Rolette County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,187. Its county seat is Rolla.

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with territory partitioned from Buffalo County. It was not organized at that date, and was not attached to another county for judicial or administrative purposes. It was named for Joseph Rolette Jr., a fur trader and political figure from Pembina. The county government was effected on October 14, 1884, with Dunseith as the county seat. In 1885 the county seat was assigned to Saint John, and in 1889 it was assigned to Rolla.

The county boundaries were adjusted in 1883 and in 1887. It has retained its present boundary configuration since 1887.

The International Peace Garden is located in the northwest corner of the county along the Canada–United States border with Manitoba.

Rolette County lies on the northern border of North Dakota with Canada. Gimby Creek and Wakopa Creek flow into the county from Canada. The terrain consists of dry rolling hills in the south, and more verdant low hills in the north and northwest, dotted with lakes and ponds.

Part of the Turtle Mountain plateau lies in the northwestern part of the county. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is its northwest corner, at 2,195 ft (669 m) ASL.

The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation is in the northeast section of Rolette County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 939.499 square miles (2,433.29 km), of which 903.042 square miles (2,338.87 km) is land and 36.457 square miles (94.42 km) (3.9%) is water.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	2,427		—
1900	7,995		229.4%
1910	9,558		19.5%
1920	10,061		5.3%
1930	10,760		6.9%
1940	12,583		16.9%
1950	11,102		−11.8%
1960	10,641		−4.2%
1970	11,549		8.5%
1980	12,177		5.4%
1990	12,772		4.9%
2000	13,674		7.1%
2010	13,937		1.9%
2020	12,187		−12.6%
2023 (est.)	11,728		−3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

Rolette County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic)	Pop. 1980	Pop. 1990	Pop. 2000	Pop. 2010	Pop. 2020	% 1980	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	5,091	4,204	3,416	2,802	2,298	41.81%	32.92%	24.98%	20.3%	18.9%
Black or African American alone (NH)	8	28	10	21	13	0.07%	0.22%	0.07%	0.2%	0.1%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	7,020	8,457	9,907	10,677	9,210	57.65%	66.22%	72.45%	77.2%	75.6%
Asian alone (NH)	18	13	10	16	23	0.15	0.10%	0.07%	0.1%	0.2%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	—	—	—	0	8	—	—	—	0.0%	0.1%
Other race alone (NH)	3	5	4	1	8	0.02%	0.04%	0.03%	0.0%	0.1%
Mixed race or multiracial (NH)	—	—	217	284	490	—	—	1.59%	2.1%	4.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	37	65	110	133	137	0.30%	0.51%	0.80%	1.0%	1.1%
Total	12,177	12,772	13,674	13,937	12,187	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.0%	100.0%

As of the 2020 census, there were 12,187 people, 4,114 households, and 2,857 families in the county. The population density was 13.5 inhabitants per square mile (5.2/km). There were 4,581 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 19.0% White, 0.1% African American, 76.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other races and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There are 3,668 households accounted for in the 2022 ACS, with an average of 3.31 persons per household. The county's a median gross rent is $482 in the 2022 ACS. The 2022 ACS reports a median household income of $53,806, with 66.1% of households are owner occupied. 25.7% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line (down from previous ACS surveys). The city boasts a 54.9% employment rate, with 16.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 85.4% holding a high school diploma.

The top nine reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were German (7.0%), Norwegian (6.2%), French (except Basque) (2.3%), Irish (1.4%), Polish (1.0%), English (0.8%), Scottish (0.4%), Italian (0.2%), and Subsaharan African (0.0%).

The median age in the county was 31.1 years.

As of the 2010 census, there were 13,937 people, 4,783 households, and 3,413 families in the county. The population density was 15.4 inhabitants per square mile (5.9/km). There were 5,372 housing units at an average density of 5.95 inhabitants per square mile (2.3/km). The racial makeup of the county was 20.3% White, 0.2% African American, 77.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other races and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.0% of the population.

In terms of ancestry, 48.5% were French Canadian, 7.0% were German, 6.8% were Norwegian, and 0.3% were American.

Of the 4,783 households, 44.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.6% were non-families, and 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.39. The median age was 30.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,265 and the median income for a family was $35,523. Males had a median income of $35,595 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,632. About 25.9% of families and 31.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.5% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.

Due to its Native American majority population, Rolette County voters are historically Democratic, and it is one of the most consistently Democratic counties in North Dakota. Since 1928 the only Republican to carry the county was Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. It was the only county in the state to support George McGovern in 1972 and is additionally the only North Dakota county to have supported Jimmy Carter in 1980. In each of the five presidential elections from 1996 to 2012, the Democratic candidate received over 60% of the vote, with Barack Obama winning 75.1% in 2008 and 74.0% in 2012. In 2016, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton received 57.3% of the county's votes, one of the two North Dakota counties that she carried.

United States presidential election results for Rolette County, North Dakota

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,427	35.02%	2,567	62.99%	81	1.99%
2020	1,257	33.04%	2,482	65.25%	65	1.71%
2016	1,217	32.41%	2,099	55.90%	439	11.69%
2012	1,092	23.99%	3,353	73.66%	107	2.35%
2008	1,045	23.05%	3,403	75.06%	86	1.90%
2004	1,392	34.42%	2,564	63.40%	88	2.18%
2000	1,416	32.20%	2,681	60.96%	301	6.84%
1996	823	22.85%	2,299	63.84%	479	13.30%
1992	895	24.82%	2,002	55.52%	709	19.66%
1988	1,126	31.23%	2,426	67.28%	54	1.50%
1984	1,479	39.43%	2,179	58.09%	93	2.48%
1980	1,599	44.84%	1,660	46.55%	307	8.61%
1976	1,094	29.62%	2,531	68.54%	68	1.84%
1972	1,713	48.13%	1,803	50.66%	43	1.21%
1968	1,211	37.23%	1,870	57.49%	172	5.29%
1964	892	25.80%	2,566	74.20%	0	0.00%
1960	1,277	35.33%	2,335	64.59%	3	0.08%
1956	1,444	45.44%	1,728	54.37%	6	0.19%
1952	2,188	65.02%	1,160	34.47%	17	0.51%
1948	1,179	41.09%	1,565	54.55%	125	4.36%
1944	1,070	37.78%	1,745	61.62%	17	0.60%
1940	1,555	35.41%	2,820	64.21%	17	0.39%
1936	857	19.34%	3,186	71.89%	389	8.78%
1932	706	19.59%	2,855	79.22%	43	1.19%
1928	1,327	37.50%	2,181	61.63%	31	0.88%
1924	869	35.92%	137	5.66%	1,413	58.41%
1920	2,139	75.05%	535	18.77%	176	6.18%
1916	600	40.00%	762	50.80%	138	9.20%
1912	339	26.74%	396	31.23%	533	42.03%
1908	811	55.32%	529	36.08%	126	8.59%
1904	912	66.38%	366	26.64%	96	6.99%
1900	566	60.41%	355	37.89%	16	1.71%

School districts include:

Former districts:

• Wolford Public School District 1 - Closed in 2019

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

• Rolette County map, North Dakota DOT