Steele County, North Dakota Demographics

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

Steele 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
    Among the top 3 healthiest counties in North Dakota
  • B
    Income Around average
    Among the top 5 wealthiest counties in North Dakota
  • C
    Education Below average
    Among the top 5 best educated counties in North Dakota

Source: Map AI Methodology

Steele County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Steele County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 1,804 784,730 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 2.5 11.1 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.99% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 47.1 36.3 37.3
Households 806 331,016 130,235,071

Population in Steele County declined by 6.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1,804 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Steele County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Steele County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.0% of residents. That is 6.1 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 47.6% of the people living in Steele County and men 52.4%.

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1,804

100% of everyone living in Steele County

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Economy

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

Metric Steele County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $76,562 $76,862 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.46% 3.32% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 3.3% 2.7% 5.2%

The median household income in Steele County is about the same as in North Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Steele County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $45,000 $125,877 $248,835
Median rent $737 $953 $1,407
Homeownership rate 77.8% 62.9% 65.2%

The median home price in Steele County is about 5.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $737 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Steele County spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 110 hours, about 4.6 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Steele County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 13.2 13.8 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 26.4 27.6 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 110 115 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,409 $3,567 $5,790
Work from home 12.3% 8.1% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) — 2,106 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 167 360 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 Steele County is 13 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

Steele County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.

Metric Steele County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 29.9% 29.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.24 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

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

Metric Steele County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 84.5 79.4 78.3
Self-rated poor health 11.5% 14.3% 16.3%
Smokers 15.0% 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 →

Steele County, ND Compared With Nearby Counties

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

Area Population Median household income Median home price Commute
Steele County, ND 1,804 $76,562 #1/2 $45,000 #2/2 13.2 min #2/2
Grand Forks County, ND 72,923 $69,503 $125,000 12.5 min

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Steele County, North Dakota.

How big is Steele County, North Dakota by population?

About 1,804 people live in Steele County, North Dakota, in 806 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.

How densely populated is Steele County, North Dakota?

Averaged over its land area, Steele 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.

Is Steele County, North Dakota an affordable place to live?

The median home costs 0.6 times the median household income ($45,000 against $76,562), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $737 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is it hard to find a job in Steele County, North Dakota?

Unemployment in Steele County, North Dakota is only 3.3%, 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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