County · North Dakota

Ward County, North Dakota

Ward County, North Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 96 out of 100 (very high), ranking #123 of 3,143 US counties. Within North Dakota it ranks #18 of 53 counties. It ranks best on frequent mental distress (low), distance to an Amtrak station (low) and rent-burdened households (low). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), days with unhealthy air (high) and time spent in the emergency room (high).

96Very high

Quality-of-life score: #123 of 3,143 counties
North Dakota: #18 of 53 in ND
Population: 68,233 (2025)
Land area: 2,013 mi²
Density: 33.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 38101

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 80 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map Federal contracts here

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.

Safety66#1,053/3,096
Economy83#523/3,143
Housing61#1,239/3,140
Health90#324/3,144
Healthcare93#235/3,143
Environment92#248/3,108
Education81#611/3,144
Infrastructure89#338/3,144
Community82#581/3,144
Leisure & amenities86#431/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Ward County, North Dakota ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Frequent mental distress · low14.5%
99/100North Dakota 15.4%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi
98/100North Dakota 41 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
Rent-burdened households · low38.3%
97/100North Dakota 38.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Natural hazard risk · low3.0
97/100North Dakota 37.12025Federal Emergency Management Agency
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
96/100North Dakota 7.5United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services Administration
Lack of reliable transportation · low6.3%
96/100North Dakota 6.7%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high229 mi
2/100North Dakota 136 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
Days with unhealthy air · high3.3%
6/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Time spent in the emergency room · high193 min
12/100North Dakota 113 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Suicide rate · high26.3 /100k
13/100North Dakota 19.8 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Voter turnout · low56.5%
19/100North Dakota 63.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance Commission
New business applications · low9.1 /1k
23/100North Dakota 11.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census Bureau

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureImproving
100% (2021) → 10% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−90 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Hot daysWorsening
6 days (2011-2020) → 9 days (2016-2025)
+47%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days
Suicide rateWorsening
18.7 /100k (2021) → 26.3 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+41%5 yearsUS 14.5 /100k → 14.1 /100k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
21.7% (Dec 2021) → 29.5% (Aug 2026)
+7.8 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Mental health providersImproving
241 /100k (2021) → 333 /100k (2025)
+38%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
Property crime rateImproving
1,475 /100k (2020) → 927 /100k (2025)
−37%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Ward County, North Dakota improved on 7 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 21 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among counties: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with 2025); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved7

Real income+35%$58,767 → $79,095
Unemployment−2.7 points5.3% → 2.6%
Violent crime−19%322 /100k → 260 /100k
Property crime−37%1,475 /100k → 927 /100k
Weekly wage+19%$1,009 → $1,200

