Mercer County, North Dakota

Mercer County population, land area and income

Mercer County had 8,348 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,042.8 square miles of land. It ranks 17th of 53 in North Dakota by population and 35th by land area. That works out to 8.0 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, so Mercer County is 2.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $85,274 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Mercer County's population changed since 2020

Mercer County gained 0 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.0%. That ranks 16th 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, Mercer County recorded 358 births and 388 deaths, a natural change of -30. Net international migration added +86 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -60. The largest single component was international migration, which added 86 people.

Where Mercer County is

The Census internal point of Mercer County is at 47.307100, -101.833300. 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 Mercer County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Mercer County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Mercer County, 5,335 people together, or 64% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Mercer County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Beulah with 3,047.

Counties bordering Mercer County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Mercer County. The most populous is Morton County, ND, with 34,194 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Morton County

  34,194 people

  48 mi SSE

• Stark County

  33,767 people

  52 mi SW

• McLean County

  9,845 people

  31 mi NE

• Dunn County

  4,031 people

  37 mi W

• Oliver County

  1,882 people

  27 mi ESE

Distance to Bismarck and the nearest big city

Bismarck is 59.8 miles SE of Mercer County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 237.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Dickinson, ND (population 25,695), 53.6 miles away.

Mercer County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Mercer County is 38057: state code 38 for North Dakota plus county code 057. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $85,274.