North Dakota population: a record high after the 2010s boom

The July 2025 estimate of 799,358 is the largest population North Dakota has ever had. That is not a small statement for this state: the 680,845⁹ people counted in the 1930 Census stood as the record for about eighty years, until the July 2011 estimate (687,257¹⁰) passed it. North Dakota holds 0.23% of the US population, and it is smaller than every bordering state (Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota)¹.

Eighty years at the same size

The first census to cover the area of the present state, in 1870, counted 2,405 people. Settlement then came fast: 190,983 in 1890 and 577,056 in 1910. After that the line went flat. Between 1920 and 2000 every census count fell between 617,761 (1970) and 680,845 (1930), and the 2000 Census found 642,200, fewer people than in 1920 (646,872). Over the same decades North Dakota slid from 36th of 51⁹ among the areas with a count to 47th of 51⁶.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	North Dakota
1870	2,405
1880	36,909
1890	190,983
1900	319,146
1910	577,056
1920	646,872
1930	680,845
1940	641,935
1950	619,636
1960	632,446
1970	617,761
1980	652,717
1990	638,800
2000	642,200
2010	672,591
2020	779,094
2021	777,977
2022	780,191
2023	787,071
2024	793,387
2025	799,358

The 2010 Census counted 672,591. By the 2020 Census the state had grown 15.8%, 8.4 percentage points above the US figure (7.4%) and the 4th highest rate of the decade, behind only Utah, Idaho and Texas⁶. The Census Bureau's own releases describe that spurt: in March 2014 it reported that oil- and gas-rich areas in and near the Great Plains, including several North Dakota metro and micropolitan areas, were among the fastest-growing in the country, and in December 2015 that North Dakota had been the fastest-growing state for the fourth year in a row.

The annual estimates show how concentrated the growth was. The population went from 675,097 in July 2010 to 762,814¹⁰ in July 2015, then added far less over the next five years, reaching 779,612¹ in July 2020.

North DakotaMinnesotaMontanaSouth DakotaUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2000-2010; Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2010-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. July 1 estimates: intercensal series for 2000–2019, Vintage 2025 for 2020–2025.

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Year	North Dakota	Minnesota	Montana	South Dakota	United States
2000	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
2001	99.5	101.0	100.4	100.3	101.0
2002	99.4	101.7	100.9	100.6	101.9
2003	99.5	102.4	101.8	101.0	102.8
2004	100.4	103.1	102.9	101.9	103.8
2005	100.6	103.8	104.0	102.6	104.7
2006	101.2	104.7	105.4	103.6	105.7
2007	101.7	105.5	106.7	104.7	106.8
2008	102.4	106.4	108.0	105.7	107.8
2009	103.6	107.0	108.9	106.8	108.7
2010	105.2	107.7	109.6	108.0	109.6
2011	107.0	108.5	110.5	108.9	110.5
2012	109.9	109.2	111.3	110.2	111.4
2013	113.3	110.1	112.4	111.3	112.2
2014	116.0	111.0	113.4	112.1	113.1
2015	118.8	111.7	114.5	112.7	114.1
2016	119.1	112.6	115.7	113.9	115.0
2017	119.4	113.6	117.1	115.1	115.8
2018	120.2	114.5	118.0	115.8	116.4
2019	121.0	115.3	119.0	116.8	117.0
2020	121.4	115.7	120.3	117.5	117.5
2021	121.2	115.8	122.4	118.6	117.7
2022	121.5	116.1	124.1	120.3	118.4
2023	122.6	116.6	125.1	121.4	119.3
2024	123.6	117.5	125.9	122.7	120.5
2025	124.5	118.2	126.7	123.7	121.1

Since 2020: births and arrivals from abroad, not other states

The estimate for July 2021 (777,977) was lower than the one for July 2020, the only year-on-year fall since the boom began. Growth resumed after that. Over the whole period from April 2020 to June 2025, births exceeded deaths by 13,465 and net international migration added 13,088, while more people left for other states than arrived from them: net domestic migration was −6,050¹.

The domestic losses were concentrated in the first two years (−3,878 in the year to June 2021 and −2,744 in the year to June 2022). Since then the net flow between North Dakota and the other states has been close to zero in both directions: 930, then −423, then 512 in the year to June 2025. Arrivals from abroad rose from 453 in the year to June 2021 to 4,083 in the year to June 2024 and fell back to 2,810¹ in the latest year.

Natural increase is the steadier engine. North Dakota recorded 9,760 births and 7,130 deaths in the year to June 2025. Per resident, its birth rate of 12.3 per 1,000 residents was the 3rd highest of any state, and its rate of natural increase, 3.3 per 1,000 residents, was the 7th highest, higher than every bordering state (Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota)¹.