Declined2

Inequality+0.0260.413 → 0.439
Price / income+0.3×3.1× → 3.4×

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Ward County, North Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	7.0 /10k2020	8.1 /10k2025	+15%	Within the margin of error	66%
Average commute time	18.6 min2015-2019	19.3 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Within the margin of error	42%
Average weekly wage	$1,0092020	$1,2002025	+19%	Improved	18%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.3%2015-2019	29.6%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Broadband subscriptions	86.6%2015-2019	90.6%2020-2024	+4 points	Improved	6%
Child poverty rate	8.9%2019	12.4%2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Distance to an airport	229 mi2020	229 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	25.7 /100k2020	14.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−43%	Within the margin of error	68%
Effective property tax rate	0.97%2015-2019	1.04%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Firearm deaths	24.3 /100k2020	17.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−28%	Within the margin of error	86%
Grocery stores	1.4 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+2.5%	Within the margin of error	64%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.3 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	+37%	Within the margin of error	81%
High school diploma or higher	93.7%2015-2019	94.8%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	58%
Homicide rate	8.1 /100k2020	3.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−57%	Within the margin of error	77%
Income adjusted for local prices	$58,7672019	$79,0952024	+35%	Improved	67%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4132015-2019	0.4392020-2024	+0.026	Declined	17%
Median household income	$68,6342019	$73,5222024	+7.1%	Within the margin of error	1%
New business applications	8.2 /1k2020	9.1 /1k2025	+11%	Improved	15%
Pharmacies	1.1 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+15%	Within the margin of error	91%
Poverty rate	9.0%2019	10.7%2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Property crime rate	1,475 /100k2020	927 /100k2025	−37%	Improved	52%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	+0.4%	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.3%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent-burdened households	40.5%2015-2019	38.3%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Restaurants and bars	9.9 /10k2020	10.3 /10k2025	+4%	Within the margin of error	61%
Students per teacher	13.5×2019	13.4×2024	−0.1×	Little change	27%
Suicide rate	21.5 /100k2020	26.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+22%	Within the margin of error	18%
Traffic deaths	9.8 /100k2015-2019	8.1 /100k2020-2024	−17%	Within the margin of error	76%
Unemployment rate	5.3%2020	2.6%2025	−2.7 points	Improved	53%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.5%2019	6.6%2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Violent crime rate	322 /100k2020	260 /100k2025	−19%	Improved	54%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 2303 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 3144 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Counties like Ward County, North Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ward County, North Dakota in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Ward County, North Dakota itself moved −0.6 points in standing on average over the same 32 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

68,973 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 men (−2.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

68,973 residents

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

White80%55,434
Black3.9%2,720
Hispanic or Latino7.2%4,947

Education

44,405 residents (±199)

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

No high school diploma5.2%2,330
High school or GED28%12,634
Some college26%11,406

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

28,568 households (±541)

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under $25k13%3,763
$25k–50k17%4,730
$50k–75k18%5,263
$75k–100k15%4,255
$100k–150k19%5,319
$150k–200k8.0%2,298
$200k or more10%2,940

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+5.1 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

28,568 households (±541)

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Own61%17,365
Rent39%11,203

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

10,776 households (±760)

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under $75027%2,866
$750–1,00019%2,062
$1,000–1,50036%3,898

Home values

17,365 homes (±635)

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under $150k20%3,462
$150k–250k25%4,386
$250k–400k34%5,921

Age of homes

32,487 homes (±68)

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

2010 or later24%7,638
2000–200911%3,734
1980–199919%6,131

Size of homes

32,487 homes (±68)

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Studio1.6%†520
1 bedroom7.6%2,469
2 bedrooms28%9,243

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

35,883 workers (±739)

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Drive alone78%28,141
Carpool12%4,247
Public transit0.3%†124
Walk2.0%726
Bike0.4%†153
Work from home5.7%2,028
Other1.3%†464

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−5.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

33,855 workers (±841)

Ward County, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under 15 min51%17,172
15–29 min33%11,236
30–44 min7.3%2,460

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Minot, ND

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Ward County has 2,043 employer establishments, 299 for every 10,000 residents (1.21× the US rate of 248; 0.93× North Dakota's), with 24,723 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,172. The Census Bureau also counts 4,965 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,043; 4,965 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 299; US 248 · North Dakota 323
Paid employees: 24,723
Average annual pay: $56,172; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Ward County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	177	25.9	1.68×More than typical	997	$87,200	314
Restaurants and other eating places	125	18.3	1.00×About typical	2,470	$23,993	19
Ambulatory health care services	124	18.2	0.87×About typical	1,281	$68,691	241
Lessors of real estate	86	12.6	1.02×About typical	379	$51,391	679
Truck transportation	84	12.3	2.43×More than typical	384	$66,177	119
Offices of other health practitioners	73	10.7	1.76×More than typical	292	$50,318	92
Building equipment contractors	69	10.1	1.68×More than typical	590	$80,688	41
Limited-service restaurants	59	8.6	1.08×About typical	1,248	$22,469	9
Automotive repair and maintenance	56	8.2	1.63×More than typical	443	$51,966	73
Construction of buildings	55	8.1	1.07×About typical	317	$55,091	128
Insurance agencies and brokerages	52	7.6	1.74×More than typical	136	$71,882	107
Religious organizations	52	7.6	1.37×More than typical	390	$27,215	—

