Demographics of Ward County, North Dakota

Ward County, North Dakota had 68,233 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −1,687 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Ward County, in four figures

68,233
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −2.4%
Change since July 2020: −1,687 people.; 33.6 ±0.2
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $78,238 ±$3,810
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Ward County, North Dakota's population shrank 2.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Ward County, North Dakota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Ward County, North Dakota's population shrank 2.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Ward County, North Dakota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	69,920	100.0	100.0
2021	69,287	99.1	100.2
2022	68,752	98.3	100.7
2023	68,228	97.6	101.6
2024	68,186	97.5	102.5
2025	68,233	97.6	103.1

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Population of Ward County, North Dakota on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	69,920	−10	+109	+4	−133
2021	69,287	−633	+309	+14	−961
2022	68,752	−535	+486	+136	−1,180
2023	68,228	−524	+420	+202	−1,153
2024	68,186	−42	+449	+250	−733
2025	68,233	+47	+444	+164	−556

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 33.6 ±0.2: for men 32.8 ±0.5 and for women 34.7 ±0.4. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Ward County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Dakota	United States
Under 5	4,811 ±78	7.0% ±0.1	6.3% ±0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	11,805 ±535	17.1% ±0.8	17.2% ±0.3	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	7,952 ±586	11.5% ±0.9	11.1% ±0.3	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	20,945 ±641	30.4% ±0.9	27.4% ±0.3	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	13,824 ±622	20.0% ±0.9	21.5% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	9,636 ±606	14.0% ±0.9	16.5% ±0.2	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $78,238 ±$3,810, and income per person $43,089 ±$2,085, in 2024 dollars. The median is $76,657 ±$1,163 in North Dakota and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Ward County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Dakota	United States
Under $25,000	3,763 ±604	13.2% ±2.1	14.4% ±0.5	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	4,730 ±591	16.6% ±2.0	17.9% ±0.6	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	5,263 ±600	18.4% ±2.1	16.6% ±0.5	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	4,255 ±458	14.9% ±1.6	13.9% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	5,319 ±609	18.6% ±2.1	18.6% ±0.6	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	2,298 ±398	8.0% ±1.4	9.0% ±0.4	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	2,940 ±421	10.3% ±1.5	9.6% ±0.4	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Ward County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Dakota	United States
All ages	5,755 ±866	8.6% ±1.3	10.8% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,131 ±325	6.9% ±2.0	11.1% ±0.7	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	3,331 ±577	8.8% ±1.5	11.2% ±0.4	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,293 ±364	9.9% ±2.7	9.5% ±0.5	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Ward County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Ward County	North Dakota	United States
Housing units	32,487 ±68	377,281 ±282	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	87.9% ±1.7	87.7% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	12.1% ±1.7	12.3% ±0.4	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	60.8% ±1.9	62.9% ±0.6	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	39.2% ±2.6	37.1% ±0.7	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$267,100 ±$9,995	$249,900 ±$2,909	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,048 ±$36	$954 ±$11	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1984 ±3	1982 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Ward County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Dakota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	4,947 ±0	7.2% ±<0.1	4.7% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	55,434 ±250	80.4% ±0.4	81.7% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	2,720 ±295	3.9% ±0.4	3.3% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1,021 ±115	1.5% ±0.2	1.6% ±0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1,089 ±239	1.6% ±0.3	4.2% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 34	0% to < 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	111 to 463	0.2% to 0.7%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	3,460 ±445	5.0% ±0.6	4.0% ±0.2	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Ward County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Dakota	United States
Born in the state	38,869 ±1,453	56.4% ±2.1	61.4% ±0.4	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	25,916 ±1,569	37.6% ±2.3	32.8% ±0.4	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	1,590 ±407	2.3% ±0.6	1.1% ±0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	2,598 ±440	3.8% ±0.6	4.7% ±0.2	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	1,145 ±248	1.7% ±0.4	1.9% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	1,453 ±331	2.1% ±0.5	2.8% ±0.2	6.8% ±<0.1

Ward County among the counties of North Dakota

4th of 53 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Dakota page.

Counties of North Dakota near Ward County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Cass County	201,794	+9.1%
Burleigh County	103,251	+4.7%
Grand Forks County	74,501	+1.9%
Ward County	68,233	−2.4%
Williams County	41,767	+1.4%
Morton County	34,601	+3.8%
Stark County	34,013	+0.5%
Stutsman County	21,414	−0.6%
Richland County	16,731	+1.2%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026