• county
  • FIPS 38101
  • Largest town: Minot

Ward County, North Dakota

Ward County had 68,427 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,013.0 square miles of land. It ranks 4th of 53 in North Dakota by population and 5th by land area.

Population
68,427
#4 of 53 in North Dakota · #803 in US
Area
2,013.0 sq mi
#5 of 53 in North Dakota · #283 in US
Density
34 / sq mi
#4 of 53 in North Dakota · #1,818 in US
Median household income
$71,754
#29 of 53 in North Dakota · #869 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Ward County within North Dakota. Pin: Bismarck.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Ward County

Ward County population, land area and income

Ward County had 68,427 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,013.0 square miles of land. It ranks 4th of 53 in North Dakota by population and 5th by land area. That works out to 34.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Dakota has 3,853 residents, so Ward County is 17.8 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $71,754 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

68,427

3144th1st

803rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

2,013 sq mi

3144th1st

283rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

34.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1818th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$71,754

3143rd1st

869th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Dakota (53)

Population

68,427

53rd1st

4th of 53 (ND)

Land area

2,013 sq mi

53rd1st

5th of 53 (ND)

Density

34.0 / sq mi

53rd1st

4th of 53 (ND)

Median household income

$71,754

53rd1st

29th of 53 (ND)

How Ward County's population changed since 2020

Ward County lost 1,495 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.1%. That ranks 35th 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, Ward County recorded 4,265 births and 2,430 deaths, a natural change of +1,835. Net international migration added +766 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -4,125. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 4,125 people.

69.9k202069.3k202168.8k202268.4k202368.4k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
4,265
Deaths
2,430
Net international migration
+766
Net domestic migration
-4,125
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+8

Where Ward County is

The Census internal point of Ward County is at 48.216700, -101.540500. 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 Ward County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Burke County: -1.7%Richland County: +0.8%Wells County: -4.1%Renville County: +4.1%Dickey County: -0.6%Bottineau County: +0.3%Hettinger County: -2.0%Sargent County: -3.5%Oliver County: +0.7%McIntosh County: -2.2%Towner County: -4.1%Barnes County: -0.4%Griggs County: -3.2%Cass County: +8.7%Foster County: -1.9%Pierce County: -3.1%Sheridan County: +0.5%Stark County: -0.2%McHenry County: -3.4%Cavalier County: -3.6%Logan County: +0.0%LaMoure County: -1.1%Kidder County: -0.9%Burleigh County: +4.6%Nelson County: +0.3%Eddy County: -0.5%Slope County: -6.0%Billings County: +13.8%Ransom County: -1.8%Grand Forks County: +0.9%McLean County: +0.8%Emmons County: -2.5%Mercer County: +0.0%Morton County: +2.6%Sioux County: -4.3%Pembina County: -3.5%Walsh County: -2.9%Dunn County: -1.6%Adams County: -1.8%Ward County: -2.1%Stutsman County: -0.0%Rolette County: -4.2%Golden Valley County: +4.4%Steele County: -1.3%Traill County: +0.1%Benson County: -3.1%Mountrail County: -3.4%Williams County: -1.0%Grant County: -1.9%Ramsey County: -0.6%McKenzie County: +0.0%Bowman County: -3.2%Divide County: -3.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.4%
  2. < -1.9%
  3. < -0.6%
  4. < +0.3%
  5. ≥ +0.3%
no data

Orange pin: Ward County internal point. Dark pin: Bismarck.

Internal point

Decimal
48.216700, -101.540500
DMS
48°13'0.12"N 101°32'25.80"W
UTM
14N 311292.0E 5343506.6N
Geohash
c8xf33s6w
Plus code
85WW6F85+MQ

Towns in Ward County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Ward County, 50,208 people together, or 73% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Ward County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Minot with 47,440.

  1. 01Minot47,440
  2. 02Surrey1,434
  3. 03Burlington1,334
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Ward County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Ward County. The most populous is McLean County, ND, with 9,845 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Bismarck and the nearest big city

Bismarck is 102.7 miles SSE of Ward County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 238.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Minot, ND (population 47,440), 12.2 miles away.

Ward County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Ward County is 38101: state code 38 for North Dakota plus county code 101. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $71,754.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Ward County, North Dakota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 68,427. That is down 1,495 people (2.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 69,922.

What is the FIPS code of Ward County?

38101. The first two digits (38) are North Dakota; the last three (101) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Ward County?

Minot, with 47,440 residents inside Ward County in 2024.

Which counties border Ward County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: McLean County, ND; Mountrail County, ND; McHenry County, ND; Renville County, ND; Burke County, ND.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.