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 68,228 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $69.6M on contracts performed in Ward County, North Dakota: $1,021 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $69.6M; −41% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,021; US $1,994
Sole-source: 9.8%; US 30%
Single offer: 12%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Air Force$23.5M34%
Defense Logistics Agency$12.2M18%
Department of the Army$12.1M17%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management$9M13%
Federal Highway Administration$8.1M12%
Defense Health Agency$2.8M4.0%
Agricultural Marketing Service$887.2K1.3%
Defense Commissary Agency$582K0.8%

Top recipients

HUMAN LEARNING SYSTEMS LLC$9M13%
STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE INC$7.4M11%
BASE UTILITIES INC$6.3M9.1%
VERENDRYE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC$5.8M8.3%
BLU RIDERZ$4.3M6.2%

Spending by fiscal year

87.3MFY2017
81.6MFY2018
87.2MFY2019
136.5MFY2020
117MFY2021
109.2MFY2022
224.7MFY2023
70.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Technical and trade schools · 6115$9M13%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$8.4M12%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$7.4M11%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$7.4M11%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$6.3M9.1%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$5.8M8.3%

Largest awards

MINOT HELO OPS FACILITY CONSTRUCTION, MINOT AFB, ND.$137.1M
FEDERAL CONTRACTING INC· Ward County, ND· Construction & real property· Mar 17, 2023 – Apr 30, 2026· W9128F23C0009
DELETE AND REPLACE SECTION B IN ITS ENTIRETY TO ESTABLISH INFORMATIONAL SUBCLINS IN LIEU OF SEPARATE UTILITY SERVICE CHARGE CLINS FOR EACH FISCAL YEAR. UTILITIES SERVICES FOR MINOT AFB WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS$67.3M
BASE UTILITIES INC· Ward County, ND· Facilities & utilities· Nov 7, 2016 – Apr 8, 2026· SP060013C8280
PRIVATIZATION OF ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEN ON MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, ND$55.5M
VERENDRYE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC· Ward County, ND· Facilities & utilities· Nov 4, 2016 – Apr 15, 2026· SP060011C8274

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Explore contracts in Ward County, North Dakota

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $409.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Ward County, North Dakota: $6,006 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $409.8M; −9.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,006; US $12,955
Loan face value: $49.1M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 6.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$196.4M48%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$66.7M16%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$22.5M5.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$20.8M5.1%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$17.4M4.3%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$12.7M3.1%
84.041 · Impact Aid$9.4M2.3%
20.116 · Airport Improvement Program$7.7M1.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE SCHOOL DISTRICT 160$9.4M2.3%
MINOT, ND
CITY OF MINOT$8.9M2.2%
MINOT, ND
MINOT HOUSING AUTHORITY$8.4M2.1%
MINOT, ND
NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$6.3M1.5%
BISMARCK, ND
MINOT STATE UNIVERSITY$5.8M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$245.4M60%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$75.3M18%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Farm Service Agency$23.1M5.6%
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education$15.5M3.8%
Railroad Retirement Board$12.7M3.1%

Assistance by fiscal year

363.4MFY2021
440.8MFY2022
342.2MFY2023
366.5MFY2024
451.6MFY2025
409.8MFY2026

County aggregates

81%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Ward County, North Dakota

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

How Ward County, North Dakota compares: the federal money it received per resident, and how jobs, income, housing and other outcomes moved, each next to the United States.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Ward County, North Dakota
United States
Year its money jumped
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Ward County, North Dakota and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
FY2017	$1,261	$1,436
FY2018	$1,191	$1,552
FY2019	$1,275	$1,654
FY2020	$1,953	$1,880
FY2021	$1,688	$1,810
FY2022	$1,588	$1,917
FY2023	$3,293	$2,079
FY2024	$1,038	$2,047
FY2025	$1,740	$2,165
FY2026	$1,021 (partial year)	$1,911

