Census Data for Golden Valley

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Golden Valley a population of 165 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Golden Valley a population of 182 people.

The city of Golden Valley is located in Mercer County. The 2010 Census gave Mercer County; a population of 8,419 people. This means that Golden Valley had 2.16% of the county's total population, making it Mercer's 7th most populous community.

At the same time, North Dakota had a population of 672,591 people, meaning that Golden Valley had 0.03% of the total population of North Dakota - making it the state's 215th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Golden Valley has a total area of 0.73 square miles [1.9 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0 square miles [0 km²]).

Mercer County has a land area of 1,042 square miles [2,701.2 km²]. At 0.73 square miles [1.9 km²], Golden Valley has 0.07% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Golden Valley, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Golden Valley reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Golden Valley might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   47° 17' 24"   (or 47.29°)
  • Lon:   -102° 3' 55"   (or -102.07°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Golden Valley had 117 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 182 people, this averages 1.56 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Golden Valley had a land area of 0.73 square miles [1.9 km²]. This translates to 159.6 Housing Units per square mile [61.6 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Golden Valley had 124 Housing Units, a population of 183 people and a land area of 0.72 square miles [1.9 km²]. This gives a density of 1.48 people per Housing Unit and 171.6 Housing Units per square mile [66.3 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Golden Valley and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Mercer County ...

Golden Valley is located in Mercer County<4>.

The county had a population of 8,419 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 182 people, Golden Valley represented 2.16% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Golden Valley has a population density of 248.3 people per square mile [95.9 people/km²], Mercer County averages 8.07 people per square mile [3.12 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Mercer County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Golden Valley, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Golden Valley. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Golden Valley or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Golden Valley, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Golden Valley.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   47.290264°   (or 47°17'24" N)
  • Lon:   -102.065300°   (or -102°3'55" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   47.291648°   (or 47°17'29" N)
  • Lon:   -102.067771°   (or -102°4'3" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 792 feet to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#1036059) to Golden Valley. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Golden Valley. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   47.290564°   (or 47°17'26" N)
  • Lon:   -102.065173°   (or -102°3'54" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 113.8 feet to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Golden Valley. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Golden Valley.

Miscellaneous Information for Golden Valley ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Mercer County or the city of Golden Valley:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Golden Valley:
  • GNIS ID for Golden Valley: 1036059
  • GNIS ID for Mercer County: 1034233
  • GNIS ID for State of North Dakota: 1779797

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 38 (North Dakota)
  • County Code: 057 (Mercer County)
  • Place Code: 31180 (Golden Valley)
  • State & County Code: 38/057 (North Dakota / Mercer County)
  • State & Place Code: 38/31180 (North Dakota / Golden Valley)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Golden Valley is located in Census Region #2 (the Midwest Region) and Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Golden Valley, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Golden Valley. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Golden Valley:58541<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Golden Valley.