Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature

Richland County had the highest average annual temperature of 53 counties in 2016, at 46.2 °F. Cavalier County had the lowest, at 41.2 °F. The median was 44.4 °F and the figure for North Dakota was 44.4 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

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Highest46.2Richland County
Lowest41.2Cavalier County
Median44.453 counties
North Dakota44.4History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 45.9 °FBarnes County: 44.6 °FBenson County: 42.9 °FBillings County: 45.6 °FBottineau County: 43 °FBowman County: 46 °FBurke County: 42.6 °FBurleigh County: 44.8 °FCass County: 45.4 °FCavalier County: 41.2 °FDickey County: 45.7 °FDivide County: 43.2 °FDunn County: 45 °FEddy County: 43.2 °FEmmons County: 45.4 °FFoster County: 43.5 °FGolden Valley County: 45.8 °FGrand Forks County: 44 °FGrant County: 45.8 °FGriggs County: 43.1 °FHettinger County: 45.3 °FKidder County: 43.8 °FLaMoure County: 45.2 °FLogan County: 44 °FMcHenry County: 44 °FMcIntosh County: 44.2 °FMcKenzie County: 45.3 °FMcLean County: 45 °FMercer County: 45.5 °FMorton County: 45.5 °FMountrail County: 44.1 °FNelson County: 42.4 °FOliver County: 45.3 °FPembina County: 42.9 °FPierce County: 43 °FRamsey County: 42.3 °FRansom County: 45.5 °FRenville County: 43.5 °FRichland County: 46.2 °FRolette County: 41.4 °FSargent County: 45.8 °FSheridan County: 44.2 °FSioux County: 46.1 °FSlope County: 45.9 °FStark County: 45 °FSteele County: 43.2 °FStutsman County: 44.1 °FTowner County: 41.7 °FTraill County: 44.4 °FWalsh County: 43.1 °FWard County: 44.4 °FWells County: 43.4 °FWilliams County: 44.6 °F
  • Under 43
  • 43 to 44
  • 44 to 45
  • 45 to 46
  • 46 and over
°F, 2016. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2016