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Ward County, North Dakota and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
FY2017	$469	$93.28
FY2018	$353	$105
FY2019	$456	$128
FY2020	$968	$145
FY2021	$855	$117

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Ward County, North Dakota and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
FY2021	$2,178	$5,748
FY2022	$2,347	$5,221
FY2023	$3,820	$5,364
FY2024	$1,639	$5,501
FY2025	$2,400	$5,732
FY2026	$1,560

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Ward County, North Dakota and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
FY2021	$131	$298
FY2022	$588	$357
FY2023	$264	$301
FY2024	$207	$319
FY2025	$376	$360
FY2026

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Ward County, North Dakota and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
FY2021	$125	$239
FY2022	$139	$185
FY2023	$146	$229
FY2024	$144	$229
FY2025	$174	$249
FY2026	$152

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Ward County, North Dakota and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
FY2021	$64.42	$2,304
FY2022	$61.90	$2,197
FY2023	$64.95	$2,274
FY2024	$70.67	$2,267
FY2025	$72.83	$2,397
FY2026	$71.26

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Ward County, North Dakota and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
FY2021	$1,328	$1,186
FY2022	$360	$465
FY2023	$0.07	$76.52
FY2024	$104	$120
FY2025	$50.85	$148
FY2026	$237

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Ward County, North Dakota
United States
Years with money loaded
Year its money jumped

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Ward County, North Dakota and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Construction contracts · FY2020

$968 per resident in FY2020, against an earlier average of $426 (2.3× that).

Compared with 5 similar counties

Ward County, North Dakota
Comparison counties (average)
Range of comparison counties

Job growth: change since 2019points

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/38101

See all comparisons

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Ward County, North Dakota is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Julie FedorchakR-ND · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 2.1%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Metro area

The metro or micro area Ward County belongs to. A county is in at most one.

Minot, ND94Central county

Cities and towns in Ward County

Places whose residents live mostly in Ward County, largest first.

Neighboring counties

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar counties

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/38101

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014	+2.9%	−4.2%
2015	+3.9%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+2.7%	+3.3%
2018	+7.3%	+6.8%
2019	+10.5%	+10.5%
2020	+12.9%	+19.4%
2021	+14.3%	+26.1%
2022	+21.0%	+30.6%
2023	+26.1%	+35.0%
2024	+30.1%	+41.0%
2025	+34.2%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014	+15.8%	−5.5%
2015	+6.0%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	−0.8%	+4.1%
2018	+5.4%	+8.9%
2019	+8.9%	+13.5%
2020	+13.8%	+20.8%
2021	+19.3%	+32.1%
2022	+27.6%	+35.4%
2023	+32.8%	+42.9%
2024	+37.0%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014	12.3/1k	3.3/1k
2015	4.3/1k	3.7/1k
2016	1.1/1k	3.7/1k
2017	1.9/1k	3.9/1k
2018	1.3/1k	4.1/1k
2019	1.2/1k	4.2/1k
2020	2.3/1k	4.4/1k
2021	2.8/1k	5.2/1k
2022	2.4/1k	5.0/1k
2023	1.8/1k	4.5/1k
2024	1.9/1k	4.3/1k
2025	1.9/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014	+2.4%	−6.9%
2015	+0.1%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.0%	+4.7%
2018	+4.7%	+7.5%
2019	+12.4%	+14.0%
2020	+5.3%	+16.9%
2021	+14.5%	+21.0%
2022	+18.0%	+29.7%
2023	+17.5%	+34.9%
2024	+20.4%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014	+10.1% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	+9.3% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	−5.7% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	−15.1% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	−15.9% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	−13.0% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	−8.6% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	−2.0% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+4.0% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+9.4% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+12.3% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014	2.6%	6.2%
2015	3.2%	5.3%
2016	3.7%	4.9%
2017	3.0%	4.4%
2018	2.4%	3.9%
2019	2.1%	3.7%
2020	5.3%	8.1%
2021	3.3%	5.4%
2022	2.1%	3.7%
2023	2.0%	3.6%
2024	2.3%	4.0%
2025	2.6%	4.3%

