Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW)

Cass County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 53 counties in 2022, at 123,128 jobs. Slope County had the lowest, at 77 jobs. The median was 1,522 jobs and the figure for North Dakota was 411,307 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest123,128Cass County
Lowest77Slope County
Median1,52253 counties
North Dakota411,307History

Map of counties, 2022

Adams County: 815 jobsBarnes County: 4,488 jobsBenson County: 1,958 jobsBillings County: 590 jobsBottineau County: 2,394 jobsBowman County: 1,312 jobsBurke County: 648 jobsBurleigh County: 57,099 jobsCass County: 123,128 jobsCavalier County: 1,234 jobsDickey County: 1,690 jobsDivide County: 731 jobsDunn County: 2,055 jobsEddy County: 708 jobsEmmons County: 913 jobsFoster County: 1,522 jobsGolden Valley County: 608 jobsGrand Forks County: 39,155 jobsGrant County: 586 jobsGriggs County: 780 jobsHettinger County: 718 jobsKidder County: 720 jobsLaMoure County: 1,343 jobsLogan County: 610 jobsMcHenry County: 1,315 jobsMcIntosh County: 958 jobsMcKenzie County: 10,027 jobsMcLean County: 3,351 jobsMercer County: 4,057 jobsMorton County: 11,898 jobsMountrail County: 5,069 jobsNelson County: 1,016 jobsOliver County: 690 jobsPembina County: 3,249 jobsPierce County: 1,574 jobsRamsey County: 5,499 jobsRansom County: 1,951 jobsRenville County: 719 jobsRichland County: 7,706 jobsRolette County: 4,364 jobsSargent County: 2,895 jobsSheridan County: 232 jobsSioux County: 1,417 jobsSlope County: 77 jobsStark County: 18,188 jobsSteele County: 543 jobsStutsman County: 10,733 jobsTowner County: 654 jobsTraill County: 3,380 jobsWalsh County: 4,749 jobsWard County: 30,604 jobsWells County: 1,420 jobsWilliams County: 24,469 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 and over
jobs, 2022. 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, 2022

Cass County: 123,128 jobsCass County123,128Burleigh County: 57,099 jobsBurleigh County57,099Grand Forks County: 39,155 jobsGrand Forks County39,155Ward County: 30,604 jobsWard County30,604Williams County: 24,469 jobsWilliams County24,469Stark County: 18,188 jobsStark County18,188Morton County: 11,898 jobsMorton County11,898Stutsman County: 10,733 jobsStutsman County10,733McKenzie County: 10,027 jobsMcKenzie County10,027Richland County: 7,706 jobsRichland County7,706Ramsey County: 5,499 jobsRamsey County5,499Mountrail County: 5,069 jobsMountrail County5,069Walsh County: 4,749 jobsWalsh County4,749Barnes County: 4,488 jobsBarnes County4,488Rolette County: 4,364 jobsRolette County4,364Mercer County: 4,057 jobsMercer County4,057Traill County: 3,380 jobsTraill County3,380McLean County: 3,351 jobsMcLean County3,351Pembina County: 3,249 jobsPembina County3,249Sargent County: 2,895 jobsSargent County2,895Bottineau County: 2,394 jobsBottineau County2,394Dunn County: 2,055 jobsDunn County2,055Benson County: 1,958 jobsBenson County1,958Ransom County: 1,951 jobsRansom County1,951Dickey County: 1,690 jobsDickey County1,690Pierce County: 1,574 jobsPierce County1,574Foster County: 1,522 jobsFoster County1,522Wells County: 1,420 jobsWells County1,420Sioux County: 1,417 jobsSioux County1,417LaMoure County: 1,343 jobsLaMoure County1,343McHenry County: 1,315 jobsMcHenry County1,315Bowman County: 1,312 jobsBowman County1,312Cavalier County: 1,234 jobsCavalier County1,234Nelson County: 1,016 jobsNelson County1,016McIntosh County: 958 jobsMcIntosh County958Emmons County: 913 jobsEmmons County913Adams County: 815 jobsAdams County815Griggs County: 780 jobsGriggs County780Divide County: 731 jobsDivide County731Kidder County: 720 jobsKidder County720Renville County: 719 jobsRenville County719Hettinger County: 718 jobsHettinger County718Eddy County: 708 jobsEddy County708Oliver County: 690 jobsOliver County690Towner County: 654 jobsTowner County654Burke County: 648 jobsBurke County648Logan County: 610 jobsLogan County610Golden Valley County: 608 jobsGolden Valley County608Billings County: 590 jobsBillings County590Grant County: 586 jobsGrant County586Steele County: 543 jobsSteele County543Sheridan County: 232 jobsSheridan County232Slope County: 77 jobsSlope County77Cass County: 123,128 jobsCass County123,128Burleigh County: 57,099 jobsBurleigh County57,099Grand Forks County: 39,155 jobsGrand Forks County39,155Ward County: 30,604 jobsWard County30,604Williams County: 24,469 jobsWilliams County24,469Stark County: 18,188 jobsStark County18,188Morton County: 11,898 jobsMorton County11,898Stutsman County: 10,733 jobsStutsman County10,733McKenzie County: 10,027 jobsMcKenzie County10,027Richland County: 7,706 jobsRichland County7,706Ramsey County: 5,499 jobsRamsey County5,499Mountrail County: 5,069 jobsMountrail County5,069Walsh County: 4,749 jobsWalsh County4,749Barnes County: 4,488 jobsBarnes County4,488Rolette County: 4,364 jobsRolette County4,364Mercer County: 4,057 jobsMercer County4,057Traill County: 3,380 jobsTraill County3,380McLean County: 3,351 jobsMcLean County3,351Pembina County: 3,249 jobsPembina County3,249Sargent County: 2,895 jobsSargent County2,895Bottineau County: 2,394 jobsBottineau County2,394Dunn County: 2,055 jobsDunn County2,055Benson County: 1,958 jobsBenson County1,958Ransom County: 1,951 jobsRansom County1,951Dickey County: 1,690 jobsDickey County1,690Pierce County: 1,574 jobsPierce County1,574Foster County: 1,522 jobsFoster County1,522Wells County: 1,420 jobsWells County1,420Sioux County: 1,417 jobsSioux County1,417LaMoure County: 1,343 jobsLaMoure County1,343McHenry County: 1,315 jobsMcHenry County1,315Bowman County: 1,312 jobsBowman County1,312Cavalier County: 1,234 jobsCavalier County1,234Nelson County: 1,016 jobsNelson County1,016McIntosh County: 958 jobsMcIntosh County958Emmons County: 913 jobsEmmons County913Adams County: 815 jobsAdams County815Griggs County: 780 jobsGriggs County780Divide County: 731 jobsDivide County731Kidder County: 720 jobsKidder County720Renville County: 719 jobsRenville County719Hettinger County: 718 jobsHettinger County718Eddy County: 708 jobsEddy County708Oliver County: 690 jobsOliver County690Towner County: 654 jobsTowner County654Burke County: 648 jobsBurke County648Logan County: 610 jobsLogan County610Golden Valley County: 608 jobsGolden Valley County608Billings County: 590 jobsBillings County590Grant County: 586 jobsGrant County586Steele County: 543 jobsSteele County543Sheridan County: 232 jobsSheridan County232Slope County: 77 jobsSlope County77
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