Richland County: 46.2 °FRichland County46.2Sioux County: 46.1 °FSioux County46.1Bowman County: 46 °FBowman County46Adams County: 45.9 °FAdams County45.9Slope County: 45.9 °FSlope County45.9Golden Valley County: 45.8 °FGolden Valley County45.8Grant County: 45.8 °FGrant County45.8Sargent County: 45.8 °FSargent County45.8Dickey County: 45.7 °FDickey County45.7Billings County: 45.6 °FBillings County45.6Mercer County: 45.5 °FMercer County45.5Morton County: 45.5 °FMorton County45.5Ransom County: 45.5 °FRansom County45.5Cass County: 45.4 °FCass County45.4Emmons County: 45.4 °FEmmons County45.4Hettinger County: 45.3 °FHettinger County45.3McKenzie County: 45.3 °FMcKenzie County45.3Oliver County: 45.3 °FOliver County45.3LaMoure County: 45.2 °FLaMoure County45.2Dunn County: 45 °FDunn County45McLean County: 45 °FMcLean County45Stark County: 45 °FStark County45Burleigh County: 44.8 °FBurleigh County44.8Barnes County: 44.6 °FBarnes County44.6Williams County: 44.6 °FWilliams County44.6Traill County: 44.4 °FTraill County44.4Ward County: 44.4 °FWard County44.4McIntosh County: 44.2 °FMcIntosh County44.2Sheridan County: 44.2 °FSheridan County44.2Mountrail County: 44.1 °FMountrail County44.1Stutsman County: 44.1 °FStutsman County44.1Grand Forks County: 44 °FGrand Forks County44Logan County: 44 °FLogan County44McHenry County: 44 °FMcHenry County44Kidder County: 43.8 °FKidder County43.8Foster County: 43.5 °FFoster County43.5Renville County: 43.5 °FRenville County43.5Wells County: 43.4 °FWells County43.4Divide County: 43.2 °FDivide County43.2Eddy County: 43.2 °FEddy County43.2Steele County: 43.2 °FSteele County43.2Griggs County: 43.1 °FGriggs County43.1Walsh County: 43.1 °FWalsh County43.1Bottineau County: 43 °FBottineau County43Pierce County: 43 °FPierce County43Benson County: 42.9 °FBenson County42.9Pembina County: 42.9 °FPembina County42.9Burke County: 42.6 °FBurke County42.6Nelson County: 42.4 °FNelson County42.4Ramsey County: 42.3 °FRamsey County42.3Towner County: 41.7 °FTowner County41.7Rolette County: 41.4 °FRolette County41.4Cavalier County: 41.2 °FCavalier County41.2Richland County: 46.2 °FRichland County46.2Sioux County: 46.1 °FSioux County46.1Bowman County: 46 °FBowman County46Adams County: 45.9 °FAdams County45.9Slope County: 45.9 °FSlope County45.9Golden Valley County: 45.8 °FGolden Valley County45.8Grant County: 45.8 °FGrant County45.8Sargent County: 45.8 °FSargent County45.8Dickey County: 45.7 °FDickey County45.7Billings County: 45.6 °FBillings County45.6Mercer County: 45.5 °FMercer County45.5Morton County: 45.5 °FMorton County45.5Ransom County: 45.5 °FRansom County45.5Cass County: 45.4 °FCass County45.4Emmons County: 45.4 °FEmmons County45.4Hettinger County: 45.3 °FHettinger County45.3McKenzie County: 45.3 °FMcKenzie County45.3Oliver County: 45.3 °FOliver County45.3LaMoure County: 45.2 °FLaMoure County45.2Dunn County: 45 °FDunn County45McLean County: 45 °FMcLean County45Stark County: 45 °FStark County45Burleigh County: 44.8 °FBurleigh County44.8Barnes County: 44.6 °FBarnes County44.6Williams County: 44.6 °FWilliams County44.6Traill County: 44.4 °FTraill County44.4Ward County: 44.4 °FWard County44.4McIntosh County: 44.2 °FMcIntosh County44.2Sheridan County: 44.2 °FSheridan County44.2Mountrail County: 44.1 °FMountrail County44.1Stutsman County: 44.1 °FStutsman County44.1Grand Forks County: 44 °FGrand Forks County44Logan County: 44 °FLogan County44McHenry County: 44 °FMcHenry County44Kidder County: 43.8 °FKidder County43.8Foster County: 43.5 °FFoster County43.5Renville County: 43.5 °FRenville County43.5Wells County: 43.4 °FWells County43.4Divide County: 43.2 °FDivide County43.2Eddy County: 43.2 °FEddy County43.2Steele County: 43.2 °FSteele County43.2Griggs County: 43.1 °FGriggs County43.1Walsh County: 43.1 °FWalsh County43.1Bottineau County: 43 °FBottineau County43Pierce County: 43 °FPierce County43Benson County: 42.9 °FBenson County42.9Pembina County: 42.9 °FPembina County42.9Burke County: 42.6 °FBurke County42.6Nelson County: 42.4 °FNelson County42.4Ramsey County: 42.3 °FRamsey County42.3Towner County: 41.7 °FTowner County41.7Rolette County: 41.4 °FRolette County41.4Cavalier County: 41.2 °FCavalier County41.2
°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
°F
Change on 2015
1Richland County46.2+2.7%
2Sioux County46.1+2%
3Bowman County46+1.5%
4Adams County45.9+1.5%
4Slope County45.9+1.1%
6Golden Valley County45.8+1.6%
6Grant County45.8+1.6%
6Sargent County45.8+2.7%
9Dickey County45.7+2.7%
10Billings County45.6+1.6%
11Mercer County45.5+2%
11Morton County45.5+1.8%
11Ransom County45.5+2.9%
14Cass County45.4+2.9%
14Emmons County45.4+2%
16Hettinger County45.3+0.9%
16McKenzie County45.3+1.6%
16Oliver County45.3+1.8%
19LaMoure County45.2+2.7%
20Dunn County45+1.1%
20McLean County45+2.5%
20Stark County45+0.4%
23Burleigh County44.8+2.3%
24Barnes County44.6+2.8%
24Williams County44.6+2.3%
26Traill County44.4+2.8%
26Ward County44.4+2.8%
28McIntosh County44.2+1.1%
28Sheridan County44.2+2.6%
30Mountrail County44.1+3%
30Stutsman County44.1+1.8%
32Grand Forks County44+3.5%
32Logan County44+1.6%
32McHenry County44+3.3%
35Kidder County43.8+1.9%
36Foster County43.5+1.9%
36Renville County43.5+2.1%
38Wells County43.4+1.6%
39Divide County43.2+2.4%
39Eddy County43.2+1.9%
39Steele County43.2+2.6%
42Griggs County43.1+2.6%
42Walsh County43.1+3.4%
44Bottineau County43+3.4%
44Pierce County43+3.1%
46Benson County42.9+2.1%
46Pembina County42.9+2.4%
48Burke County42.6+2.7%
49Nelson County42.4+2.9%
50Ramsey County42.3+2.7%
51Towner County41.7+3%
52Rolette County41.4+3.5%
53Cavalier County41.2+2.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Mean air temperature from January to December, in degrees Fahrenheit: the average of the 12 monthly mean temperatures. NOAA computes it from its climate divisional dataset (nClimDiv): station readings interpolated onto a 5 km grid and averaged over the area.

Values are area averages, so a county with mountains and valleys has one value for very different local climates. NOAA revises the last two years every month.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (2026). NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties (Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping

MLA 9

NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature, 2016. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-dakota-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 2026. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-dakota-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-dakota-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_north_dakota_2016,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-dakota-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
TI  - NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
PB  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-dakota-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-dakota-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest average annual temperature?

Richland County, with 46.2 °F in 2016, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Cavalier County, with 41.2 °F in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average annual temperature: other rankings

Counties in North Dakota: more rankings