Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW)

Cass County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 53 counties in 2017, at 117,363 jobs. Slope County had the lowest, at 129 jobs. The median was 1,634 jobs and the figure for North Dakota was 414,038 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest117,363Cass County
Lowest129Slope County
Median1,63453 counties
North Dakota414,038History

Map of counties, 2017

Adams County: 968 jobsBarnes County: 4,537 jobsBenson County: 1,917 jobsBillings County: 468 jobsBottineau County: 2,447 jobsBowman County: 1,554 jobsBurke County: 681 jobsBurleigh County: 57,002 jobsCass County: 117,363 jobsCavalier County: 1,404 jobsDickey County: 1,909 jobsDivide County: 822 jobsDunn County: 1,983 jobsEddy County: 718 jobsEmmons County: 957 jobsFoster County: 1,634 jobsGolden Valley County: 658 jobsGrand Forks County: 40,601 jobsGrant County: 551 jobsGriggs County: 852 jobsHettinger County: 729 jobsKidder County: 657 jobsLaMoure County: 1,406 jobsLogan County: 640 jobsMcHenry County: 1,297 jobsMcIntosh County: 1,082 jobsMcKenzie County: 9,044 jobsMcLean County: 3,520 jobsMercer County: 5,177 jobsMorton County: 11,290 jobsMountrail County: 5,709 jobsNelson County: 978 jobsOliver County: 702 jobsPembina County: 3,488 jobsPierce County: 1,772 jobsRamsey County: 5,785 jobsRansom County: 2,061 jobsRenville County: 725 jobsRichland County: 7,729 jobsRolette County: 4,365 jobsSargent County: 2,990 jobsSheridan County: 235 jobsSioux County: 1,610 jobsSlope County: 129 jobsStark County: 18,713 jobsSteele County: 607 jobsStutsman County: 11,297 jobsTowner County: 730 jobsTraill County: 3,392 jobsWalsh County: 5,009 jobsWard County: 31,452 jobsWells County: 1,544 jobsWilliams County: 26,799 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 and over
jobs, 2017. 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, 2017

Cass County: 117,363 jobsCass County117,363Burleigh County: 57,002 jobsBurleigh County57,002Grand Forks County: 40,601 jobsGrand Forks County40,601Ward County: 31,452 jobsWard County31,452Williams County: 26,799 jobsWilliams County26,799Stark County: 18,713 jobsStark County18,713Stutsman County: 11,297 jobsStutsman County11,297Morton County: 11,290 jobsMorton County11,290McKenzie County: 9,044 jobsMcKenzie County9,044Richland County: 7,729 jobsRichland County7,729Ramsey County: 5,785 jobsRamsey County5,785Mountrail County: 5,709 jobsMountrail County5,709Mercer County: 5,177 jobsMercer County5,177Walsh County: 5,009 jobsWalsh County5,009Barnes County: 4,537 jobsBarnes County4,537Rolette County: 4,365 jobsRolette County4,365McLean County: 3,520 jobsMcLean County3,520Pembina County: 3,488 jobsPembina County3,488Traill County: 3,392 jobsTraill County3,392Sargent County: 2,990 jobsSargent County2,990Bottineau County: 2,447 jobsBottineau County2,447Ransom County: 2,061 jobsRansom County2,061Dunn County: 1,983 jobsDunn County1,983Benson County: 1,917 jobsBenson County1,917Dickey County: 1,909 jobsDickey County1,909Pierce County: 1,772 jobsPierce County1,772Foster County: 1,634 jobsFoster County1,634Sioux County: 1,610 jobsSioux County1,610Bowman County: 1,554 jobsBowman County1,554Wells County: 1,544 jobsWells County1,544LaMoure County: 1,406 jobsLaMoure County1,406Cavalier County: 1,404 jobsCavalier County1,404McHenry County: 1,297 jobsMcHenry County1,297McIntosh County: 1,082 jobsMcIntosh County1,082Nelson County: 978 jobsNelson County978Adams County: 968 jobsAdams County968Emmons County: 957 jobsEmmons County957Griggs County: 852 jobsGriggs County852Divide County: 822 jobsDivide County822Towner County: 730 jobsTowner County730Hettinger County: 729 jobsHettinger County729Renville County: 725 jobsRenville County725Eddy County: 718 jobsEddy County718Oliver County: 702 jobsOliver County702Burke County: 681 jobsBurke County681Golden Valley County: 658 jobsGolden Valley County658Kidder County: 657 jobsKidder County657Logan County: 640 jobsLogan County640Steele County: 607 jobsSteele County607Grant County: 551 jobsGrant County551Billings County: 468 jobsBillings County468Sheridan County: 235 jobsSheridan County235Slope County: 129 jobsSlope County129Cass County: 117,363 jobsCass County117,363Burleigh County: 57,002 jobsBurleigh County57,002Grand Forks County: 40,601 jobsGrand Forks County40,601Ward County: 31,452 jobsWard County31,452Williams County: 26,799 jobsWilliams County26,799Stark County: 18,713 jobsStark County18,713Stutsman County: 11,297 jobsStutsman County11,297Morton County: 11,290 jobsMorton County11,290McKenzie County: 9,044 jobsMcKenzie County9,044Richland County: 7,729 jobsRichland County7,729Ramsey County: 5,785 jobsRamsey County5,785Mountrail County: 5,709 jobsMountrail County5,709Mercer County: 5,177 jobsMercer County5,177Walsh County: 5,009 jobsWalsh County5,009Barnes County: 4,537 jobsBarnes County4,537Rolette County: 4,365 jobsRolette County4,365McLean County: 3,520 jobsMcLean County3,520Pembina County: 3,488 jobsPembina County3,488Traill County: 3,392 jobsTraill County3,392Sargent County: 2,990 jobsSargent County2,990Bottineau County: 2,447 jobsBottineau County2,447Ransom County: 2,061 jobsRansom County2,061Dunn County: 1,983 jobsDunn County1,983Benson County: 1,917 jobsBenson County1,917Dickey County: 1,909 jobsDickey County1,909Pierce County: 1,772 jobsPierce County1,772Foster County: 1,634 jobsFoster County1,634Sioux County: 1,610 jobsSioux County1,610Bowman County: 1,554 jobsBowman County1,554Wells County: 1,544 jobsWells County1,544LaMoure County: 1,406 jobsLaMoure County1,406Cavalier County: 1,404 jobsCavalier County1,404McHenry County: 1,297 jobsMcHenry County1,297McIntosh County: 1,082 jobsMcIntosh County1,082Nelson County: 978 jobsNelson County978Adams County: 968 jobsAdams County968Emmons County: 957 jobsEmmons County957Griggs County: 852 jobsGriggs County852Divide County: 822 jobsDivide County822Towner County: 730 jobsTowner County730Hettinger County: 729 jobsHettinger County729Renville County: 725 jobsRenville County725Eddy County: 718 jobsEddy County718Oliver County: 702 jobsOliver County702Burke County: 681 jobsBurke County681Golden Valley County: 658 jobsGolden Valley County658Kidder County: 657 jobsKidder County657Logan County: 640 jobsLogan County640Steele County: 607 jobsSteele County607Grant County: 551 jobsGrant County551Billings County: 468 jobsBillings County468Sheridan County: 235 jobsSheridan County235Slope County: 129 jobsSlope County129
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

