Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW), 2025

Cass County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 53 counties in 2025, at 128,690 jobs. Slope County had the lowest, at 99 jobs. The median was 1,522 jobs and the figure for North Dakota was 429,567 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest128,690Cass County
Lowest99Slope County
Median1,52253 counties
North Dakota429,567History

Map of counties, 2025

Adams County: 849 jobsBarnes County: 4,426 jobsBenson County: 2,019 jobsBillings County: 745 jobsBottineau County: 2,543 jobsBowman County: 1,482 jobsBurke County: 653 jobsBurleigh County: 58,393 jobsCass County: 128,690 jobsCavalier County: 1,264 jobsDickey County: 2,496 jobsDivide County: 680 jobsDunn County: 1,999 jobsEddy County: 712 jobsEmmons County: 932 jobsFoster County: 1,487 jobsGolden Valley County: 627 jobsGrand Forks County: 41,078 jobsGrant County: 640 jobsGriggs County: 757 jobsHettinger County: 711 jobsKidder County: 699 jobsLaMoure County: 1,406 jobsLogan County: 628 jobsMcHenry County: 1,311 jobsMcIntosh County: 993 jobsMcKenzie County: 11,760 jobsMcLean County: 3,531 jobsMercer County: 4,341 jobsMorton County: 12,316 jobsMountrail County: 5,391 jobsNelson County: 1,019 jobsOliver County: 701 jobsPembina County: 3,335 jobsPierce County: 1,620 jobsRamsey County: 5,524 jobsRansom County: 1,981 jobsRenville County: 676 jobsRichland County: 7,877 jobsRolette County: 4,666 jobsSargent County: 2,608 jobsSheridan County: 219 jobsSioux County: 1,522 jobsSlope County: 99 jobsStark County: 19,567 jobsSteele County: 531 jobsStutsman County: 11,132 jobsTowner County: 644 jobsTraill County: 3,556 jobsWalsh County: 4,730 jobsWard County: 31,171 jobsWells County: 1,446 jobsWilliams County: 26,622 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 and over
jobs, 2025. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2025

