County facts · Population · October 25, 2026
North Dakota Population by County, 2025 Census Estimates
North Dakota population by county: July 2025 Census estimates for all 53 counties, change since 2020, density, and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for North Dakota population by county? The Census Bureau estimates that North Dakota had 799,358 residents on July 1, 2025, spread across 53 counties. Cass County is the most populous, with 201,794 people (25% of the state), and Slope County is the least populous, with 628.
The table below lists every county with its 2025 estimate, its April 2020 starting point, the change, people per square mile, and a link to its official parcel viewer.
North Dakota population at a glance
- Counties: 53
- Statewide, July 1, 2025: 799,358 (April 1, 2020 estimates base: 779,136; change +20,222, +2.6%)
- Most populous: Cass County (201,794); least populous: Slope County (628)
- Median county: about 3,838 residents (half of the counties are smaller)
- The 5 largest counties hold 61% of all North Dakota residents
- Counties with 1,000,000+ residents: 0 · 100,000+: 2 · under 10,000: 39
- Statewide density: about 12 people per square mile of land
North Dakota population by county, July 2025 (all 53)
Percent change runs from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to July 1, 2025. People per square mile is the July 2025 estimate divided by the county's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer file, so lakes and bays are left out.
How North Dakota's population is spread out
Grouping the counties by size shows how concentrated the state is:
| Residents (July 2025) | Counties | Total residents | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100,000 to 249,999 | 2 | 305,045 | 38% |
| 25,000 to 99,999 | 5 | 253,115 | 32% |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 7 | 97,307 | 12% |
| Under 10,000 | 39 | 143,891 | 18% |
Most and least densely populated
The most crowded counties by people per square mile of land:
- Cass County: 114 per sq mi (201,794 people on 1,765 sq mi)
- Burleigh County: 63 per sq mi (103,251 people on 1,633 sq mi)
- Grand Forks County: 52 per sq mi (74,501 people on 1,436 sq mi)
- Ward County: 34 per sq mi (68,233 people on 2,013 sq mi)
- Stark County: 25 per sq mi (34,013 people on 1,335 sq mi)
The most thinly settled:
- Slope County: 0.5 per sq mi (628 people on 1,215 sq mi)
- Billings County: 0.9 per sq mi (1,071 people on 1,148 sq mi)
- Grant County: 1.3 per sq mi (2,206 people on 1,659 sq mi)
- Sheridan County: 1.3 per sq mi (1,296 people on 972 sq mi)
- Divide County: 1.7 per sq mi (2,110 people on 1,261 sq mi)
About these numbers
- They are estimates. Between censuses the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program updates county totals each year from births, deaths and migration records. The next full count is the 2030 census.
- The base is April 1, 2020. The estimates start from an April 1, 2020 "estimates base" built from the 2020 census, which is why it is slightly different from the published census count.
- Each new release revises the past. A newer vintage can change earlier years as well, so compare numbers from the same release, as this page does.
- Statewide total. The counties add up exactly to the statewide figure of 799,358 in the same file.
Using population numbers in a land search
- Big counties, busy offices. In the most populous counties, parcel maps and deed records are usually online and searchable, but recording and permit offices are busier. Allow for that if you are on a deadline.
- Small counties, fewer sales. In counties with only a few thousand people, land changes hands less often, so there are fewer recent sales to compare a price with. Recorded deeds and the local assessor's sales records are the best source.
- Density hints at lot size. A low people-per-square-mile figure usually means farms, ranches and timber tracts; a high one means subdivided lots. The parcel viewer shows the actual parcel lines.
- Check the official map. Use the parcel viewer link in the table for boundaries, parcel numbers and owner names, then confirm anything important with the local assessor and the office that records deeds.
Related guides
- Largest counties in North Dakota
- North Dakota county GIS websites by viewer
- North Dakota landowner maps for hunting
- Most populous counties in the US
- Where people are moving in the US
More: All North Dakota counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2025 (April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2020–2025 estimates, with components of change). Statewide totals are the sum of the counties and match the file's state row.
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area (for people per square mile).
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 25, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.