Minnesota is both the largest source of people moving to North Dakota and the largest destination of those leaving. In the 2024 survey an estimated 7,088 people moved from Minnesota to North Dakota and 6,171 moved the other way; the inflow from Minnesota was statistically larger than the flow from Kansas, and the outflow statistically larger than the flow to South Dakota. Fewer people moved out of North Dakota than out of almost any state, 19,530 in 2024, the 3rd lowest¹² number.

What percent of North Dakota is white, Native American, Black or Hispanic

Non-Hispanic white residents were 78.9% of the population in the 2025 American Community Survey (±0.2 percentage points), 23.9 percentage points above the US figure (55.0%). The 2025 figure is down from 80.3% in 2024². The Census Bureau's population estimates, built with a different method, put the share at 79.7% in July 2025, down from 82.3% in 2020¹³.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic78.9% 87.4%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)5.4%

Two or more races, not Hispanic4.8%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic4.4% 7.4%

Black, not Hispanic3.6% 5.2%

Asian, not Hispanic2.1% 2.9%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.5%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.3% 0.4%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	78.9%	±0.2	87.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5.4%	±0.2	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.8%	±0.6	–
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	4.4%	±0.4	7.4%
Black, not Hispanic	3.6%	±0.4	5.2%
Asian, not Hispanic	2.1%	±0.3	2.9%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.5%	±0.1	–
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.3%	±0.2	0.4%

American Indians are a larger share of the population than in all but a few states. The July 2025 estimates put American Indian and Alaska Native residents at 5.4% of the population, 3.4 percentage points above the US figure (2.1%) and the 7th highest¹³ share in the country; counting people who also reported another race, the 2025 survey share was 7.4%¹⁵. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 5.4% in 2025, up from 5.0% in 2024². Mexican origin is the largest Hispanic group, at 2.8%¹⁶ of all residents over 2020–2024.

The Black population has grown faster than the state as a whole. Black residents (alone, any ethnicity) rose from 3.6% of the population in 2020 to 4.2% in July 2025, a share higher than Montana and South Dakota; lower than Minnesota. Asian residents were 2.1%¹³; over 2020–2024 the largest Asian group was Filipino (3,319 people), followed by Asian Indian and Korean¹⁷ residents. Measured by the diversity index (the probability that two residents chosen at random differ by race or ethnicity), North Dakota scores 36.9, 42% below the US figure (63.5)¹⁸.

Turtle Mountain, Fort Berthold, Standing Rock and Spirit Lake

The 2020 Census recorded 33,993 people in North Dakota who were American Indian and no other race, and 47,772 who were American Indian alone or in combination. The largest single tribe was the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, with 11,504 people alone or in combination, followed by the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Ft. Berthold Reservation, North Dakota (5,347). The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (3,852) and the Spirit Lake Tribe (3,683¹⁹) follow. Generic answers such as "Chippewa" or "Sioux" are counted apart from specific tribes, and people can report more than one, so the rows do not add up.

The most Norwegian state, and the second most German

Ancestry is a self-reported answer about heritage, collected in the five-year survey. Over 2020–2024, 158,982 North Dakotans (20.3%) reported Norwegian ancestry, the highest share of any state; Minnesota is next at 12.1%. German is still the most common ancestry, reported by 271,059 people (34.5%), the 2nd highest share in the country. Russian ancestry (2.1%²⁰) appears in the state's top ten as well.

Newer arrivals look different. The foreign-born population was 48,267 in 2025, 6.0% of residents, 8.7 percentage points below the US figure (14.7%). Africa was the birthplace of 35.8% of them (±8.5 percentage points), 29.9 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%) and up from 22.3% in 2024; Latin America accounted for 16.4%, 33.9 percentage points below the US figure (50.3%)²¹. The margins are wide because the group is small, but the gap with the US pattern is statistically significant. Languages show the same mix: after Spanish and German, the most common languages spoken at home over 2020–2024 included Tagalog (incl. Filipino), the group of West African languages that includes Yoruba, Twi and Igbo (2,351 speakers), Arabic, and Swahili and related languages (1,722²²). Altogether 7.9% of residents aged 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, 10th lowest²³ among the states.

More men than women

North Dakota had 104.9 males for every 100 females on July 1, 2025, the 2nd highest ratio in the country after Alaska (108.7) and higher than every bordering state (Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota). The national ratio is below 100; North Dakota's is 9% above the US figure (96.4)¹³. The 2025 survey gives the same picture with its own margins: 407,688 males and 391,670²⁴ females, a ratio of 104.1 that ranks between 2nd and 3rd²⁵.

