Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature

Bowman County had the highest average annual temperature of 53 counties in 2020, at 44.8 °F. Cavalier County had the lowest, at 39.1 °F. The median was 42.2 °F and the figure for North Dakota was 42.3 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest44.8Bowman County
Lowest39.1Cavalier County
Median42.253 counties
North Dakota42.3History

Map of counties, 2020

Adams County: 44.1 °FBarnes County: 42.2 °FBenson County: 41.2 °FBillings County: 43.9 °FBottineau County: 40.7 °FBowman County: 44.8 °FBurke County: 40 °FBurleigh County: 43.3 °FCass County: 42.2 °FCavalier County: 39.1 °FDickey County: 42.8 °FDivide County: 40.8 °FDunn County: 43.5 °FEddy County: 41.5 °FEmmons County: 43.4 °FFoster County: 41.6 °FGolden Valley County: 44 °FGrand Forks County: 40.9 °FGrant County: 43.8 °FGriggs County: 41.2 °FHettinger County: 43.7 °FKidder County: 42 °FLaMoure County: 42.8 °FLogan County: 42.2 °FMcHenry County: 42.1 °FMcIntosh County: 42.4 °FMcKenzie County: 43.2 °FMcLean County: 43.2 °FMercer County: 43.6 °FMorton County: 43.8 °FMountrail County: 41.4 °FNelson County: 40.4 °FOliver County: 43.4 °FPembina County: 40.5 °FPierce County: 41.1 °FRamsey County: 40.5 °FRansom County: 42.7 °FRenville County: 41.1 °FRichland County: 43.6 °FRolette County: 39.8 °FSargent County: 42.9 °FSheridan County: 42.7 °FSioux County: 44 °FSlope County: 44.5 °FStark County: 43.8 °FSteele County: 40.3 °FStutsman County: 42.3 °FTowner County: 40 °FTraill County: 41 °FWalsh County: 40.5 °FWard County: 42.1 °FWells County: 41.6 °FWilliams County: 41.9 °F
  • Under 41
  • 41 to 42
  • 42 to 43
  • 43 to 44
  • 44 and over
°F, 2020. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2020