RankCounties2022
jobs
Change on 2021
1Cass County123,128+2.9%
2Burleigh County57,099+1.4%
3Grand Forks County39,155+2.4%
4Ward County30,604+2%
5Williams County24,469+9%
6Stark County18,188+5.6%
7Morton County11,898+3.3%
8Stutsman County10,733+2.8%
9McKenzie County10,027+9.9%
10Richland County7,706+2.1%
11Ramsey County5,499-1.1%
12Mountrail County5,069+0.4%
13Walsh County4,749-0.2%
14Barnes County4,488+1.2%
15Rolette County4,364+3.2%
16Mercer County4,057-1.1%
17Traill County3,380+1.5%
18McLean County3,351+1.8%
19Pembina County3,249-2.6%
20Sargent County2,895-3.4%
21Bottineau County2,394+2.6%
22Dunn County2,055+7.3%
23Benson County1,958+3.7%
24Ransom County1,951-0.6%
25Dickey County1,690-1.5%
26Pierce County1,574+1.2%
27Foster County1,522+0.8%
28Wells County1,420+1.7%
29Sioux County1,417-0.5%
30LaMoure County1,343+3.7%
31McHenry County1,3150%
32Bowman County1,312-3.4%
33Cavalier County1,234-3.4%
34Nelson County1,016+5.2%
35McIntosh County958-3%
36Emmons County913-3.1%
37Adams County815-2.4%
38Griggs County780-2.4%
39Divide County731+0.3%
40Kidder County720+0.8%
41Renville County719+2%
42Hettinger County718+2.3%
43Eddy County708+0.7%
44Oliver County690-3.5%
45Towner County654-3.4%
46Burke County648+0.9%
47Logan County6100%
48Golden Valley County608+0.5%
49Billings County590+0.2%
50Grant County586-3.1%
51Steele County543+0.6%
52Sheridan County232+2.2%
53Slope County77-23%

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/2022/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), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/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), 2022. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2022. 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), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2022.

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), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_north_dakota_2022,
  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), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2022. 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/2022/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), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2022.
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/2022/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 123,128 jobs in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Slope County, with 77 jobs in 2022.

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