Alaska108.7

North Dakota104.9

Wyoming102.8

South Dakota101.8

Utah101.4

Colorado100.9

Montana100.9

Idaho100.4

United States96.4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Period: July 1, 2025.

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State	Males per 100 females
Alaska	108.7
North Dakota	104.9
Wyoming	102.8
South Dakota	101.8
Utah	101.4
Colorado	100.9
Montana	100.9
Idaho	100.4
United States	96.4

The median age of men was 36.5 years in 2025 and that of women 38.4 years³, both below the national medians.

Younger than the US, and aging again

The median age was 37.4 years in 2025 (±0.5 years), 2.1 years below the US figure (39.5 years) and younger than every bordering state (Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota). Ranked from the oldest, North Dakota is between 44th and 48th³ on the survey's margins of error.

The direction has changed. The survey's median age fell from 37.0 years in 2008 to 34.9 years in 2015, the same years as the fastest population growth, and has risen since, to 37.4 years²⁶ in 2025.

North DakotaUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	North Dakota	United States
2006	37.1 ±0.4	36.4 ±0.2
2007	37.1 ±0.3	36.7 ±0.1
2008	37.0 ±0.4	36.9 ±0.1
2009	37.0 ±0.3	36.8 ±0.1
2010	37.4 ±0.3	37.2 ±0.1
2011	36.6 ±0.3	37.3 ±0.1
2012	36.2 ±0.3	37.4 ±0.1
2013	35.5 ±0.2	37.5 ±0.1
2014	35.1 ±0.2	37.7 ±0.1
2015	34.9 ±0.3	37.8 ±0.1
2016	35.0 ±0.3	37.9 ±0.1
2017	35.4 ±0.3	38.1 ±0.1
2018	35.4 ±0.3	38.2 ±0.2
2019	35.5 ±0.3	38.5 ±0.1
2021	35.8 ±0.4	38.8 ±0.1
2022	36.2 ±0.3	39.0 ±0.1
2023	36.3 ±0.3	39.2 ±0.1
2024	36.7 ±0.4	39.2 ±0.1
2025	37.4 ±0.5	39.5 ±0.1

Young children are still common. Children under 5 were 6.1% of the population in July 2025, tied for 3rd highest among the states, though down from 6.8% in 2020. The total fertility rate in 2024 was 1.81 births per woman, the 4th highest in the country and 13% above the US figure (1.60)²⁷. At the other end, residents 65 and older were 17.9%, up from 15.9% in 2020 and lower than every bordering state (Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota)¹³.

Few people, spread thin

With 11.6 people per square mile in 2025, North Dakota is the 4th least densely populated state, denser than Montana; less dense than Minnesota and South Dakota²⁸. Its land area of 68,994 square miles is the 17th largest²⁹. The 2020 Census classified 39.0% of residents as rural, 19.0 percentage points above the US figure (20.0%)³⁰.

Middle incomes, low prices, the lowest rent burden

Half of North Dakota households had income above $81,545 in 2025 (±$2,073), $3,235 (4%) below the US figure ($84,780); given the margins, the state ranks between 22nd and 33rd⁴. Two other measures put it higher. Personal income per person, adjusted by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for state price levels, was $65,271 in 2024, 7th highest and $6,076 (10%) above the US figure ($59,195)³¹. Output per person (GDP per capita) was $103,020 in 2025, 8th highest³².

The price adjustment matters here because prices are low. The overall price level in 2024 was 89.0 (US = 100), 11% below the US figure (100.0), and prices for services other than housing and utilities were the least expensive in the nation (91.2³¹).

Poverty fell in 2025. The official rate was 9.0% (±0.9 percentage points), down from 11.1% in 2024 and 2.8 percentage points below the US figure (11.8%). Child poverty fell more steeply, to 7.5%, down from 12.8% in 2024, tied for lowest⁵ among the states. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which counts benefits and taxes and adjusts for local housing costs, gives 8.9%³⁶ on average over 2023 to 2025. Use of public assistance is low: 6.9% of residents received SNAP food benefits in an average month of FY2025, 5.4 percentage points below the US figure (12.3%)³⁷.

Rent is where North Dakota stands furthest from every other state. Median gross rent was $1,071 in 2025, $486 (31%) below the US figure ($1,557)³³, and only 34.7% of renters spent 30 percent or more of their income on housing, the lowest in the nation. The next-lowest state, Wyoming, was at 41.8%; the US figure is 51.8%³⁴.