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014	8.5%	15.5%
2015	8.4%	14.7%
2016	8.8%	14.0%
2017	10.1%	13.4%
2018	10.8%	13.1%
2019	9.0%	12.3%
2020	8.9%	11.9%
2021	9.4%	12.8%
2022	9.8%	12.6%
2023	7.4%	12.5%
2024	10.7%	12.1%

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2015	—	−3.3% (Dec 2015)
2016	—	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	—	+4.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	—	+8.8% (Dec 2018)
2019	—	+13.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	—	+15.2% (Dec 2020)
2021	— (Dec 2021)	+32.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	— (Dec 2022)	+42.1% (Dec 2022)
2023	— (Dec 2023)	+46.3% (Dec 2023)
2024	— (Dec 2024)	+50.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	— (Dec 2025)	+53.5% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014	9.2%	13.5%
2015	8.1%	10.9%
2016	7.8%	10.0%
2017	8.1%	10.2%
2018	7.5%	10.4%
2019	7.5%	10.8%
2020	7.8%	10.4%
2021	9.9%	10.2%
2022	6.5%	9.5%
2023	6.2%	9.5%
2024	6.6%	9.8%

Calendar years	Ward County, North Dakota	United States
2014	9.5/1k	8.5/1k
2015	7.7/1k	8.7/1k
2016	6.9/1k	9.1/1k
2017	6.5/1k	9.8/1k
2018	7.5/1k	10.7/1k
2019	7.3/1k	10.6/1k
2020	8.2/1k	13.1/1k
2021	9.4/1k	16.2/1k
2022	9.2/1k	15.1/1k
2023	10.0/1k	16.2/1k
2024	8.4/1k	15.4/1k
2025	9.1/1k	16.6/1k

Year	Ward County, North Dakota	Comparison counties (average)	Range of comparison counties
Year −3	−2.4 points	−0.3 points	−1.1 points to +0.9 points
Year −2	+1.3 points	−1.4 points	−4.1 points to −0.1 points
Year −1	0.0 points	0.0 points	0.0 points to 0.0 points
Year 0	−6.7 points	−2.6 points	−4.6 points to +0.3 points
Year +1	+1.7 points	+2.0 points	−1.8 points to +5.1 points
Year +2	+2.2 points	+2.5 points	−0.1 points to +3.6 points

Year	Ward County, North Dakota	Comparison counties (average)	Range of comparison counties
Year −3	+0.7 per 1,000 people	+0.6 per 1,000 people	−0.2 per 1,000 people to +2.3 per 1,000 people
Year −2	+0.1 per 1,000 people	+0.2 per 1,000 people	−1.0 per 1,000 people to +1.4 per 1,000 people
Year −1	0.0 per 1,000 people	0.0 per 1,000 people	0.0 per 1,000 people to 0.0 per 1,000 people
Year 0	+1.1 per 1,000 people	+0.6 per 1,000 people	−1.1 per 1,000 people to +3.5 per 1,000 people
Year +1	+1.6 per 1,000 people	+0.2 per 1,000 people	−0.1 per 1,000 people to +1.3 per 1,000 people
Year +2	+1.2 per 1,000 people	−0.3 per 1,000 people	−0.9 per 1,000 people to +0.3 per 1,000 people

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved7

Declined2

Counties like Ward County, North Dakota five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Getting to work

How people get to work

Time to get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Public money & outcomes

Money per resident

How outcomes moved

When its money jumped

Compared with 5 similar counties

Representation in Congress

House

Senate

Metro area

Cities and towns in Ward County

Neighboring counties

Similar counties

Data and sources

Improved7

Declined2

Household income

House

Senate

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

How people get to work

Time to get to work

Money per resident

How outcomes moved

When its money jumped

Compared with 5 similar counties

Jumps not compared

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year