State profile

North Dakota

Population, economy, housing, and demographics · ACS 2020–2024

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At a glance

Total population
784,841
Median household income
$76,657
People below poverty
10.8%
Median home value
$249,900

Census Insights

  • North Dakota had 784,841 residents and 331,063 households, the 5th lowest population and household count among states.
  • The state had a relatively young population, with 23.5% of residents under 18 and 14.2% aged 25 to 34, both the 9th highest shares among states.
  • Educational attainment was relatively high, as 94% of people had a high school diploma or higher, the 6th highest share among states.
  • The employment rate stood out at 65.5%, the 4th highest among states.
  • Financial pressure eased over the last decade, as the poverty rate decreased by 9.2% while median household income increased by 3.9%.
  • Housing costs were relatively low, with median gross rent at $954 per month, the 5th lowest among states, while the homeownership rate was 62.9%, the 7th lowest.
  • The housing supply grew over the last decade, with the number of housing units increasing from 332,010 to 377,281.
  • Working from home became more common, rising from 4.4% to 8.1% over the 5-year period.

Income

The median income of households in North Dakota was $76,657. An estimated 4.6% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 9.6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.6
$10,000 to $14,999 3.2
$15,000 to $24,999 6.5
$25,000 to $34,999 7.1
$35,000 to $49,999 10.8
$50,000 to $74,999 16.6
$75,000 to $99,999 13.9
$100,000 to $149,999 18.6
$150,000 to $199,999 9
$200,000 or more 9.6

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 65568
Female 51952

An estimated 80.3% of households received earnings. An estimated 27.9% of households received Social Security and an estimated 19.7 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,520. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 80.3
Social Security 27.9
Retirement income 19.7
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3.4
Cash public assistance income 2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 10.8 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 11.1% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 9.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 10.8
Children under 18 years below poverty 11.1
People 65 years old and over below poverty 9.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.9

In 2020-2024, 6.6 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 45.2% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 31.4% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 29.7% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in North Dakota in 2020-2024, 93.5% had health insurance coverage and 6.5% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 78.6% and public coverage was 28.7%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 5.9%.


In 2020-2024, North Dakota had a total population of 784,841 - 382,719 (48.8%) females and 402,122 (51.2%) males. The median age was 35.9 years. An estimated 23.5% of the population was under 18 years, 35.3% was 19 to 44 years, 21.5% was 45 to 64 years, and 16.5 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for North Dakota in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 25233 24439
5 to 9 27562 24443
10 to 14 26608 26476
15 to 19 27806 26749
20 to 24 33162 28958
25 to 29 29483 26026
30 to 34 29822 26227
35 to 39 28292 26011
40 to 44 26466 22487
45 to 49 20782 18389
50 to 54 20779 18969
55 to 59 20968 20964
60 to 64 24559 23327
65 to 69 21120 20816
70 to 74 16445 16776
75 to 79 10327 11761
80 to 84 6606 8712
85 and over 6102 11189

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 83% were White; 3.4% were Black or African American; 4.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.7% were Asian; 1.9% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5.9% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 4.7% of the people in North Dakota were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 81.7% of the people in North Dakota were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 331,063 households in North Dakota. The average household size was 2.28 people.

Married-couple households made up 45.8% of the households in North Dakota while cohabiting couple households made up 7.3% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 23.3% of all households, while 23.6% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 18.7% of households were male householders living alone, and 16% were female householders living alone, for a total of 34.7% of all households.

In North Dakota, 27.4% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 27.6% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 45.8
Cohabiting Couples 7.3
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
23.6
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
23.3

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 49.5% of males and 51% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 38.1 28.9
Now married, except separated 49.5 51
Separated 0.8 0.9
Widowed 2.6 8.4
Divorced 9 10.8

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In North Dakota, 6,973 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 54.1% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 95.3% of the people living in North Dakota were U.S. natives. 61.4% of the North Dakota population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 4.7% of North Dakota residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 41.4% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 42.7 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of North Dakota come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for North Dakota.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 18.7
Asia 31.2
Europe 9.4
Africa 32.1
Northern America 7.8
Oceania 0.9

Language

Among people at least five years old living in North Dakota in 2020-2024, 6.7 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.3% of people at least five years old; 2.1% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.3
Other Indo-European languages 2
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1
Other languages 1.4

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 84.2 % of the people at least one year old living in North Dakota were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 84.2
Different house, same county 7.7
Different county, same state 3.3
Different state 4.2
Abroad 0.6

Education

In 2020-2024, 94 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 32.7% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 5.9% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in North Dakota was 198,150 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 9,719 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 128,877. College or graduate school enrollment was 59,554.

Educational Attainment of People in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 5.9
High school diploma or equivalency 25.5
Some college, no degree 21.8
Associate's degree 14
Bachelor's degree 23
Graduate or professional degree 9.7

Disability

In North Dakota, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 12 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.5% of people under 18 years old, to 10.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 30.7% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In North Dakota, 65.5 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 31.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 74.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 17.3% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.5 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 304,479 74.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 70,331 17.3
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 30,634 7.5

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in North Dakota worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 8
Construction 7.1
Manufacturing 7.4
Wholesale trade 2.8
Retail trade 11.3
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.9
Information 1.4
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.8
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 25.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 7.8
Other Services, except public administration 4.7
Public administration 4.7

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in North Dakota in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 165,197 40.7
Service occupations 66,760 16.4
Sales and office occupations 77,711 19.1
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 44,486 11
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 52,102 12.8

Commuting to Work

An estimated 77.9% of North Dakota workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 17.9 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 77.9
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.3
Walked 3.2
Other means 1.5
Worked from home 8.1

In 2020-2024, North Dakota had a total of 377,281 housing units. Of these housing units, 63% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 30.2% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 6.6% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 63
Apartments in multi-unit structures 30.2
Mobile homes 6.6
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

20.3% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 11.5% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in North Dakota was 5.7 rooms, and of these housing units 59.4% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, North Dakota had 331,063 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 46,218 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 62.9% while renters occupied 37.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.5 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.91.

5.5% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 9.8% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 5.9% and another 26.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in North Dakota:

House Heating Fuel Used in North Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 54.8
Electricity 40
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 1.9
All other fuels 2
No fuel used 1.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in North Dakota was $249,900.

Of the owner-occupied households, 52.3 % had a mortgage. 47.7% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,762 and for owners without a mortgage it was $590.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for North Dakota was $954. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.