United States51.8% ±0.2

Oklahoma45.7% ±1.3

Wisconsin45.7% ±1.3

Missouri45.4% ±1.5

Arkansas45.0% ±2.6

South Dakota44.9% ±3.4

Nebraska44.7% ±2.4

Alaska43.2% ±4.3

Kansas42.7% ±2.0

Wyoming41.8% ±4.6

North Dakota34.7% ±3.5

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B25070. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

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State	Renters spending 30% or more of income on housing	MOE
United States	51.8%	±0.2
Oklahoma	45.7%	±1.3
Wisconsin	45.7%	±1.3
Missouri	45.4%	±1.5
Arkansas	45.0%	±2.6
South Dakota	44.9%	±3.4
Nebraska	44.7%	±2.4
Alaska	43.2%	±4.3
Kansas	42.7%	±2.0
Wyoming	41.8%	±4.6
North Dakota	34.7%	±3.5

Renting is also more common than in most states: 61.8% of households own their home, 5th lowest³⁸. The housing stock is young, with 23.8% of homes built in 2010 or later, 8.9 percentage points above the US figure (14.9%)³⁹. The median owner-occupied home was worth $281,700, $89,400 (24%) below the US figure ($371,100)³⁵.

Catholic and Lutheran, in almost equal measure

North Dakota has the highest Mainline Protestant share of any state. In the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, Mainline churches counted 21.0% of residents, most of it in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (18.1%, in 367 congregations). Catholic parishes counted almost exactly the same share, 21.2%, the 13th highest⁴⁰ among the states.

Christian congregations together counted 54.9% of North Dakotans, the 8th highest share. The overall rate was 55.0%, down from 67.1% in 2010⁴⁰; the 2010 and 2020 studies did not cover the same bodies, so the size of the fall is uncertain. The lists come from congregations, not from residents (about the source).

Associate's degrees ahead of every other state

Among adults 25 and older, 14.4% hold an associate's degree as their highest degree, the highest share of any state and 5.5 percentage points above the US figure (8.9%); given the margins it ranks between 1st and 2nd, alongside South Dakota. High school completion is also above the national level, at 94.2%. Four-year and graduate degrees are less common: 34.3% hold a bachelor's degree or higher (3.1 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%)) and 10.5%⁴¹ a graduate or professional degree.

North Dakota14.4% ±1.0

South Dakota13.2% ±0.8

Minnesota11.8% ±0.3

Montana9.6% ±0.5

United States8.9%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B15003. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error. Period: 2025.

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State	Associate's degree	MOE
North Dakota	14.4%	±1.0
South Dakota	13.2%	±0.8
Minnesota	11.8%	±0.3
Montana	9.6%	±0.5
United States	8.9%

Small households, and grandparents who raise grandchildren

North Dakota's 352,013 households averaged 2.18 people in 2025, the 3rd smallest in the country and smaller than every bordering state (Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota)⁴³. People living alone make up 33.5% of households, the 2nd highest share, and family households are 58.2% of the total, 2nd lowest⁴². Yet more residents are currently married than nationally: 51.7% of people 15 and older, 2.3 percentage points above the US figure (49.4%)⁴⁴.

One family measure stands far from the rest. Of grandparents who live with their grandchildren, 66.6% are responsible for those grandchildren's basic needs, 36.6 percentage points above the US figure (30.0%) and the highest share in the country, ranking between 1st and 2nd with South Dakota⁴⁵.

Work, commuting, health and veterans

The share of adults in the labor force was 69.7% in 2025, 3rd highest after the District of Columbia and Nebraska. The unemployment rate was 2.2% in September 2026, 2nd lowest⁴⁶. Commutes are short and rarely from home: the average trip to work took 18.1 minutes, 9.3 minutes below the US figure (27.4 minutes)⁴⁷, and 6.3% of workers worked from home, the lowest⁴⁸ share of any state.

Life expectancy at birth was 77.9 years in 2022, 0.4 years above the US figure (77.5 years) and longer than Montana and South Dakota; shorter than Minnesota⁵¹. The share of residents without health insurance rose to 8.0% in 2025, up from 6.1% in 2024, and is now not statistically different from the US figure (8.4%)⁴⁹. Public coverage is less common than almost anywhere: 26.9% of residents had Medicare, Medicaid, VA or other public coverage, 3rd lowest⁵⁰.

The state's 39,118 veterans make up 6.4% of civilian adults, not statistically different from the US figure (5.9%)⁵². A larger share of them served after September 2001 (37.9%⁵³) than among veterans nationally.