. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.