Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW)

Cass County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 53 counties in 2018, at 118,119 jobs. Slope County had the lowest, at 131 jobs. The median was 1,631 jobs and the figure for North Dakota was 417,578 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest118,119Cass County
Lowest131Slope County
Median1,63153 counties
North Dakota417,578History

Map of counties, 2018

Adams County: 958 jobsBarnes County: 4,518 jobsBenson County: 1,932 jobsBillings County: 481 jobsBottineau County: 2,401 jobsBowman County: 1,483 jobsBurke County: 710 jobsBurleigh County: 55,842 jobsCass County: 118,119 jobsCavalier County: 1,403 jobsDickey County: 1,868 jobsDivide County: 823 jobsDunn County: 1,975 jobsEddy County: 736 jobsEmmons County: 936 jobsFoster County: 1,631 jobsGolden Valley County: 644 jobsGrand Forks County: 40,205 jobsGrant County: 549 jobsGriggs County: 831 jobsHettinger County: 705 jobsKidder County: 672 jobsLaMoure County: 1,360 jobsLogan County: 635 jobsMcHenry County: 1,272 jobsMcIntosh County: 1,046 jobsMcKenzie County: 10,568 jobsMcLean County: 3,442 jobsMercer County: 4,598 jobsMorton County: 11,397 jobsMountrail County: 5,954 jobsNelson County: 972 jobsOliver County: 713 jobsPembina County: 3,474 jobsPierce County: 1,731 jobsRamsey County: 5,700 jobsRansom County: 2,104 jobsRenville County: 726 jobsRichland County: 7,884 jobsRolette County: 4,381 jobsSargent County: 3,382 jobsSheridan County: 230 jobsSioux County: 1,552 jobsSlope County: 131 jobsStark County: 19,381 jobsSteele County: 590 jobsStutsman County: 11,099 jobsTowner County: 749 jobsTraill County: 3,419 jobsWalsh County: 4,996 jobsWard County: 31,812 jobsWells County: 1,477 jobsWilliams County: 28,773 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 and over
jobs, 2018. 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, 2018

Cass County: 118,119 jobsCass County118,119Burleigh County: 55,842 jobsBurleigh County55,842Grand Forks County: 40,205 jobsGrand Forks County40,205Ward County: 31,812 jobsWard County31,812Williams County: 28,773 jobsWilliams County28,773Stark County: 19,381 jobsStark County19,381Morton County: 11,397 jobsMorton County11,397Stutsman County: 11,099 jobsStutsman County11,099McKenzie County: 10,568 jobsMcKenzie County10,568Richland County: 7,884 jobsRichland County7,884Mountrail County: 5,954 jobsMountrail County5,954Ramsey County: 5,700 jobsRamsey County5,700Walsh County: 4,996 jobsWalsh County4,996Mercer County: 4,598 jobsMercer County4,598Barnes County: 4,518 jobsBarnes County4,518Rolette County: 4,381 jobsRolette County4,381Pembina County: 3,474 jobsPembina County3,474McLean County: 3,442 jobsMcLean County3,442Traill County: 3,419 jobsTraill County3,419Sargent County: 3,382 jobsSargent County3,382Bottineau County: 2,401 jobsBottineau County2,401Ransom County: 2,104 jobsRansom County2,104Dunn County: 1,975 jobsDunn County1,975Benson County: 1,932 jobsBenson County1,932Dickey County: 1,868 jobsDickey County1,868Pierce County: 1,731 jobsPierce County1,731Foster County: 1,631 jobsFoster County1,631Sioux County: 1,552 jobsSioux County1,552Bowman County: 1,483 jobsBowman County1,483Wells County: 1,477 jobsWells County1,477Cavalier County: 1,403 jobsCavalier County1,403LaMoure County: 1,360 jobsLaMoure County1,360McHenry County: 1,272 jobsMcHenry County1,272McIntosh County: 1,046 jobsMcIntosh County1,046Nelson County: 972 jobsNelson County972Adams County: 958 jobsAdams County958Emmons County: 936 jobsEmmons County936Griggs County: 831 jobsGriggs County831Divide County: 823 jobsDivide County823Towner County: 749 jobsTowner County749Eddy County: 736 jobsEddy County736Renville County: 726 jobsRenville County726Oliver County: 713 jobsOliver County713Burke County: 710 jobsBurke County710Hettinger County: 705 jobsHettinger County705Kidder County: 672 jobsKidder County672Golden Valley County: 644 jobsGolden Valley County644Logan County: 635 jobsLogan County635Steele County: 590 jobsSteele County590Grant County: 549 jobsGrant County549Billings County: 481 jobsBillings County481Sheridan County: 230 jobsSheridan County230Slope County: 131 jobsSlope County131Cass County: 118,119 jobsCass County118,119Burleigh County: 55,842 jobsBurleigh County55,842Grand Forks County: 40,205 jobsGrand Forks County40,205Ward County: 31,812 jobsWard County31,812Williams County: 28,773 jobsWilliams County28,773Stark County: 19,381 jobsStark County19,381Morton County: 11,397 jobsMorton County11,397Stutsman County: 11,099 jobsStutsman County11,099McKenzie County: 10,568 jobsMcKenzie County10,568Richland County: 7,884 jobsRichland County7,884Mountrail County: 5,954 jobsMountrail County5,954Ramsey County: 5,700 jobsRamsey County5,700Walsh County: 4,996 jobsWalsh County4,996Mercer County: 4,598 jobsMercer County4,598Barnes County: 4,518 jobsBarnes County4,518Rolette County: 4,381 jobsRolette County4,381Pembina County: 3,474 jobsPembina County3,474McLean County: 3,442 jobsMcLean County3,442Traill County: 3,419 jobsTraill County3,419Sargent County: 3,382 jobsSargent County3,382Bottineau County: 2,401 jobsBottineau County2,401Ransom County: 2,104 jobsRansom County2,104Dunn County: 1,975 jobsDunn County1,975Benson County: 1,932 jobsBenson County1,932Dickey County: 1,868 jobsDickey County1,868Pierce County: 1,731 jobsPierce County1,731Foster County: 1,631 jobsFoster County1,631Sioux County: 1,552 jobsSioux County1,552Bowman County: 1,483 jobsBowman County1,483Wells County: 1,477 jobsWells County1,477Cavalier County: 1,403 jobsCavalier County1,403LaMoure County: 1,360 jobsLaMoure County1,360McHenry County: 1,272 jobsMcHenry County1,272McIntosh County: 1,046 jobsMcIntosh County1,046Nelson County: 972 jobsNelson County972Adams County: 958 jobsAdams County958Emmons County: 936 jobsEmmons County936Griggs County: 831 jobsGriggs County831Divide County: 823 jobsDivide County823Towner County: 749 jobsTowner County749Eddy County: 736 jobsEddy County736Renville County: 726 jobsRenville County726Oliver County: 713 jobsOliver County713Burke County: 710 jobsBurke County710Hettinger County: 705 jobsHettinger County705Kidder County: 672 jobsKidder County672Golden Valley County: 644 jobsGolden Valley County644Logan County: 635 jobsLogan County635Steele County: 590 jobsSteele County590Grant County: 549 jobsGrant County549Billings County: 481 jobsBillings County481Sheridan County: 230 jobsSheridan County230Slope County: 131 jobsSlope County131
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