Cass County: 128,690 jobsCass County128,690Burleigh County: 58,393 jobsBurleigh County58,393Grand Forks County: 41,078 jobsGrand Forks County41,078Ward County: 31,171 jobsWard County31,171Williams County: 26,622 jobsWilliams County26,622Stark County: 19,567 jobsStark County19,567Morton County: 12,316 jobsMorton County12,316McKenzie County: 11,760 jobsMcKenzie County11,760Stutsman County: 11,132 jobsStutsman County11,132Richland County: 7,877 jobsRichland County7,877Ramsey County: 5,524 jobsRamsey County5,524Mountrail County: 5,391 jobsMountrail County5,391Walsh County: 4,730 jobsWalsh County4,730Rolette County: 4,666 jobsRolette County4,666Barnes County: 4,426 jobsBarnes County4,426Mercer County: 4,341 jobsMercer County4,341Traill County: 3,556 jobsTraill County3,556McLean County: 3,531 jobsMcLean County3,531Pembina County: 3,335 jobsPembina County3,335Sargent County: 2,608 jobsSargent County2,608Bottineau County: 2,543 jobsBottineau County2,543Dickey County: 2,496 jobsDickey County2,496Benson County: 2,019 jobsBenson County2,019Dunn County: 1,999 jobsDunn County1,999Ransom County: 1,981 jobsRansom County1,981Pierce County: 1,620 jobsPierce County1,620Sioux County: 1,522 jobsSioux County1,522Foster County: 1,487 jobsFoster County1,487Bowman County: 1,482 jobsBowman County1,482Wells County: 1,446 jobsWells County1,446LaMoure County: 1,406 jobsLaMoure County1,406McHenry County: 1,311 jobsMcHenry County1,311Cavalier County: 1,264 jobsCavalier County1,264Nelson County: 1,019 jobsNelson County1,019McIntosh County: 993 jobsMcIntosh County993Emmons County: 932 jobsEmmons County932Adams County: 849 jobsAdams County849Griggs County: 757 jobsGriggs County757Billings County: 745 jobsBillings County745Eddy County: 712 jobsEddy County712Hettinger County: 711 jobsHettinger County711Oliver County: 701 jobsOliver County701Kidder County: 699 jobsKidder County699Divide County: 680 jobsDivide County680Renville County: 676 jobsRenville County676Burke County: 653 jobsBurke County653Towner County: 644 jobsTowner County644Grant County: 640 jobsGrant County640Logan County: 628 jobsLogan County628Golden Valley County: 627 jobsGolden Valley County627Steele County: 531 jobsSteele County531Sheridan County: 219 jobsSheridan County219Slope County: 99 jobsSlope County99Cass County: 128,690 jobsCass County128,690Burleigh County: 58,393 jobsBurleigh County58,393Grand Forks County: 41,078 jobsGrand Forks County41,078Ward County: 31,171 jobsWard County31,171Williams County: 26,622 jobsWilliams County26,622Stark County: 19,567 jobsStark County19,567Morton County: 12,316 jobsMorton County12,316McKenzie County: 11,760 jobsMcKenzie County11,760Stutsman County: 11,132 jobsStutsman County11,132Richland County: 7,877 jobsRichland County7,877Ramsey County: 5,524 jobsRamsey County5,524Mountrail County: 5,391 jobsMountrail County5,391Walsh County: 4,730 jobsWalsh County4,730Rolette County: 4,666 jobsRolette County4,666Barnes County: 4,426 jobsBarnes County4,426Mercer County: 4,341 jobsMercer County4,341Traill County: 3,556 jobsTraill County3,556McLean County: 3,531 jobsMcLean County3,531Pembina County: 3,335 jobsPembina County3,335Sargent County: 2,608 jobsSargent County2,608Bottineau County: 2,543 jobsBottineau County2,543Dickey County: 2,496 jobsDickey County2,496Benson County: 2,019 jobsBenson County2,019Dunn County: 1,999 jobsDunn County1,999Ransom County: 1,981 jobsRansom County1,981Pierce County: 1,620 jobsPierce County1,620Sioux County: 1,522 jobsSioux County1,522Foster County: 1,487 jobsFoster County1,487Bowman County: 1,482 jobsBowman County1,482Wells County: 1,446 jobsWells County1,446LaMoure County: 1,406 jobsLaMoure County1,406McHenry County: 1,311 jobsMcHenry County1,311Cavalier County: 1,264 jobsCavalier County1,264Nelson County: 1,019 jobsNelson County1,019McIntosh County: 993 jobsMcIntosh County993Emmons County: 932 jobsEmmons County932Adams County: 849 jobsAdams County849Griggs County: 757 jobsGriggs County757Billings County: 745 jobsBillings County745Eddy County: 712 jobsEddy County712Hettinger County: 711 jobsHettinger County711Oliver County: 701 jobsOliver County701Kidder County: 699 jobsKidder County699Divide County: 680 jobsDivide County680Renville County: 676 jobsRenville County676Burke County: 653 jobsBurke County653Towner County: 644 jobsTowner County644Grant County: 640 jobsGrant County640Logan County: 628 jobsLogan County628Golden Valley County: 627 jobsGolden Valley County627Steele County: 531 jobsSteele County531Sheridan County: 219 jobsSheridan County219Slope County: 99 jobsSlope County99
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2025
jobs
Change on 2024
1Cass County128,690+0.5%
2Burleigh County58,393+0.6%
3Grand Forks County41,078+0.9%
4Ward County31,171-0.6%
5Williams County26,622-1.9%
6Stark County19,567+0.2%
7Morton County12,316-0.1%
8McKenzie County11,760+2.4%
9Stutsman County11,132+0.5%
10Richland County7,877-1.2%
11Ramsey County5,524-1.1%
12Mountrail County5,391+0.9%
13Walsh County4,730-1.3%
14Rolette County4,666+1.6%
15Barnes County4,426-1.1%
16Mercer County4,341-2.4%
17Traill County3,556-0.2%
18McLean County3,531+3.7%
19Pembina County3,335+1.6%
20Sargent County2,608-5.6%
21Bottineau County2,543+2.1%
22Dickey County2,496+26.1%
23Benson County2,019+2.3%
24Dunn County1,999-3.7%
25Ransom County1,981-0.8%
26Pierce County1,620+0.9%
27Sioux County1,522+2.1%
28Foster County1,487-3.6%
29Bowman County1,482+10.3%
30Wells County1,446+0.6%
31LaMoure County1,4060%
32McHenry County1,311+1%
33Cavalier County1,264+2.6%
34Nelson County1,019-2%
35McIntosh County993-0.5%
36Emmons County932-1.2%
37Adams County849+0.6%
38Griggs County757-4.1%
39Billings County745+11%
40Eddy County712+0.1%
41Hettinger County711+5.6%
42Oliver County701-0.7%
43Kidder County699-4.5%
44Divide County680-2.4%
45Renville County676-0.3%
46Burke County653-1.4%
47Towner County644-2.1%
48Grant County640-3.2%
49Logan County628-1.6%
50Golden Valley County627-2.2%
51Steele County531-0.9%
52Sheridan County219-3.9%
53Slope County990%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

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

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. 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

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW), 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW), 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW), 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW), 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_north_dakota_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW), 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW), 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Cass County, with 128,690 jobs in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Slope County, with 99 jobs in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in North Dakota: more rankings