Counties in North Dakota by average annual temperature

Bowman County had the highest average annual temperature of 53 counties in 2021, at 45.8 °F. Cavalier County had the lowest, at 40.7 °F. The median was 44.3 °F and the figure for North Dakota was 43.8 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

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Highest45.8Bowman County
Lowest40.7Cavalier County
Median44.353 counties
North Dakota43.8History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 45.3 °FBarnes County: 44.3 °FBenson County: 42.6 °FBillings County: 44.9 °FBottineau County: 41.9 °FBowman County: 45.8 °FBurke County: 41 °FBurleigh County: 44.7 °FCass County: 44.5 °FCavalier County: 40.7 °FDickey County: 45 °FDivide County: 41.5 °FDunn County: 44.7 °FEddy County: 43.2 °FEmmons County: 45.3 °FFoster County: 43.5 °FGolden Valley County: 45.2 °FGrand Forks County: 43.2 °FGrant County: 45.1 °FGriggs County: 43.1 °FHettinger County: 44.8 °FKidder County: 44 °FLaMoure County: 45 °FLogan County: 44.5 °FMcHenry County: 43.2 °FMcIntosh County: 44.8 °FMcKenzie County: 44.5 °FMcLean County: 44.4 °FMercer County: 44.9 °FMorton County: 45.1 °FMountrail County: 42.8 °FNelson County: 42.3 °FOliver County: 44.7 °FPembina County: 42.6 °FPierce County: 42.1 °FRamsey County: 42.2 °FRansom County: 44.9 °FRenville County: 42.4 °FRichland County: 45.4 °FRolette County: 40.8 °FSargent County: 44.9 °FSheridan County: 43.8 °FSioux County: 45.8 °FSlope County: 45.5 °FStark County: 44.8 °FSteele County: 42.5 °FStutsman County: 44.4 °FTowner County: 41.1 °FTraill County: 43.4 °FWalsh County: 42.7 °FWard County: 43.4 °FWells County: 42.9 °FWilliams County: 43.1 °F
  • Under 42
  • 42 to 43
  • 43 to 44
  • 44 to 45
  • 45 and over
°F, 2021. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Bowman County: 45.8 °FBowman County45.8Sioux County: 45.8 °FSioux County45.8Slope County: 45.5 °FSlope County45.5Richland County: 45.4 °FRichland County45.4Adams County: 45.3 °FAdams County45.3Emmons County: 45.3 °FEmmons County45.3Golden Valley County: 45.2 °FGolden Valley County45.2Grant County: 45.1 °FGrant County45.1Morton County: 45.1 °FMorton County45.1Dickey County: 45 °FDickey County45LaMoure County: 45 °FLaMoure County45Billings County: 44.9 °FBillings County44.9Mercer County: 44.9 °FMercer County44.9Ransom County: 44.9 °FRansom County44.9Sargent County: 44.9 °FSargent County44.9Hettinger County: 44.8 °FHettinger County44.8McIntosh County: 44.8 °FMcIntosh County44.8Stark County: 44.8 °FStark County44.8Burleigh County: 44.7 °FBurleigh County44.7Dunn County: 44.7 °FDunn County44.7Oliver County: 44.7 °FOliver County44.7Cass County: 44.5 °FCass County44.5Logan County: 44.5 °FLogan County44.5McKenzie County: 44.5 °FMcKenzie County44.5McLean County: 44.4 °FMcLean County44.4Stutsman County: 44.4 °FStutsman County44.4Barnes County: 44.3 °FBarnes County44.3Kidder County: 44 °FKidder County44Sheridan County: 43.8 °FSheridan County43.8Foster County: 43.5 °FFoster County43.5Traill County: 43.4 °FTraill County43.4Ward County: 43.4 °FWard County43.4Eddy County: 43.2 °FEddy County43.2Grand Forks County: 43.2 °FGrand Forks County43.2McHenry County: 43.2 °FMcHenry County43.2Griggs County: 43.1 °FGriggs County43.1Williams County: 43.1 °FWilliams County43.1Wells County: 42.9 °FWells County42.9Mountrail County: 42.8 °FMountrail County42.8Walsh County: 42.7 °FWalsh County42.7Benson County: 42.6 °FBenson County42.6Pembina County: 42.6 °FPembina County42.6Steele County: 42.5 °FSteele County42.5Renville County: 42.4 °FRenville County42.4Nelson County: 42.3 °FNelson County42.3Ramsey County: 42.2 °FRamsey County42.2Pierce County: 42.1 °FPierce County42.1Bottineau County: 41.9 °FBottineau County41.9Divide County: 41.5 °FDivide County41.5Towner County: 41.1 °FTowner County41.1Burke County: 41 °FBurke County41Rolette County: 40.8 °FRolette County40.8Cavalier County: 40.7 °FCavalier County40.7Bowman County: 45.8 °FBowman County45.8Sioux County: 45.8 °FSioux