RankCounties2018
jobs
Change on 2017
1Cass County118,119+0.6%
2Burleigh County55,842-2%
3Grand Forks County40,205-1%
4Ward County31,812+1.1%
5Williams County28,773+7.4%
6Stark County19,381+3.6%
7Morton County11,397+0.9%
8Stutsman County11,099-1.8%
9McKenzie County10,568+16.9%
10Richland County7,884+2%
11Mountrail County5,954+4.3%
12Ramsey County5,700-1.5%
13Walsh County4,996-0.3%
14Mercer County4,598-11.2%
15Barnes County4,518-0.4%
16Rolette County4,381+0.4%
17Pembina County3,474-0.4%
18McLean County3,442-2.2%
19Traill County3,419+0.8%
20Sargent County3,382+13.1%
21Bottineau County2,401-1.9%
22Ransom County2,104+2.1%
23Dunn County1,975-0.4%
24Benson County1,932+0.8%
25Dickey County1,868-2.1%
26Pierce County1,731-2.3%
27Foster County1,631-0.2%
28Sioux County1,552-3.6%
29Bowman County1,483-4.6%
30Wells County1,477-4.3%
31Cavalier County1,403-0.1%
32LaMoure County1,360-3.3%
33McHenry County1,272-1.9%
34McIntosh County1,046-3.3%
35Nelson County972-0.6%
36Adams County958-1%
37Emmons County936-2.2%
38Griggs County831-2.5%
39Divide County823+0.1%
40Towner County749+2.6%
41Eddy County736+2.5%
42Renville County726+0.1%
43Oliver County713+1.6%
44Burke County710+4.3%
45Hettinger County705-3.3%
46Kidder County672+2.3%
47Golden Valley County644-2.1%
48Logan County635-0.8%
49Steele County590-2.8%
50Grant County549-0.4%
51Billings County481+2.8%
52Sheridan County230-2.1%
53Slope County131+1.6%

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/2018/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), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/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), 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2018. 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), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2018.

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), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_north_dakota_2018,
  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), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2018. 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/2018/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), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2018.
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/2018/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 118,119 jobs in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Slope County, with 131 jobs in 2018.

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