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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Benson County is a county of North Dakota with 5,808 residents. Its economy produced $366 million in 2024 (ranked #27 of 53 counties) and had 1,973 jobs with an average annual pay of $53,294 (#31 for pay). The unemployment rate was 2.1% in 2026M09.
Benson County produced about $366 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.5% of the combined output of the 53 counties of North Dakota that BEA reports (about 0.7% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 27th of 53 on that measure. Per resident that is $62,932, 38% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $102,006. In current dollars output grew -2.9% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (27th) and its output-per-resident rank (43rd) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 1,973 jobs located in Benson County on average in 2024, spread over 148 employer sites (about 13 jobs per site). That is 0.34 jobs for every resident, below the 0.39 of the typical county in North Dakota, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $53,294, 19% below the average of all counties in the state ($53,294 against $65,496). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs fell 0.1% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are wholesale trade (35.7% of private jobs, $85,100 a year on average), construction (31.7% of private jobs, $88,797 a year on average), health care and social assistance (23.1% of private jobs, $22,139 a year on average). Together they hold 90.5% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is construction at $88,797 a year, followed by wholesale trade ($85,100). Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: health care and social assistance ($22,139), retail trade ($19,845). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Benson County was 2.1%, 16% above the average of the state's counties (2.1% against 1.8%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 2,124. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.1% (2026M09) to 4.8% (2026M01); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $64,033 (ACS 2020–2024), 16% below the state median ($64,033 against $76,657). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Benson County in output are Wells County, Ransom County, LaMoure County, Oliver County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 53 counties of North Dakota ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,808 | 21 of 53 |
| GDP 2024 | $366 million | 27 of 53 |
| GDP per resident | $62,932 | 43 of 53 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 1,973 | 25 of 53 |
| Average annual pay | $53,294 | 31 of 53 |
| Job change vs 2023 | -0.1% | 39 of 53 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 2.1% | 41 of 53 |
| Median household income | $64,033 | 42 of 53 |
Federal jobs in North Dakota (255) →All cities of North DakotaState guide: North Dakota
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
None of the 30 largest places of North Dakota has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale trade | 116 | 35.7% | $85,100 | 1.49 |
| Construction | 103 | 31.7% | $88,797 | 0.99 |
| Health care and social assistance | 75 | 23.1% | $22,139 | 0.27 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 14 | 4.3% | $68,397 | 0.17 |
| Retail trade | 12 | 3.7% | $19,845 | 0.06 |
| Professional and technical services | 5 | 1.5% | $93,729 | 0.04 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 2,124 |
| Employed residents | 2,079 |
| Unemployed residents | 45 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.1% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 1,973 |
| Employer sites | 148 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 193,400 | $19,105 million | $98,784 | 128,033 | $66,805 | 1.8% |
| Burleigh County | 100,600 | $7,809 million | $77,629 | 58,033 | $63,464 | 1.7% |
| Grand Forks County | 72,923 | $5,920 million | $81,185 | 40,704 | $59,530 | 1.6% |
