Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW)

Cass County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 53 counties in 2019, at 120,149 jobs. Slope County had the lowest, at 136 jobs. The median was 1,569 jobs and the figure for North Dakota was 422,837 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest120,149Cass County
Lowest136Slope County
Median1,56953 counties
North Dakota422,837History

Map of counties, 2019

Adams County: 959 jobsBarnes County: 4,474 jobsBenson County: 1,956 jobsBillings County: 530 jobsBottineau County: 2,407 jobsBowman County: 1,569 jobsBurke County: 707 jobsBurleigh County: 56,268 jobsCass County: 120,149 jobsCavalier County: 1,346 jobsDickey County: 1,799 jobsDivide County: 779 jobsDunn County: 2,158 jobsEddy County: 737 jobsEmmons County: 935 jobsFoster County: 1,543 jobsGolden Valley County: 617 jobsGrand Forks County: 39,845 jobsGrant County: 566 jobsGriggs County: 815 jobsHettinger County: 703 jobsKidder County: 672 jobsLaMoure County: 1,340 jobsLogan County: 623 jobsMcHenry County: 1,282 jobsMcIntosh County: 1,026 jobsMcKenzie County: 12,339 jobsMcLean County: 3,440 jobsMercer County: 4,196 jobsMorton County: 11,589 jobsMountrail County: 6,301 jobsNelson County: 966 jobsOliver County: 726 jobsPembina County: 3,499 jobsPierce County: 1,660 jobsRamsey County: 5,667 jobsRansom County: 2,032 jobsRenville County: 731 jobsRichland County: 7,806 jobsRolette County: 4,357 jobsSargent County: 3,618 jobsSheridan County: 239 jobsSioux County: 1,551 jobsSlope County: 136 jobsStark County: 20,019 jobsSteele County: 584 jobsStutsman County: 10,891 jobsTowner County: 718 jobsTraill County: 3,390 jobsWalsh County: 4,869 jobsWard County: 31,754 jobsWells County: 1,429 jobsWilliams County: 29,700 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 and over
jobs, 2019. 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, 2019

