Nelson County, North Dakota Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Nelson County, ND Population Density Map and Area Scores

Area Score

Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.

  • B
    Health Around average
    Less healthy than 78% of counties in North Dakota
  • B
    Income Around average
    Less wealthy than 83% of counties in North Dakota
  • D
    Education Well below average
    Better educated than 71% of counties in North Dakota

Source: Map AI Methodology

Nelson County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Nelson County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 3,016 784,730 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 3.0 11.1 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.04% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 50.2 36.3 37.3
Households 1,338 331,016 130,235,071

Population in Nelson County declined by 6.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3,016 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Nelson County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Nelson County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.8% of residents. That is 9.9 points above North Dakota as a whole.

Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below North Dakota, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.

Male and female share

Women are 50.0% of the people living in Nelson County and men 50.0%.

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3,016

100% of everyone living in Nelson County

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Economy

Nelson County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.

Metric Nelson County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $69,999 $76,862 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.87% 3.32% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.1% 2.7% 5.2%

The median household income in Nelson County is about 9% lower than in North Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Nelson County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $132,500 $125,877 $248,835
Median rent $581 $953 $1,407
Homeownership rate 75.1% 62.9% 65.2%

The median home price in Nelson County is about 19.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $581 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Nelson County spend about 24 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 100 hours, about 4.2 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Nelson County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 12.0 13.8 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 24.0 27.6 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 100 115 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,097 $3,567 $5,790
Work from home 8.1% 8.1% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 1,537 2,106 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 68 360 1,355

Fastest commutes among counties in North Dakota: McIntosh County (6.9 min), Foster County (7.7 min), Pierce County (7.7 min).
Slowest: McHenry County (28.9 min), Renville County (23.5 min), Oliver County (22.8 min).

The average commute time in Nelson County is 12 minutes, shorter than the 14 minutes in North Dakota.

Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Nelson County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.

Metric Nelson County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 27.1% 29.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.17 2.29 2.53

Highest education index among counties in North Dakota: Cass County (0.3), Burleigh County (0.3), Grand Forks County (0.3).
Lowest: Sioux County (0.2), Sheridan County (0.2), Hettinger County (0.2).

Health

Nelson County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.

Metric Nelson County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 77.6 79.4 78.3
Self-rated poor health 14.3% 14.3% 16.3%
Smokers 16.9% 18.7% 19.0%

Highest health index among counties in North Dakota: Burleigh County (0.8), Steele County (0.8), Cass County (0.8).
Lowest: Sioux County (0.7), Rolette County (0.7), Benson County (0.8).

Full health data →

Nelson County, ND Compared With Nearby Counties

How Nelson County, ND compares with the 1 counties closest to it.

Area Population Median household income Median home price Commute
Nelson County, ND 3,016 $69,999 #1/2 $132,500 #1/2 12.0 min #1/2
Grand Forks County, ND 72,923 $69,503 $125,000 12.5 min

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Nelson County, North Dakota.

How big is Nelson County, North Dakota by population?

About 3,016 people live in Nelson County, North Dakota, in 1,338 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 50.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 13 years.

Is Nelson County, North Dakota mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Nelson County, North Dakota has 3 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 3% of the U.S. average of 86.

Can a typical household afford a home in Nelson County, North Dakota?

The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($132,500 against $69,999), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $581 a month takes about 10% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is unemployment high in Nelson County, North Dakota?

Unemployment in Nelson County, North Dakota is only 1.1%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

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