County45.8Slope County: 45.5 °FSlope County45.5Richland County: 45.4 °FRichland County45.4Adams County: 45.3 °FAdams County45.3Emmons County: 45.3 °FEmmons County45.3Golden Valley County: 45.2 °FGolden Valley County45.2Grant County: 45.1 °FGrant County45.1Morton County: 45.1 °FMorton County45.1Dickey County: 45 °FDickey County45LaMoure County: 45 °FLaMoure County45Billings County: 44.9 °FBillings County44.9Mercer County: 44.9 °FMercer County44.9Ransom County: 44.9 °FRansom County44.9Sargent County: 44.9 °FSargent County44.9Hettinger County: 44.8 °FHettinger County44.8McIntosh County: 44.8 °FMcIntosh County44.8Stark County: 44.8 °FStark County44.8Burleigh County: 44.7 °FBurleigh County44.7Dunn County: 44.7 °FDunn County44.7Oliver County: 44.7 °FOliver County44.7Cass County: 44.5 °FCass County44.5Logan County: 44.5 °FLogan County44.5McKenzie County: 44.5 °FMcKenzie County44.5McLean County: 44.4 °FMcLean County44.4Stutsman County: 44.4 °FStutsman County44.4Barnes County: 44.3 °FBarnes County44.3Kidder County: 44 °FKidder County44Sheridan County: 43.8 °FSheridan County43.8Foster County: 43.5 °FFoster County43.5Traill County: 43.4 °FTraill County43.4Ward County: 43.4 °FWard County43.4Eddy County: 43.2 °FEddy County43.2Grand Forks County: 43.2 °FGrand Forks County43.2McHenry County: 43.2 °FMcHenry County43.2Griggs County: 43.1 °FGriggs County43.1Williams County: 43.1 °FWilliams County43.1Wells County: 42.9 °FWells County42.9Mountrail County: 42.8 °FMountrail County42.8Walsh County: 42.7 °FWalsh County42.7Benson County: 42.6 °FBenson County42.6Pembina County: 42.6 °FPembina County42.6Steele County: 42.5 °FSteele County42.5Renville County: 42.4 °FRenville County42.4Nelson County: 42.3 °FNelson County42.3Ramsey County: 42.2 °FRamsey County42.2Pierce County: 42.1 °FPierce County42.1Bottineau County: 41.9 °FBottineau County41.9Divide County: 41.5 °FDivide County41.5Towner County: 41.1 °FTowner County41.1Burke County: 41 °FBurke County41Rolette County: 40.8 °FRolette County40.8Cavalier County: 40.7 °FCavalier County40.7
°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
°F
Change on 2020
1Bowman County45.8+2.2%
1Sioux County45.8+4.1%
3Slope County45.5+2.2%
4Richland County45.4+4.1%
5Adams County45.3+2.7%
5Emmons County45.3+4.4%
7Golden Valley County45.2+2.7%
8Grant County45.1+3%
8Morton County45.1+3%
10Dickey County45+5.1%
10LaMoure County45+5.1%
12Billings County44.9+2.3%
12Mercer County44.9+3%
12Ransom County44.9+5.2%
12Sargent County44.9+4.7%
16Hettinger County44.8+2.5%
16McIntosh County44.8+5.7%
16Stark County44.8+2.3%
19Burleigh County44.7+3.2%
19Dunn County44.7+2.8%
19Oliver County44.7+3%
22Cass County44.5+5.5%
22Logan County44.5+5.5%
22McKenzie County44.5+3%
25McLean County44.4+2.8%
25Stutsman County44.4+5%
27Barnes County44.3+5%
28Kidder County44+4.8%
29Sheridan County43.8+2.6%
30Foster County43.5+4.6%
31Traill County43.4+5.9%
31Ward County43.4+3.1%
33Eddy County43.2+4.1%
33Grand Forks County43.2+5.6%
33McHenry County43.2+2.6%
36Griggs County43.1+4.6%
36Williams County43.1+2.9%
38Wells County42.9+3.1%
39Mountrail County42.8+3.4%
40Walsh County42.7+5.4%
41Benson County42.6+3.4%
41Pembina County42.6+5.2%
43Steele County42.5+5.5%
44Renville County42.4+3.2%
45Nelson County42.3+4.7%
46Ramsey County42.2+4.2%
47Pierce County42.1+2.4%
48Bottineau County41.9+2.9%
49Divide County41.5+1.7%
50Towner County41.1+2.8%
51Burke County41+2.5%
52Rolette County40.8+2.5%
53Cavalier County40.7+4.1%

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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_north_dakota_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/north-dakota-counties?period=2021.
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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Questions

Which county has the highest average annual temperature?

Bowman County, with 45.8 °F in 2021, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Cavalier County, with 40.7 °F in 2021.

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