Cass County: 120,149 jobsCass County120,149Burleigh County: 56,268 jobsBurleigh County56,268Grand Forks County: 39,845 jobsGrand Forks County39,845Ward County: 31,754 jobsWard County31,754Williams County: 29,700 jobsWilliams County29,700Stark County: 20,019 jobsStark County20,019McKenzie County: 12,339 jobsMcKenzie County12,339Morton County: 11,589 jobsMorton County11,589Stutsman County: 10,891 jobsStutsman County10,891Richland County: 7,806 jobsRichland County7,806Mountrail County: 6,301 jobsMountrail County6,301Ramsey County: 5,667 jobsRamsey County5,667Walsh County: 4,869 jobsWalsh County4,869Barnes County: 4,474 jobsBarnes County4,474Rolette County: 4,357 jobsRolette County4,357Mercer County: 4,196 jobsMercer County4,196Sargent County: 3,618 jobsSargent County3,618Pembina County: 3,499 jobsPembina County3,499McLean County: 3,440 jobsMcLean County3,440Traill County: 3,390 jobsTraill County3,390Bottineau County: 2,407 jobsBottineau County2,407Dunn County: 2,158 jobsDunn County2,158Ransom County: 2,032 jobsRansom County2,032Benson County: 1,956 jobsBenson County1,956Dickey County: 1,799 jobsDickey County1,799Pierce County: 1,660 jobsPierce County1,660Bowman County: 1,569 jobsBowman County1,569Sioux County: 1,551 jobsSioux County1,551Foster County: 1,543 jobsFoster County1,543Wells County: 1,429 jobsWells County1,429Cavalier County: 1,346 jobsCavalier County1,346LaMoure County: 1,340 jobsLaMoure County1,340McHenry County: 1,282 jobsMcHenry County1,282McIntosh County: 1,026 jobsMcIntosh County1,026Nelson County: 966 jobsNelson County966Adams County: 959 jobsAdams County959Emmons County: 935 jobsEmmons County935Griggs County: 815 jobsGriggs County815Divide County: 779 jobsDivide County779Eddy County: 737 jobsEddy County737Renville County: 731 jobsRenville County731Oliver County: 726 jobsOliver County726Towner County: 718 jobsTowner County718Burke County: 707 jobsBurke County707Hettinger County: 703 jobsHettinger County703Kidder County: 672 jobsKidder County672Logan County: 623 jobsLogan County623Golden Valley County: 617 jobsGolden Valley County617Steele County: 584 jobsSteele County584Grant County: 566 jobsGrant County566Billings County: 530 jobsBillings County530Sheridan County: 239 jobsSheridan County239Slope County: 136 jobsSlope County136Cass County: 120,149 jobsCass County120,149Burleigh County: 56,268 jobsBurleigh County56,268Grand Forks County: 39,845 jobsGrand Forks County39,845Ward County: 31,754 jobsWard County31,754Williams County: 29,700 jobsWilliams County29,700Stark County: 20,019 jobsStark County20,019McKenzie County: 12,339 jobsMcKenzie County12,339Morton County: 11,589 jobsMorton County11,589Stutsman County: 10,891 jobsStutsman County10,891Richland County: 7,806 jobsRichland County7,806Mountrail County: 6,301 jobsMountrail County6,301Ramsey County: 5,667 jobsRamsey County5,667Walsh County: 4,869 jobsWalsh County4,869Barnes County: 4,474 jobsBarnes County4,474Rolette County: 4,357 jobsRolette County4,357Mercer County: 4,196 jobsMercer County4,196Sargent County: 3,618 jobsSargent County3,618Pembina County: 3,499 jobsPembina County3,499McLean County: 3,440 jobsMcLean County3,440Traill County: 3,390 jobsTraill County3,390Bottineau County: 2,407 jobsBottineau County2,407Dunn County: 2,158 jobsDunn County2,158Ransom County: 2,032 jobsRansom County2,032Benson County: 1,956 jobsBenson County1,956Dickey County: 1,799 jobsDickey County1,799Pierce County: 1,660 jobsPierce County1,660Bowman County: 1,569 jobsBowman County1,569Sioux County: 1,551 jobsSioux County1,551Foster County: 1,543 jobsFoster County1,543Wells County: 1,429 jobsWells County1,429Cavalier County: 1,346 jobsCavalier County1,346LaMoure County: 1,340 jobsLaMoure County1,340McHenry County: 1,282 jobsMcHenry County1,282McIntosh County: 1,026 jobsMcIntosh County1,026Nelson County: 966 jobsNelson County966Adams County: 959 jobsAdams County959Emmons County: 935 jobsEmmons County935Griggs County: 815 jobsGriggs County815Divide County: 779 jobsDivide County779Eddy County: 737 jobsEddy County737Renville County: 731 jobsRenville County731Oliver County: 726 jobsOliver County726Towner County: 718 jobsTowner County718Burke County: 707 jobsBurke County707Hettinger County: 703 jobsHettinger County703Kidder County: 672 jobsKidder County672Logan County: 623 jobsLogan County623Golden Valley County: 617 jobsGolden Valley County617Steele County: 584 jobsSteele County584Grant County: 566 jobsGrant County566Billings County: 530 jobsBillings County530Sheridan County: 239 jobsSheridan County239Slope County: 136 jobsSlope County136
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

RankCounties2019
jobs
Change on 2018
1Cass County120,149+1.7%
2Burleigh County56,268+0.8%
3Grand Forks County39,845-0.9%
4Ward County31,754-0.2%
5Williams County29,700+3.2%
6Stark County20,019+3.3%
7McKenzie County12,339+16.8%
8Morton County11,589+1.7%
9Stutsman County10,891-1.9%
10Richland County7,806-1%
11Mountrail County6,301+5.8%
12Ramsey County5,667-0.6%
13Walsh County4,869-2.5%
14Barnes County4,474-1%
15Rolette County4,357-0.5%
16Mercer County4,196-8.7%
17Sargent County3,618+7%
18Pembina County3,499+0.7%
19McLean County3,440-0.1%
20Traill County3,390-0.8%
21Bottineau County2,407+0.2%
22Dunn County2,158+9.3%
23Ransom County2,032-3.4%
24Benson County1,956+1.2%
25Dickey County1,799-3.7%
26Pierce County1,660-4.1%
27Bowman County1,569+5.8%
28Sioux County1,551-0.1%
29Foster County1,543-5.4%
30Wells County1,429-3.2%
31Cavalier County1,346-4.1%
32LaMoure County1,340-1.5%
33McHenry County1,282+0.8%
34McIntosh County1,026-1.9%
35Nelson County966-0.6%
36Adams County959+0.1%
37Emmons County935-0.1%
38Griggs County815-1.9%
39Divide County779-5.3%
40Eddy County737+0.1%
41Renville County731+0.7%
42Oliver County726+1.8%
43Towner County718-4.1%
44Burke County707-0.4%
45Hettinger County703-0.3%
46Kidder County6720%
47Logan County623-1.9%
48Golden Valley County617-4.2%
49Steele County584-1%
50Grant County566+3.1%
51Billings County530+10.2%
52Sheridan County239+3.9%
53Slope County136+3.8%

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/2019/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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/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), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_north_dakota_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/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 120,149 jobs in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Slope County, with 136 jobs in 2019.

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