Ransom County, North Dakota

Ransom County population, land area and income

Ransom County had 5,590 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 862.5 square miles of land. It ranks 22nd of 53 in North Dakota by population and 46th by land area. That works out to 6.5 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; Ransom County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $78,270 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Ransom County's population changed since 2020

Ransom County lost 103 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.8%. That ranks 30th 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, Ransom County recorded 209 births and 337 deaths, a natural change of -128. Net international migration added +43 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -25. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 128 people.

Where Ransom County is

The Census internal point of Ransom County is at 46.449300, -97.647600. 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 Ransom County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Ransom County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Ransom County, 2,175 people together, or 39% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Ransom County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Lisbon with 2,175.

Counties bordering Ransom County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Ransom County. The most populous is Cass County, ND, with 200,945 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Cass County

  200,945 people

  38 mi NNE

• Richland County

  16,658 people

  36 mi ESE

• Barnes County

  10,798 people

  40 mi NNW

• Dickey County

  4,930 people

  47 mi WSW

• LaMoure County

  4,051 people

  42 mi W

• Sargent County

  3,710 people

  24 mi S

Distance to Bismarck and the nearest big city

Bismarck is 150.9 miles W of Ransom County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 48.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is West Fargo, ND (population 41,027), 45.0 miles away.

Ransom County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Ransom County is 38073: state code 38 for North Dakota plus county code 073. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $78,270.