Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW)

Cass County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 53 counties in 2015, at 115,726 jobs. Slope County had the lowest, at 157 jobs. The median was 1,734 jobs and the figure for North Dakota was 437,072 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest115,726Cass County
Lowest157Slope County
Median1,73453 counties
North Dakota437,072History

Map of counties, 2015

Adams County: 962 jobsBarnes County: 4,860 jobsBenson County: 2,108 jobsBillings County: 529 jobsBottineau County: 2,625 jobsBowman County: 1,734 jobsBurke County: 779 jobsBurleigh County: 58,461 jobsCass County: 115,726 jobsCavalier County: 1,448 jobsDickey County: 2,001 jobsDivide County: 1,018 jobsDunn County: 2,816 jobsEddy County: 743 jobsEmmons County: 944 jobsFoster County: 1,622 jobsGolden Valley County: 709 jobsGrand Forks County: 40,946 jobsGrant County: 607 jobsGriggs County: 924 jobsHettinger County: 741 jobsKidder County: 679 jobsLaMoure County: 1,413 jobsLogan County: 653 jobsMcHenry County: 1,266 jobsMcIntosh County: 1,090 jobsMcKenzie County: 10,827 jobsMcLean County: 3,541 jobsMercer County: 5,191 jobsMorton County: 11,188 jobsMountrail County: 7,066 jobsNelson County: 1,035 jobsOliver County: 885 jobsPembina County: 3,693 jobsPierce County: 1,737 jobsRamsey County: 5,741 jobsRansom County: 2,099 jobsRenville County: 782 jobsRichland County: 7,840 jobsRolette County: 4,623 jobsSargent County: 2,896 jobsSheridan County: 243 jobsSioux County: 1,628 jobsSlope County: 157 jobsStark County: 22,168 jobsSteele County: 634 jobsStutsman County: 11,456 jobsTowner County: 760 jobsTraill County: 3,363 jobsWalsh County: 5,165 jobsWard County: 34,995 jobsWells County: 1,609 jobsWilliams County: 36,079 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 and over
jobs, 2015. 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, 2015

Cass County: 115,726 jobsCass County115,726Burleigh County: 58,461 jobsBurleigh County58,461Grand Forks County: 40,946 jobsGrand Forks County40,946Williams County: 36,079 jobsWilliams County36,079Ward County: 34,995 jobsWard County34,995Stark County: 22,168 jobsStark County22,168Stutsman County: 11,456 jobsStutsman County11,456Morton County: 11,188 jobsMorton County11,188McKenzie County: 10,827 jobsMcKenzie County10,827Richland County: 7,840 jobsRichland County7,840Mountrail County: 7,066 jobsMountrail County7,066Ramsey County: 5,741 jobsRamsey County5,741Mercer County: 5,191 jobsMercer County5,191Walsh County: 5,165 jobsWalsh County5,165Barnes County: 4,860 jobsBarnes County4,860Rolette County: 4,623 jobsRolette County4,623Pembina County: 3,693 jobsPembina County3,693McLean County: 3,541 jobsMcLean County3,541Traill County: 3,363 jobsTraill County3,363Sargent County: 2,896 jobsSargent County2,896Dunn County: 2,816 jobsDunn County2,816Bottineau County: 2,625 jobsBottineau County2,625Benson County: 2,108 jobsBenson County2,108Ransom County: 2,099 jobsRansom County2,099Dickey County: 2,001 jobsDickey County2,001Pierce County: 1,737 jobsPierce County1,737Bowman County: 1,734 jobsBowman County1,734Sioux County: 1,628 jobsSioux County1,628Foster County: 1,622 jobsFoster County1,622Wells County: 1,609 jobsWells County1,609Cavalier County: 1,448 jobsCavalier County1,448LaMoure County: 1,413 jobsLaMoure County1,413McHenry County: 1,266 jobsMcHenry County1,266McIntosh County: 1,090 jobsMcIntosh County1,090Nelson County: 1,035 jobsNelson County1,035Divide County: 1,018 jobsDivide County1,018Adams County: 962 jobsAdams County962Emmons County: 944 jobsEmmons County944Griggs County: 924 jobsGriggs County924Oliver County: 885 jobsOliver County885Renville County: 782 jobsRenville County782Burke County: 779 jobsBurke County779Towner County: 760 jobsTowner County760Eddy County: 743 jobsEddy County743Hettinger County: 741 jobsHettinger County741Golden Valley County: 709 jobsGolden Valley County709Kidder County: 679 jobsKidder County679Logan County: 653 jobsLogan County653Steele County: 634 jobsSteele County634Grant County: 607 jobsGrant County607Billings County: 529 jobsBillings County529Sheridan County: 243 jobsSheridan County243Slope County: 157 jobsSlope County157Cass County: 115,726 jobsCass County115,726Burleigh County: 58,461 jobsBurleigh County58,461Grand Forks County: 40,946 jobsGrand Forks County40,946Williams County: 36,079 jobsWilliams County36,079Ward County: 34,995 jobsWard County34,995Stark County: 22,168 jobsStark County22,168Stutsman County: 11,456 jobsStutsman County11,456Morton County: 11,188 jobsMorton County11,188McKenzie County: 10,827 jobsMcKenzie County10,827Richland County: 7,840 jobsRichland County7,840Mountrail County: 7,066 jobsMountrail County7,066Ramsey County: 5,741 jobsRamsey County5,741Mercer County: 5,191 jobsMercer County5,191Walsh County: 5,165 jobsWalsh County5,165Barnes County: 4,860 jobsBarnes County4,860Rolette County: 4,623 jobsRolette County4,623Pembina County: 3,693 jobsPembina County3,693McLean County: 3,541 jobsMcLean County3,541Traill County: 3,363 jobsTraill County3,363Sargent County: 2,896 jobsSargent County2,896Dunn County: 2,816 jobsDunn County2,816Bottineau County: 2,625 jobsBottineau County2,625Benson County: 2,108 jobsBenson County2,108Ransom County: 2,099 jobsRansom County2,099Dickey County: 2,001 jobsDickey County2,001Pierce County: 1,737 jobsPierce County1,737Bowman County: 1,734 jobsBowman County1,734Sioux County: 1,628 jobsSioux County1,628Foster County: 1,622 jobsFoster County1,622Wells County: 1,609 jobsWells County1,609Cavalier County: 1,448 jobsCavalier County1,448LaMoure County: 1,413 jobsLaMoure County1,413McHenry County: 1,266 jobsMcHenry County1,266McIntosh County: 1,090 jobsMcIntosh County1,090Nelson County: 1,035 jobsNelson County1,035Divide County: 1,018 jobsDivide County1,018Adams County: 962 jobsAdams County962Emmons County: 944 jobsEmmons County944Griggs County: 924 jobsGriggs County924Oliver County: 885 jobsOliver County885Renville County: 782 jobsRenville County782Burke County: 779 jobsBurke County779Towner County: 760 jobsTowner County760Eddy County: 743 jobsEddy County743Hettinger County: 741 jobsHettinger County741Golden Valley County: 709 jobsGolden Valley County709Kidder County: 679 jobsKidder County679Logan County: 653 jobsLogan County653Steele County: 634 jobsSteele County634Grant County: 607 jobsGrant County607Billings County: 529 jobsBillings County529Sheridan County: 243 jobsSheridan County243Slope County: 157 jobsSlope County157
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

