Ward County, North Dakota

Ward County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 69,919,^[1] and was estimated to be 68,427 in 2024.^[2] making it the fourth-most populous county in North Dakota. The county seat and the largest city is Minot.^[3]

Ward County
County
Ward County Administration Building
Seal Logo
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48.216686°N 101.540537°W / 48.216686; -101.540537
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	April 14, 1885 (created) November 23, 1885 (organized)
Named after	Mark Ward
Seat	Minot
Largest city	Minot
Area
• Total	2,055.980 sq mi (5,324.96 km2)
• Land	2,013.029 sq mi (5,213.72 km2)
• Water	42.951 sq mi (111.24 km2)  2.09%
Population  (2020)
• Total	69,919
• Estimate  (2024)	68,427
• Density	33.981/sq mi (13.120/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	701
Congressional district	At-large
Website	co.ward.nd.us

Ward County is part of the Minot, North Dakota metropolitan area as comprising all of McHenry, Renville, and Ward Counties.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on April 14, 1885, with areas partitioned from Renville, Stevens, and Wynn counties (Stevens and Wynn counties are now defunct). The county government was not organized on that date; the organization began on November 23, 1885. The county was named for Mark Ward, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Counties during the session. Burlington was the county seat and that was changed to Minot in 1888.^[4]

The boundaries of Ward County were altered two times in 1887, and in 1892, 1909 and 1910. The present county boundaries have been in place since 1910.^[5]

Until 1908, Ward County included what are now Burke, Mountrail, and Renville counties; the landmass often being referred to as 'Imperial Ward' County and which was the largest county in the state at the time. In 1908, voters took up measures to partition the county. The results for that portion forming Mountrail County were accepted but the results for the portions which would become Burke and Renville counties were disputed in court, which resulted in favorable rulings in 1910.^[6] When the proposed county lines for Burke and Renville counties were drawn, neither group wanted to include Kenmare and risk that city's becoming the county seat, so Kenmare was left in Ward County at the end of a narrow strip of land, commonly referred to as the 'gooseneck'.^[7] One of the options reportedly considered around this time was to create a fifth county, Lake, with Kenmare as its seat.

Geography

The Des Lacs River flows southeasterly through the northeast part of the county before doubling to the northeast on its journey to Lake Winnipeg. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with ponds and lakes in its southern part, and carved by drainage gullies. The area is largely devoted to agriculture.^[8] The terrain slopes to the east and north, with its highest point near the southwest corner, at 2,175 ft (663 m) ASL.^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,055.980 square miles (5,324.96 km²), of which 2,013.029 square miles (5,213.72 km²) is land and 42.951 square miles (111.24 km²) (2.09%) is water.^[10] It is the fifth-largest county in North Dakota by total area.^[11]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 2
• U.S. Highway 52
• U.S. Highway 83
• North Dakota Highway 5
• North Dakota Highway 23
• North Dakota Highway 28
• North Dakota Highway 50

Transit

• Amtrak Empire Builder (Minot station)
• Minot City Transit
• Souris Basin Transportation

Adjacent counties

• Renville County – north
• McHenry County – east
• McLean County – south
• Mountrail County – west
• Burke County – northwest

Protected areas

• Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Hiddenwood National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• National Wildfowl Production Areas^[8]
• Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Lakes^[8]

• Carpenter Lake
• Douglas Lake (part)
• Hiddenwood Lake (part)
• Makoti Lake
• Rice Lake
• Rush Lake

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	1,681		—
1900	7,961		373.6%
1910	25,221		216.8%
1920	28,811		14.2%
1930	33,597		16.6%
1940	31,981		−4.8%
1950	34,782		8.8%
1960	47,072		35.3%
1970	58,560		24.4%
1980	58,392		−0.3%
1990	57,921		−0.8%
2000	58,975		1.8%
2010	61,675		4.6%
2020	69,919		13.4%
2024 (est.)	68,427	[12]	−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15] 1990–2000[16] 2010–2020[2]

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Ward County was $266,796.^[17] As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 28,290 estimated households in Ward County with an average of 2.38 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $79,273. Approximately 7.4% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Ward County has an estimated 64.5% employment rate, with 29.7% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 95.1% holding a high school diploma.^[2] The median age in the county was 34.4 years.