RankCounties2017
jobs
Change on 2016
1Cass County117,363+0.4%
2Burleigh County57,002-1.7%
3Grand Forks County40,601-0.6%
4Ward County31,452-2.6%
5Williams County26,799+2.4%
6Stark County18,713+0.7%
7Stutsman County11,297-1.3%
8Morton County11,290+1.5%
9McKenzie County9,044+4.8%
10Richland County7,729-1.8%
11Ramsey County5,785-5.3%
12Mountrail County5,709+0.2%
13Mercer County5,177-3.9%
14Walsh County5,009-1.3%
15Barnes County4,537-2.9%
16Rolette County4,365-3.4%
17McLean County3,520-0.6%
18Pembina County3,488-4.4%
19Traill County3,392+1.1%
20Sargent County2,990+3.4%
21Bottineau County2,447-2.7%
22Ransom County2,061-1.2%
23Dunn County1,983-1.1%
24Benson County1,917-3.2%
25Dickey County1,909-0.1%
26Pierce County1,772+1.4%
27Foster County1,634-0.4%
28Sioux County1,610-0.1%
29Bowman County1,554-5.5%
30Wells County1,544-1%
31LaMoure County1,406-1.3%
32Cavalier County1,404-3.5%
33McHenry County1,297-1.6%
34McIntosh County1,082+1%
35Nelson County978-4.4%
36Adams County968-2.2%
37Emmons County957-1.2%
38Griggs County852-4.7%
39Divide County822-6.5%
40Towner County730-11.3%
41Hettinger County729-2.3%
42Renville County725+0.8%
43Eddy County718-0.3%
44Oliver County702-21%
45Burke County681-3.4%
46Golden Valley County658-1.9%
47Kidder County657-3.5%
48Logan County640+0.3%
49Steele County607-0.7%
50Grant County551-2%
51Billings County468-0.4%
52Sheridan County235-0.8%
53Slope County129-12.2%

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/2017/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), 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/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), 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2017. 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), 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2017.

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), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_north_dakota_2017,
  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), 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2017. 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/2017/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), 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2017.
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/2017/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 117,363 jobs in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Slope County, with 129 jobs in 2017.

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