RankCounties2015
jobs
Change on 2014
1Cass County115,726+1.7%
2Burleigh County58,461+1.9%
3Grand Forks County40,946+0.5%
4Williams County36,079-13.2%
5Ward County34,995-2.9%
6Stark County22,168-8.4%
7Stutsman County11,456+2%
8Morton County11,188+1.9%
9McKenzie County10,827-5.1%
10Richland County7,8400%
11Mountrail County7,066-14.5%
12Ramsey County5,741-1%
13Mercer County5,191+2.4%
14Walsh County5,165-1.1%
15Barnes County4,860-0.5%
16Rolette County4,623+2.3%
17Pembina County3,693-1.3%
18McLean County3,541-0.6%
19Traill County3,363-2.2%
20Sargent County2,896+4.9%
21Dunn County2,816-12.5%
22Bottineau County2,625-3.6%
23Benson County2,108-0.4%
24Ransom County2,099-0.3%
25Dickey County2,001-3.2%
26Pierce County1,737+1.6%
27Bowman County1,734-3.6%
28Sioux County1,628-4.5%
29Foster County1,622-1.5%
30Wells County1,609-1.1%
31Cavalier County1,448-0.3%
32LaMoure County1,413-1.5%
33McHenry County1,266-2.8%
34McIntosh County1,090-1.1%
35Nelson County1,035-2.6%
36Divide County1,018-6.9%
37Adams County962-1.1%
38Emmons County944-0.8%
39Griggs County924-5.8%
40Oliver County885+3.3%
41Renville County782-13.5%
42Burke County779-15.9%
43Towner County760+3.3%
44Eddy County743-2.7%
45Hettinger County741-0.3%
46Golden Valley County709-2.1%
47Kidder County679+8.5%
48Logan County653+2%
49Steele County634+5.7%
50Grant County607-1.1%
51Billings County529-11.8%
52Sheridan County243-1.2%
53Slope County157-34.9%

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/2015/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), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/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), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2015. 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), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2015.

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), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_north_dakota_2015,
  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), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2015. 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/2015/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), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2015.
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/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"covered_employment","level":"province","within":"North Dakota","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=covered_employment&level=province&within=North%20Dakota&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Cass County, with 115,726 jobs in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Slope County, with 157 jobs in 2015.

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