Bowman County: 44.8 °FBowman County44.8Slope County: 44.5 °FSlope County44.5Adams County: 44.1 °FAdams County44.1Golden Valley County: 44 °FGolden Valley County44Sioux County: 44 °FSioux County44Billings County: 43.9 °FBillings County43.9Grant County: 43.8 °FGrant County43.8Morton County: 43.8 °FMorton County43.8Stark County: 43.8 °FStark County43.8Hettinger County: 43.7 °FHettinger County43.7Mercer County: 43.6 °FMercer County43.6Richland County: 43.6 °FRichland County43.6Dunn County: 43.5 °FDunn County43.5Emmons County: 43.4 °FEmmons County43.4Oliver County: 43.4 °FOliver County43.4Burleigh County: 43.3 °FBurleigh County43.3McKenzie County: 43.2 °FMcKenzie County43.2McLean County: 43.2 °FMcLean County43.2Sargent County: 42.9 °FSargent County42.9Dickey County: 42.8 °FDickey County42.8LaMoure County: 42.8 °FLaMoure County42.8Ransom County: 42.7 °FRansom County42.7Sheridan County: 42.7 °FSheridan County42.7McIntosh County: 42.4 °FMcIntosh County42.4Stutsman County: 42.3 °FStutsman County42.3Barnes County: 42.2 °FBarnes County42.2Cass County: 42.2 °FCass County42.2Logan County: 42.2 °FLogan County42.2McHenry County: 42.1 °FMcHenry County42.1Ward County: 42.1 °FWard County42.1Kidder County: 42 °FKidder County42Williams County: 41.9 °FWilliams County41.9Foster County: 41.6 °FFoster County41.6Wells County: 41.6 °FWells County41.6Eddy County: 41.5 °FEddy County41.5Mountrail County: 41.4 °FMountrail County41.4Benson County: 41.2 °FBenson County41.2Griggs County: 41.2 °FGriggs County41.2Pierce County: 41.1 °FPierce County41.1Renville County: 41.1 °FRenville County41.1Traill County: 41 °FTraill County41Grand Forks County: 40.9 °FGrand Forks County40.9Divide County: 40.8 °FDivide County40.8Bottineau County: 40.7 °FBottineau County40.7Pembina County: 40.5 °FPembina County40.5Ramsey County: 40.5 °FRamsey County40.5Walsh County: 40.5 °FWalsh County40.5Nelson County: 40.4 °FNelson County40.4Steele County: 40.3 °FSteele County40.3Burke County: 40 °FBurke County40Towner County: 40 °FTowner County40Rolette County: 39.8 °FRolette County39.8Cavalier County: 39.1 °FCavalier County39.1Bowman County: 44.8 °FBowman County44.8Slope County: 44.5 °FSlope County44.5Adams County: 44.1 °FAdams County44.1Golden Valley County: 44 °FGolden Valley County44Sioux County: 44 °FSioux County44Billings County: 43.9 °FBillings County43.9Grant County: 43.8 °FGrant County43.8Morton County: 43.8 °FMorton County43.8Stark County: 43.8 °FStark County43.8Hettinger County: 43.7 °FHettinger County43.7Mercer County: 43.6 °FMercer County43.6Richland County: 43.6 °FRichland County43.6Dunn County: 43.5 °FDunn County43.5Emmons County: 43.4 °FEmmons County43.4Oliver County: 43.4 °FOliver County43.4Burleigh County: 43.3 °FBurleigh County43.3McKenzie County: 43.2 °FMcKenzie County43.2McLean County: 43.2 °FMcLean County43.2Sargent County: 42.9 °FSargent County42.9Dickey County: 42.8 °FDickey County42.8LaMoure County: 42.8 °FLaMoure County42.8Ransom County: 42.7 °FRansom County42.7Sheridan County: 42.7 °FSheridan County42.7McIntosh County: 42.4 °FMcIntosh County42.4Stutsman County: 42.3 °FStutsman County42.3Barnes County: 42.2 °FBarnes County42.2Cass County: 42.2 °FCass County42.2Logan County: 42.2 °FLogan County42.2McHenry County: 42.1 °FMcHenry County42.1Ward County: 42.1 °FWard County42.1Kidder County: 42 °FKidder County42Williams County: 41.9 °FWilliams County41.9Foster County: 41.6 °FFoster County41.6Wells County: 41.6 °FWells County41.6Eddy County: 41.5 °FEddy County41.5Mountrail County: 41.4 °FMountrail County41.4Benson County: 41.2 °FBenson County41.2Griggs County: 41.2 °FGriggs County41.2Pierce County: 41.1 °FPierce County41.1Renville County: 41.1 °FRenville County41.1Traill County: 41 °FTraill County41Grand Forks County: 40.9 °FGrand Forks County40.9Divide County: 40.8 °FDivide County40.8Bottineau County: 40.7 °FBottineau County40.7Pembina County: 40.5 °FPembina County40.5Ramsey County: 40.5 °FRamsey County40.5Walsh County: 40.5 °FWalsh County40.5Nelson County: 40.4 °FNelson County40.4Steele County: 40.3 °FSteele County40.3Burke County: 40 °FBurke County40Towner County: 40 °FTowner County40Rolette County: 39.8 °FRolette County39.8Cavalier County: 39.1 °FCavalier County39.1
°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
°F
Change on 2019
1Bowman County44.8+12.3%
2Slope County44.5+11.5%
3Adams County44.1+12.5%
4Golden Valley County44+10.8%
4Sioux County44+11.7%
6Billings County43.9+10.6%
7Grant County43.8+12%
7Morton County43.8+12.3%
7Stark County43.8+11.7%
10Hettinger County43.7+12.3%
11Mercer County43.6+11.8%
11Richland County43.6+9.8%
13Dunn County43.5+11%
14Emmons County43.4+11.9%
14Oliver County43.4+12.4%
16Burleigh County43.3+12.5%
17McKenzie County43.2+9.9%
17McLean County43.2+12.2%
19Sargent County42.9+10.6%
20Dickey County42.8+10.6%
20LaMoure County42.8+11.2%
22Ransom County42.7+10.1%
22Sheridan County42.7+12.4%
24McIntosh County42.4+13.1%
25Stutsman County42.3+12.2%
26Barnes County42.2+11.1%
26Cass County42.2+9%
26Logan County42.2+11.9%
29McHenry County42.1+11.7%
29Ward County42.1+11.4%
31Kidder County42+12%
32Williams County41.9+9.4%
33Foster County41.6+12.4%
33Wells County41.6+12.7%
35Eddy County41.5+12.5%
36Mountrail County41.4+10.7%
37Benson County41.2+12.3%
37Griggs County41.2+12%
39Pierce County41.1+12.3%
39Renville County41.1+10.2%
41Traill County41+9%
42Grand Forks County40.9+9.7%
43Divide County40.8+10%
44Bottineau County40.7+11.2%
45Pembina County40.5+8.9%
45Ramsey County40.5+11.6%
45Walsh County40.5+9.5%
48Nelson County40.4+11.3%
49Steele County40.3+10.4%
50Burke County40+10.2%
50Towner County40+11.1%
52Rolette County39.8+11.5%
53Cavalier County39.1+10.1%

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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_north_dakota_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-dakota-counties?period=2020.
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?

Bowman County, with 44.8 °F in 2020, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Cavalier County, with 39.1 °F in 2020.

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