County facts · Land area · October 22, 2026
Largest Counties in North Dakota by Area and Population
The largest North Dakota counties by land area and by 2023 population, plus the smallest, county seats and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for the largest counties in North Dakota? North Dakota has 53 counties covering about 68,996 square miles of land, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer. The largest by land area is McKenzie County, at about 2,760 square miles, roughly 4.4 times the size of the smallest, Eddy County (630 sq mi). Measured by people instead, the largest is Cass County, with about 196,362 residents in the Census Bureau's July 1, 2023 estimate.
The tables below rank the counties both ways. Each row links to the county's Platbookmapper page and straight to its official parcel viewer.
North Dakota counties at a glance
- Counties: 53
- Land area: about 68,996 sq mi, plus about 1,703 sq mi of water inside county lines
- Residents, 2023 estimates: about 783,926, or about 11 people per square mile of land
- Median county land area: about 1,162 sq mi
- With a verified public parcel viewer in our directory: 52 of 53 (11 of them through a statewide viewer)
The 10 largest North Dakota counties by land area
| # | County | Seat | Land (sq mi) | 2023 pop. | People per sq mi | Parcel viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McKenzie County | Watford City | 2,760 | 14,252 | 5.2 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 2 | Stutsman County | Jamestown | 2,222 | 21,392 | 9.6 | ArcGIS Instant Apps |
| 3 | McLean County | Washburn | 2,110 | 9,832 | 4.7 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 4 | Williams County | Williston | 2,078 | 39,113 | 19 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 5 | Ward County | Minot | 2,013 | 68,332 | 34 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 6 | Dunn County | Manning | 2,008 | 4,019 | 2.0 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 7 | Morton County | Mandan | 1,926 | 33,895 | 18 | county web map |
| 8 | McHenry County | Towner | 1,874 | 5,131 | 2.7 | listed link under review |
| 9 | Mountrail County | Stanley | 1,825 | 9,383 | 5.1 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 10 | Cass County | Fargo | 1,765 | 196,362 | 111 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
Together these 10 cover about 30% of North Dakota's land area and hold about 51% of its residents.
The 10 most populous North Dakota counties
| # | County | Seat | 2023 pop. | Land (sq mi) | Parcel viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cass County | Fargo | 196,362 | 1,765 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 2 | Burleigh County | Bismarck | 100,012 | 1,633 | county web map |
| 3 | Grand Forks County | Grand Forks | 72,708 | 1,436 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 4 | Ward County | Minot | 68,332 | 2,013 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 5 | Williams County | Williston | 39,113 | 2,078 | ArcGIS Web AppBuilder |
| 6 | Morton County | Mandan | 33,895 | 1,926 | county web map |
| 7 | Stark County | Dickinson | 33,001 | 1,335 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| 8 | Stutsman County | Jamestown | 21,392 | 2,222 | ArcGIS Instant Apps |
| 9 | Richland County | Wahpeton | 16,558 | 1,436 | county web map |
| 10 | McKenzie County | Watford City | 14,252 | 2,760 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
These 10 hold about 76% of North Dakota's residents in the 2023 estimates.
The 5 smallest North Dakota counties by land area
| County | Seat | Land (sq mi) | 2023 pop. | Parcel viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddy County | New Rockford | 630 | 2,263 | North Dakota Parcel Viewer (NDGISHub) |
| Foster County | Carrington | 634 | 3,309 | North Dakota Parcel Viewer (NDGISHub) |
| Griggs County | Cooperstown | 709 | 2,248 | North Dakota Parcel Viewer (NDGISHub) |
| Steele County | Finley | 712 | 1,782 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
| Oliver County | Center | 722 | 1,879 | ArcGIS Experience Builder |
Most and least crowded
- Most people per square mile: Cass County, about 111 (then Burleigh County, 61, and Grand Forks County, 51)
- Fewest people per square mile: Slope County, about 0.6 (then Billings County, 0.9, and Sheridan County, 1.3)
Counties with the most water
The Census Bureau reports water separately from land. It counts lakes, reservoirs, rivers and, along a coast or a Great Lake, the water inside the boundary.
- McLean County: about 218 sq mi of water, 9% of its total area
- Mountrail County: about 116 sq mi of water, 6% of its total area
- Ramsey County: about 116 sq mi of water, 9% of its total area
Using these numbers in a land search
- Land area is not parcel count. A large rural county can hold fewer parcels than a small suburban one, so size alone says little about how busy its parcel map is.
- Search, don't scroll. In a big county, type an address, owner name or parcel number into the viewer's search box, where it has one, instead of panning across the map.
- Records follow the county line. Deeds, plats and tax bills are kept by the county where the parcel sits, so a tract that crosses a county line usually has a parcel number on each side.
- Rounded figures. Land and water areas are rounded to whole square miles (one decimal for very small places). People per square mile is the 2023 estimate divided by land area.
Related guides
- North Dakota county GIS websites by viewer
- North Dakota landowner maps for hunting
- Minnesota–North Dakota border counties
- Largest county in each state
- Largest counties in the US by land area
More: All North Dakota counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2023 (July 1, 2023 estimates)
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 22, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.
- County seats: Wikidata (county seat property), cross-checked against Census place names.