35 cities
| City | Rank | 2026 Pop. ↓ | 2020 Pop. | Annual Change | Density | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakota | 1 | 690 | 680 | 0.29% | 691 | 1 | City |
| McVille | 2 | 387 | 387 | 0% | 269 | 1 | City |
| Michigan City | 3 | 260 | 259 | 0% | 517 | 1 | City |
| Aneta | 4 | 234 | 236 | 0% | 235 | 1 | City |
| Petersburg | 5 | 158 | 160 | 0% | 154 | 1 | City |
| Tolna | 6 | 133 | 133 | 0% | 177 | 1 | City |
| Michigan | 7 | 119 | 115 | 1.71% | 3 | 36 | Township |
| Pekin | 8 | 75 | 74 | 0% | 296 | 0 | City |
| Dayton | 9 | 73 | 78 | -2.67% | 2 | 35 | Township |
| Dahlen | 10 | 57 | 57 | 0% | 2 | 36 | Township |
| Hamlin | 11 | 56 | 55 | 0% | 2 | 35 | Township |
| Lakota | 12 | 51 | 50 | 0% | 1 | 34 | Township |
| Ora | 13 | 47 | 47 | 0% | 1 | 34 | Township |
| Sarnia | 14 | 47 | 46 | 0% | 1 | 35 | Township |
| Petersburg | 15 | 46 | 46 | 0% | 1 | 46 | Township |
| Lee | 16 | 42 | 42 | 0% | 1 | 36 | Township |
| Dodds | 17 | 41 | 41 | 0% | 1 | 36 | Township |
| Osago | 18 | 41 | 41 | 0% | 1 | 35 | Township |
| Leval | 19 | 40 | 40 | 0% | 1 | 32 | Township |
| Melvin | 20 | 40 | 40 | 0% | 1 | 35 | Township |
| Nash | 21 | 39 | 39 | 0% | 1 | 36 | Township |
| Wamduska | 22 | 39 | 39 | 0% | 1 | 31 | Township |
| Michigan | 23 | 38 | 38 | 0% | 1 | 57 | Township |
| Bergen | 24 | 37 | 40 | -2.63% | 1 | 35 | Township |
| Nesheim | 25 | 36 | 36 | 0% | 1 | 36 | Township |
| Forde | 26 | 35 | 35 | 0% | 1 | 35 | Township |
| Field | 27 | 34 | 34 | 0% | 1 | 36 | Township |
| Williams | 28 | 34 | 34 | 0% | 1 | 36 | Township |
| Central | 29 | 32 | 32 | 0% | 1 | 35 | Township |
| Illinois | 30 | 32 | 32 | 0% | 1 | 35 | Township |
| Clara | 31 | 30 | 30 | 0% | 1 | 35 | Township |
| Enterprise | 32 | 26 | 26 | 0% | 1 | 35 | Township |
| Rubin | 33 | 26 | 26 | 0% | 1 | 34 | Township |
| Rugh | 34 | 26 | 26 | 0% | 1 | 36 | Township |
| Adler | 35 | 20 | 20 | 0% | 1 | 36 | Township |
Lakota is the largest city in Nelson County, with a population of 690.
Adler is the smallest city in Nelson County, with a population of 20.
There are 35 cities in Nelson County, North Dakota.