Williams County, North Dakota Demographics

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

Williams 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 75% of counties in North Dakota
  • A
    Income Above average
    Wealthiest county in North Dakota
  • D
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

Williams County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Williams County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 39,554 784,730 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 18.4 11.1 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 2.85% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 33.8 36.3 37.3
Households 15,154 331,016 130,235,071

Population in Williams County grew by 101.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 39,554 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Williams County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Williams County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.1% of residents. That is 2.9 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 46.7% of the people living in Williams County and men 53.3%.

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39,554

100% of everyone living in Williams County

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Economy

Williams County has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.

Metric Williams County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $84,931 $76,862 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) -0.86% 3.32% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 4.3% 2.7% 5.2%

The median household income in Williams County is about 10% higher than in North Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Williams County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $438,114 $125,877 $248,835
Median rent $1,123 $953 $1,407
Homeownership rate 53.0% 62.9% 65.2%

The median home price in Williams County is about 32.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,123 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Williams 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 Williams County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 13.9 13.8 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 27.9 27.6 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 116 115 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,600 $3,567 $5,790
Work from home 4.0% 8.1% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 1,346 2,106 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 464 360 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 Williams 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

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

Metric Williams County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 22.4% 29.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.56 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

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

Metric Williams County North Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 78.3 79.4 78.3
Self-rated poor health 12.7% 14.3% 16.3%
Smokers 19.1% 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 Williams County, North Dakota.

What is the population of Williams County, North Dakota?

About 39,554 people live in Williams County, North Dakota, in 15,154 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 33.8, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.

How densely populated is Williams County, North Dakota?

Averaged over its land area, Williams County, North Dakota has 18 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 21% of the U.S. average of 86.

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

The median home costs 5.2 times the median household income ($438,114 against $84,931), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,123 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

What share of adults in Williams County, North Dakota have a college degree?

22.4% of adults in Williams County, North Dakota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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