The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Ward County is a county of North Dakota with 68,973 residents. Its economy produced $5,094 million in 2024 (ranked #5 of 53 counties) and had 31,358 jobs with an average annual pay of $60,491 (#15 for pay). The unemployment rate was 1.7% in 2026M09. It is part of the Minot, ND metropolitan area (central county).
Ward County produced about $5,094 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 6.4% of the combined output of the 53 counties of North Dakota that BEA reports (about 8.8% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 5th of 53 on that measure. Per resident that is $73,850, 28% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $102,006. In current dollars output grew 3.4% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (5th) and its output-per-resident rank (38th) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 31,358 jobs located in Ward County on average in 2024, spread over 2,723 employer sites (about 12 jobs per site). That is 0.45 jobs for every resident, above 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 $60,491, 8% below the average of all counties in the state ($60,491 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 rose 0.8% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (18.9% of private jobs, $69,827 a year on average), retail trade (17.9% of private jobs, $38,526 a year on average), accommodation and food services (13.0% of private jobs, $23,156 a year on average). Together they hold 49.8% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is mining, oil and gas at $134,980 a year, followed by professional and technical services ($85,943). The county is specialised in several industries: mining, oil and gas (12.8 times the US share, 1,513 jobs); retail trade (1.5 times the US share, 4,648 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($38,526), accommodation and food services ($23,156). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Ward County was 1.7%, 6% below the average of the state's counties (1.7% against 1.8%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 36,423. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 1.7% (2026M09) to 3.2% (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 $78,238 (ACS 2020–2024), about the same as the state median ($78,238 against $76,657). The guide covers 2 cities with this as the main county: Minot, Minot AFB. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $973 in Minot to $1,431 in Minot AFB, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Ward County in output are Williams County, Grand Forks County, McKenzie County, Stark County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 53 counties of North Dakota ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 68,973 | 4 of 53 |
| GDP 2024 | $5,094 million | 5 of 53 |
| GDP per resident | $73,850 | 38 of 53 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 31,358 | 4 of 53 |
| Average annual pay | $60,491 | 15 of 53 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.8% | 29 of 53 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 1.7% | 17 of 53 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | 18 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.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Ward County.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 4,890 | 18.9% | $69,827 | 1.09 |
| Retail trade | 4,648 | 17.9% | $38,526 | 1.48 |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,367 | 13.0% | $23,156 | 1.18 |
| Construction | 2,031 | 7.8% | $70,163 | 1.23 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,681 | 6.5% | $85,349 | 1.36 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 1,513 | 5.8% | $134,980 | 12.76 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,187 | 4.6% | $66,779 | 0.89 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,082 | 4.2% | $54,226 | 1.15 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,047 | 4.0% | $85,164 | 0.82 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,034 | 4.0% | $47,650 | 0.56 |
| Professional and technical services | 966 | 3.7% | $85,943 | 0.44 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 617 | 2.4% | $20,259 | 1.17 |
| Manufacturing | 463 | 1.8% | $54,423 | 0.18 |
| Real estate and rental | 397 | 1.5% | $59,652 | 0.82 |
| Information | 381 | 1.5% | $70,805 | 0.65 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 178 | 0.7% | $65,129 | 0.70 |
| Educational services | 166 | 0.6% | $22,461 | 0.26 |
| Management of companies | 141 | 0.5% | $104,963 | 0.27 |
| Utilities | 133 | 0.5% | $136,145 | 1.12 |
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 | 36,423 |
| Employed residents | 35,794 |
| Unemployed residents | 629 |
| Unemployment rate | 1.7% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 31,358 |
| Employer sites | 2,723 |
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% |
68,973 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$5,094 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
1.7% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
31,358 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $60,491 (BLS QCEW).