Foster County, North Dakota

Foster County population, land area and income

Foster County had 3,323 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 634.1 square miles of land. It ranks 32nd of 53 in North Dakota by population and 52nd by land area. That works out to 5.2 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Dakota has 3,853 residents; Foster County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $71,345 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Foster County's population changed since 2020

Foster County lost 65 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.9%. That ranks 32nd of 53 in North Dakota for growth. The median North Dakota county changed by -1.3%, and the state as a whole by +2.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Foster County recorded 161 births and 185 deaths, a natural change of -24. Net international migration added +54 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -100. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 100 people.

Where Foster County is

The Census internal point of Foster County is at 47.471400, -98.872900. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades North Dakota's 53 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Foster County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Foster County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Foster County, 2,019 people together, or 61% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Foster County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Carrington with 2,019.

Counties bordering Foster County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Foster County. The most populous is Stutsman County, ND, with 21,546 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Stutsman County

  21,546 people

  35 mi S

• Wells County

  3,803 people

  39 mi WNW

• Eddy County

  2,309 people

  17 mi N

• Griggs County

  2,227 people

  30 mi E

Distance to Bismarck and the nearest big city

Bismarck is 100.4 miles WSW of Foster County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 104.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Jamestown, ND (population 15,789), 40.0 miles away.

Foster County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Foster County is 38031: state code 38 for North Dakota plus county code 031. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $71,345.