| Ward County | 68,973 | $5,094 million | $73,850 | 31,358 | $60,491 | 1.7% |
| Williams County | 39,555 | $7,473 million | $188,917 | 27,125 | $91,464 | 2.1% |
| Morton County | 33,777 | $1,977 million | $58,534 | 12,332 | $58,642 | 1.8% |
| Stark County | 33,302 | $3,605 million | $108,237 | 19,526 | $72,320 | 1.9% |
| Stutsman County | 21,549 | $1,938 million | $89,934 | 11,076 | $56,489 | 1.6% |
| Richland County | 16,584 | $1,478 million | $89,120 | 7,970 | $54,185 | 1.6% |
| McKenzie County | 14,321 | $4,355 million | $304,090 | 11,484 | $90,997 | 1.9% |
| Rolette County | 11,924 | $595 million | $49,900 | 4,591 | $52,347 | 2.9% |
| Ramsey County | 11,556 | $883 million | $76,410 | 5,587 | $50,822 | 1.5% |
| Barnes County | 10,773 | $853 million | $79,183 | 4,474 | $51,625 | 1.9% |
| Walsh County | 10,396 | $1,027 million | $98,790 | 4,790 | $57,220 | 2.0% |
| McLean County | 9,823 | $1,016 million | $103,460 | 3,404 | $68,874 | 1.8% |
| Mountrail County | 9,507 | $2,277 million | $239,496 | 5,341 | $77,655 | 2.0% |
| Mercer County | 8,337 | $1,185 million | $142,168 | 4,450 | $83,476 | 2.1% |
| Traill County | 7,970 | $634 million | $79,546 | 3,562 | $58,753 | 2.0% |
| Pembina County | 6,727 | $813 million | $120,911 | 3,284 | $58,468 | 2.7% |
| Bottineau County | 6,378 | $586 million | $91,901 | 2,491 | $52,666 | 1.6% |
| Benson County | 5,808 | $366 million | $62,932 | 1,973 | $53,294 | 2.1% |
| Ransom County | 5,643 | $387 million | $68,573 | 1,997 | $49,719 | 1.5% |
| McHenry County | 5,207 | $279 million | $53,523 | 1,298 | $55,382 | 2.5% |
| Dickey County | 4,935 | $519 million | $105,119 | 1,979 | $54,233 | 0.9% |
| LaMoure County | 4,118 | $341 million | $82,820 | 1,406 | $51,019 | 1.7% |
| Dunn County | 4,040 | $1,931 million | $478,094 | 2,076 | $85,812 | 2.5% |
| Pierce County | 3,928 | $267 million | $68,064 | 1,606 | $49,698 | 2.0% |
| Wells County | 3,890 | $444 million | $114,074 | 1,438 | $49,991 | 1.9% |
| Sargent County | 3,804 | $1,784 million | $468,853 | 2,762 | $63,818 | 1.8% |
| Sioux County | 3,740 | $151 million | $40,274 | 1,491 | $55,889 | 2.4% |
| Cavalier County | 3,633 | $589 million | $162,181 | 1,232 | $56,941 | 1.7% |
| Foster County | 3,358 | $309 million | $92,050 | 1,542 | $57,351 | 1.4% |
| Emmons County | 3,254 | $178 million | $54,571 | 943 | $51,172 | 2.5% |
| Nelson County | 3,016 | $234 million | $77,560 | 1,040 | $46,926 | 1.6% |
| Bowman County | 2,906 | $251 million | $86,213 | 1,344 | $55,095 | 1.5% |
| McIntosh County | 2,497 | $152 million | $61,035 | 998 | $46,427 | 1.4% |
| Hettinger County | 2,432 | $152 million | $62,520 | 673 | $49,717 | 1.7% |
| Kidder County | 2,377 | $189 million | $79,381 | 732 | $49,188 | 1.9% |
| Eddy County | 2,307 | $221 million | $95,824 | 711 | $41,146 | 1.7% |
| Renville County | 2,304 | $232 million | $100,726 | 678 | $51,585 | 1.6% |
| Grant County | 2,269 | $104 million | $46,050 | 661 | $50,022 | 1.7% |
| Griggs County | 2,245 | $204 million | $90,906 | 789 | $52,573 | 1.5% |
| Divide County | 2,167 | $273 million | $126,166 | 697 | $60,322 | 1.4% |
| Burke County | 2,156 | $293 million | $135,835 | 662 | $69,134 | 1.4% |
| Adams County | 2,145 | $169 million | $78,862 | 844 | $50,272 | 1.8% |
| Towner County | 2,079 | $287 million | $138,281 | 658 | $52,878 | 1.6% |
| Oliver County | 1,839 | $332 million | $180,746 | 706 | $91,626 | 2.8% |
| Logan County | 1,819 | $128 million | $70,596 | 638 | $40,546 | 1.7% |
| Steele County | 1,804 | $213 million | $118,090 | 536 | $62,000 | 2.3% |
| Golden Valley County | 1,653 | $118 million | $71,596 | 641 | $48,707 | 1.7% |
| Sheridan County | 1,303 | $68 million | $52,261 | 228 | $36,478 | 2.2% |
| Billings County | 1,024 | $224 million | $218,742 | 671 | $57,004 | 1.9% |
| Slope County | 766 | $45 million | $58,419 | 99 | $62,072 | 2.3% |
5,808 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$366 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
2.1% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
1,973 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $53,294 (BLS QCEW).