| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings County | 1 | 19.59% | 1,117 | 934 |
| Cass County | 2 | 11.7% | 206,521 | 184,897 |
| Renville County | 3 | 8.59% | 2,478 | 2,282 |
| Golden Valley County | 4 | 8.49% | 1,865 | 1,719 |
| Burleigh County | 5 | 7.88% | 106,353 | 98,589 |
| McKenzie County | 6 | 6.81% | 15,782 | 14,776 |
| Williams County | 7 | 6.05% | 43,681 | 41,189 |
| Stark County | 8 | 3.64% | 35,067 | 33,835 |
| Morton County | 9 | 3.5% | 34,488 | 33,322 |
| Grand Forks County | 10 | 2.44% | 74,917 | 73,132 |
| Eddy County | 11 | 2.15% | 2,371 | 2,321 |
| Bottineau County | 12 | 2.01% | 6,503 | 6,375 |
| Oliver County | 13 | 1.71% | 1,900 | 1,868 |
| Richland County | 14 | 1.42% | 16,766 | 16,532 |
| McLean County | 15 | 1.02% | 9,863 | 9,763 |
| Traill County | 16 | 0.93% | 8,053 | 7,979 |
| Mercer County | 17 | 0.62% | 8,400 | 8,348 |
| Stutsman County | 18 | 0.19% | 21,594 | 21,554 |
| Barnes County | 19 | 0.17% | 10,860 | 10,842 |
| Nelson County | 20 | 0.07% | 3,001 | 2,999 |
| Kidder County | 21 | 0.04% | 2,393 | 2,392 |
| Logan County | 22 | -0.64% | 1,868 | 1,880 |
| Ramsey County | 23 | -0.76% | 11,496 | 11,584 |
| Sheridan County | 24 | -0.95% | 1,250 | 1,262 |
| Dickey County | 25 | -1.01% | 4,910 | 4,960 |
| Burke County | 26 | -1.09% | 2,168 | 2,192 |
| Steele County | 27 | -1.17% | 1,769 | 1,790 |
| Sioux County | 28 | -1.55% | 3,821 | 3,881 |
| Hettinger County | 29 | -1.9% | 2,421 | 2,468 |
| LaMoure County | 30 | -1.93% | 4,017 | 4,096 |
| Adams County | 31 | -2.02% | 2,137 | 2,181 |
| Grant County | 32 | -2.1% | 2,243 | 2,291 |
| Bowman County | 33 | -2.11% | 2,918 | 2,981 |
| Ward County | 34 | -2.12% | 68,443 | 69,922 |
| Ransom County | 35 | -2.37% | 5,558 | 5,693 |
| Mountrail County | 36 | -2.4% | 9,568 | 9,803 |
| Foster County | 37 | -2.57% | 3,301 | 3,388 |
| Dunn County | 38 | -2.61% | 3,991 | 4,098 |
| Towner County | 39 | -2.71% | 2,081 | 2,139 |
| Benson County | 40 | -3.84% | 5,712 | 5,940 |
| McHenry County | 41 | -4.04% | 5,101 | 5,316 |
| McIntosh County | 42 | -4.33% | 2,407 | 2,516 |
| Emmons County | 43 | -4.44% | 3,145 | 3,291 |
| Walsh County | 44 | -4.45% | 10,056 | 10,524 |
| Griggs County | 45 | -5.22% | 2,181 | 2,301 |
| Rolette County | 46 | -5.38% | 11,544 | 12,200 |
| Cavalier County | 47 | -5.65% | 3,491 | 3,700 |
| Divide County | 48 | -5.85% | 2,076 | 2,205 |
| Pierce County | 49 | -5.94% | 3,739 | 3,975 |
| Pembina County | 50 | -6.48% | 6,384 | 6,826 |
| Wells County | 51 | -7.31% | 3,677 | 3,967 |
| Sargent County | 52 | -7.83% | 3,542 | 3,843 |
| Slope County | 53 | -11.4% | 622 | 702 |
North Dakota's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Billings County leads with 3.03% annualized growth, followed by Cass County (1.86%) and Renville County (1.38%). The largest counties are Cass County (206,521), Burleigh County (106,353), and Grand Forks County (74,917). Of the 53 counties in North Dakota, 21 are growing while 32 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged -0.1% annualized growth, with total population growing by 0.67% annually.
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