Ward County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic)	Pop. 1980[18]	Pop. 1990[19]	Pop. 2000[20]	Pop. 2010[21]	Pop. 2020[22]
White alone (NH)	55,380 (94.84%)	54,131 (93.46%)	53,786 (91.48%)	54,717 (88.72%)	55,673 (79.62%)
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,074 (1.84%)	1,385 (2.39%)	1,262 (2.15%)	1,469 (2.38%)	2,853 (4.08%)
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	667 (1.14%)	946 (1.63%)	1,180 (2.01%)	1,533 (2.49%)	1,570 (2.25%)
Asian alone (NH)	330 (0.57%)	566 (0.98%)	474 (0.81%)	550 (0.89%)	1,087 (1.55%)
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	—	—	29 (0.05%)	76 (0.12%)	129 (0.18%)
Other race alone (NH)	185 (0.32%)	36 (0.06%)	41 (0.07%)	34 (0.06%)	250 (0.36%)
Mixed race or multiracial (NH)	—	—	898 (1.53%)	1,427 (2.31%)	3,767 (5.39%)
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	756 (1.29%)	857 (1.48%)	1,125 (1.91%)	1,869 (3.03%)	4,590 (6.56%)
Total	58,392 (100.00%)	57,921 (100.00%)	58,975 (100.00%)	61,675 (100.00%)	69,919 (100.00%)

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 68,427 people and 28,290 households residing in the county. There were 32,731 housing units at an average density of 16.26 per square mile (6.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.9% White (80.9% NH White), 4.8% African American, 2.8% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.4% of the population.^[23]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 69,919 people, 28,847 households, and 17,323 families residing in the county.^[24] The population density was 34.7 inhabitants per square mile (13.4/km²). There were 32,176 housing units at an average density of 15.98 per square mile (6.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.58% White, 4.33% African American, 2.44% Native American, 1.60% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 1.97% from some other races and 7.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.56% of the population.^[25]

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 61,675 people, 25,029 households, and 15,597 families residing in the county. The population density was 30.6 inhabitants per square mile (11.8/km²). There were 26,744 housing units at an average density of 13.28 per square mile (5.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.35% White, 2.50% African American, 2.64% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from some other races and 2.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.03% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 44.4% were German, 30.8% were Norwegian, 11.6% were Irish, 5.7% were English, and 2.3% were American.

There were 25,029 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.7% were non-families, and 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 32.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,793 and the median income for a family was $60,361. Males had a median income of $37,569 versus $28,415 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,326. About 6.7% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

• Berthold
• Burlington
• Carpio
• Des Lacs
• Donnybrook
• Douglas
• Kenmare
• Makoti
• Minot (county seat)
• Ryder
• Sawyer
• Surrey

Census-designated places

• Foxholm
• Logan
• Minot AFB
• Ruthville

Unincorporated communities^[8]

• Aurelia – (ghost town)
• Drady
• Gassman – founded when the Gassman Creek Coulee trestle was being built, now referred to as "Trestle Valley"
• Hartland – (ghost town)
• Hesnault
• Lonetree
• Rice Lake – community at Rice Lake near Minot
• South Prairie
• Wolseth

Historical areas^[8]

• Harrison – early community, now part of Minot
• Ralston – railroad siding
• Waldorf – early community, now part of Minot

