Watford City, North Dakota

Watford City population, 2020 to 2024

Watford City lost 43 residents from July 2020 to July 2024, a change of -0.7%. In the latest year it moved by +182. Among 14 North Dakota places of 5,000 or more, that growth ranks 12th; the median place changed by +0.6%. The median place of 5,000+ in North Dakota has 25,242 people, so Watford City is 25% of it.

Watford City covers 8.91 square miles of land and 0.08 of water, for 697 people per square mile of land. The median North Dakota place of 5,000+ has 1,621, so Watford City is less dense than the typical town.

What county Watford City is in

All of Watford City's residents live in McKenzie County, which had 14,782 residents in 2024. Watford City holds 42.0% of the county's population. The shaded shape is on the map above; dots mark the eight nearest places.

ZIP codes in Watford City

1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) overlaps Watford City by at least 10% of the ZCTA's or the city's land: 58854. ZCTAs are Census approximations of USPS ZIP code delivery areas. The list comes from the 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file, so a city that annexed land after 2020 may reach into ZIP codes not listed here.

Where Watford City is

The Census internal point of Watford City is at 47.801500, -103.266700. Bismarck, the capital, is 134.6 miles ESE in a straight line. The nearest larger place is Williston, ND (28,821 people), 32.1 miles away. The nearest city of 100,000 or more is Billings, MT, 286.0 miles away.

Daylight in Watford City

At 47.80° N, Watford City gets about 16 h 01 min of daylight around the June solstice and 8 h 24 min around the December solstice, a swing of 7 h 37 min. Figures are sunrise to sunset from the SunCalc model for June 21 and December 21, 2026.

Places near Watford City

The eight nearest incorporated places of 1,000+ in North Dakota, measured between internal points. The closest is Williston, 32.1 miles away, with 28,821 people.