Ward County, North Dakota Demographics

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

Ward 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
    Healthier than 84% of counties in North Dakota
  • B
    Income Around average
  • C
    Education Below average
    Better educated than 87% of counties in North Dakota

Source: Map AI Methodology

Ward County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Ward County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 68,973 784,730 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 33.5 11.1 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.01% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 31.9 36.3 37.3
Households 28,568 331,016 130,235,071

Population in Ward County grew by 22.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 68,973 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Ward County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Ward County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.1% of residents. That is 2.5 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 48.6% of the people living in Ward County and men 51.4%.

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68,973

100% of everyone living in Ward County

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Economy

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

Metric Ward County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $78,102 $76,862 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 2.73% 3.32% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 3.2% 2.7% 5.2%

The median household income in Ward County is about 2% higher than in North Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Ward County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $49,999 $125,877 $248,835
Median rent $1,047 $953 $1,407
Homeownership rate 60.8% 62.9% 65.2%

The median home price in Ward County is about 4.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,047 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Ward County spend about 28 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 116 hours, about 4.8 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Ward County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 13.9 13.8 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 27.7 27.6 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 116 115 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,584 $3,567 $5,790
Work from home 5.7% 8.1% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 2,974 2,106 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 572 360 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 Ward County is about the same as 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

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

Metric Ward County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 26.4% 29.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.35 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

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

Metric Ward County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 79.0 79.4 78.3
Self-rated poor health 10.9% 14.3% 16.3%
Smokers 16.4% 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 →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Ward County, North Dakota.

How many people live in Ward County, North Dakota?

About 68,973 people live in Ward County, North Dakota, in 28,568 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 31.9, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.

Is Ward County, North Dakota urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Ward County, North Dakota has 34 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 39% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Ward County, North Dakota?

The median home costs 0.6 times the median household income ($49,999 against $78,102), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,047 a month takes about 16% 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 Ward County, North Dakota?

Unemployment in Ward County, North Dakota is only 3.2%, 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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