Townships

• Afton
• Anna Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Anna
• Baden Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Baden
• Berthold Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Berthold
• Brillian Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Brillian
• Burlington Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Burlington
• Burt Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Burt
• Cameron Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Cameron
• Carbondale Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Carbondale
• Carpio Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Carpio
• Denmark Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Denmark
• Des Lacs Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Des Lacs
• Elmdale Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Elmdale
• Eureka Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Eureka
• Evergreen Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Evergreen
• Foxholm Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Foxholm
• Freedom Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Freedom
• Gasman Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Gasman
• Greely Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Greely
• Greenbush Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Greenbush
• Harrison Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Harrison
• Hiddenwood Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Hiddenwood
• Hilton Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Hilton
• Iota Flat Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Iota Flat
• Kenmare Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Kenmare
• Kirkelie Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Kirkelie
• Linton Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Linton
• Lund Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Lund
• Mandan Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Mandan
• Margaret Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Margaret
• Maryland Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Maryland
• Mayland Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Mayland
• McKinley Township, Ward County, North Dakota|McKinley
• Nedrose Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Nedrose
• New Prairie Township, Ward County, North Dakota|New Prairie
• Newman Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Newman
• Orlien Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Orlien
• Passport Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Passport
• Ree Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Ree
• Rice Lake
• Rolling Green Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Rolling Green
• Rushville Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Rushville
• Ryder Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Ryder
• Saint Marys Township, Ward County, North Dakota|St. Marys
• Sauk Prairie Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Sauk Prairie
• Sawyer Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Sawyer
• Shealy Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Shealy
• Spencer Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Spencer
• Spring Lake Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Spring Lake
• Sundre Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Sundre
• Surrey Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Surrey
• Tatman Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Tatman
• Tolgen Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Tolgen
• Torning Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Torning
• Vang Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Vang
• Waterford Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Waterford
• Willis Township, Ward County, North Dakota|Willis

Politics

Ward County voters are traditionally and increasingly Republican. The Democratic Party presidential candidate has only won the county once since 1944, during Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide victory in 1964. In 2024, Donald Trump received 72.3% of the vote in this county, the highest for any candidate since Theodore Roosevelt.

United States presidential election results for Ward County, North Dakota^[26][27]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	20,635	72.27%	7,215	25.27%	702	2.46%
2020	19,974	70.71%	7,293	25.82%	979	3.47%
2016	18,636	67.98%	5,806	21.18%	2,970	10.83%
2012	16,230	63.74%	8,441	33.15%	792	3.11%
2008	15,061	58.45%	10,144	39.37%	563	2.18%
2004	17,008	66.41%	8,236	32.16%	368	1.44%
2000	13,997	62.26%	7,533	33.51%	952	4.23%
1996	10,546	48.01%	8,660	39.43%	2,758	12.56%
1992	12,056	46.63%	7,856	30.39%	5,940	22.98%
1988	13,179	56.74%	9,906	42.65%	143	0.62%
1984	16,077	68.06%	7,336	31.05%	210	0.89%
1980	14,997	67.59%	5,554	25.03%	1,638	7.38%
1976	12,751	56.12%	9,484	41.74%	486	2.14%
1972	13,900	66.61%	6,706	32.14%	262	1.26%
1968	9,079	53.11%	7,105	41.56%	911	5.33%
1964	6,798	38.33%	10,871	61.30%	66	0.37%
1960	9,680	54.83%	7,954	45.06%	19	0.11%
1956	9,042	60.96%	5,762	38.85%	28	0.19%
1952	10,130	66.60%	4,966	32.65%	115	0.76%
1948	5,514	48.64%	5,189	45.77%	634	5.59%
1944	5,514	48.30%	5,822	50.99%	81	0.71%
1940	6,519	45.61%	7,669	53.66%	105	0.73%
1936	3,142	22.36%	8,872	63.12%	2,041	14.52%
1932	4,195	33.23%	8,129	64.38%	302	2.39%
1928	6,561	59.72%	4,362	39.71%	63	0.57%
1924	4,166	47.99%	721	8.31%	3,794	43.70%
1920	6,166	67.41%	2,291	25.05%	690	7.54%
1916	1,743	35.43%	2,791	56.74%	385	7.83%
1912	686	19.59%	1,071	30.58%	1,745	49.83%
1908	5,286	57.39%	3,163	34.34%	761	8.26%
1904	4,349	78.15%	914	16.42%	302	5.43%
1900	880	68.06%	364	28.15%	49	3.79%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ward County, North Dakota