Counties in North Dakota by covered employment (QCEW)

Cass County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 53 counties in 2024, at 128,033 jobs. Slope County had the lowest, at 99 jobs. The median was 1,542 jobs and the figure for North Dakota was 428,692 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest128,033Cass County
Lowest99Slope County
Median1,54253 counties
North Dakota428,692History

Map of counties, 2024

Adams County: 844 jobsBarnes County: 4,474 jobsBenson County: 1,973 jobsBillings County: 671 jobsBottineau County: 2,491 jobsBowman County: 1,344 jobsBurke County: 662 jobsBurleigh County: 58,033 jobsCass County: 128,033 jobsCavalier County: 1,232 jobsDickey County: 1,979 jobsDivide County: 697 jobsDunn County: 2,076 jobsEddy County: 711 jobsEmmons County: 943 jobsFoster County: 1,542 jobsGolden Valley County: 641 jobsGrand Forks County: 40,704 jobsGrant County: 661 jobsGriggs County: 789 jobsHettinger County: 673 jobsKidder County: 732 jobsLaMoure County: 1,406 jobsLogan County: 638 jobsMcHenry County: 1,298 jobsMcIntosh County: 998 jobsMcKenzie County: 11,484 jobsMcLean County: 3,404 jobsMercer County: 4,450 jobsMorton County: 12,332 jobsMountrail County: 5,341 jobsNelson County: 1,040 jobsOliver County: 706 jobsPembina County: 3,284 jobsPierce County: 1,606 jobsRamsey County: 5,587 jobsRansom County: 1,997 jobsRenville County: 678 jobsRichland County: 7,970 jobsRolette County: 4,591 jobsSargent County: 2,762 jobsSheridan County: 228 jobsSioux County: 1,491 jobsSlope County: 99 jobsStark County: 19,526 jobsSteele County: 536 jobsStutsman County: 11,076 jobsTowner County: 658 jobsTraill County: 3,562 jobsWalsh County: 4,790 jobsWard County: 31,358 jobsWells County: 1,438 jobsWilliams County: 27,125 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 and over
jobs, 2024. 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, 2024

Cass County: 128,033 jobsCass County128,033Burleigh County: 58,033 jobsBurleigh County58,033Grand Forks County: 40,704 jobsGrand Forks County40,704Ward County: 31,358 jobsWard County31,358Williams County: 27,125 jobsWilliams County27,125Stark County: 19,526 jobsStark County19,526Morton County: 12,332 jobsMorton County12,332McKenzie County: 11,484 jobsMcKenzie County11,484Stutsman County: 11,076 jobsStutsman County11,076Richland County: 7,970 jobsRichland County7,970Ramsey County: 5,587 jobsRamsey County5,587Mountrail County: 5,341 jobsMountrail County5,341Walsh County: 4,790 jobsWalsh County4,790Rolette County: 4,591 jobsRolette County4,591Barnes County: 4,474 jobsBarnes County4,474Mercer County: 4,450 jobsMercer County4,450Traill County: 3,562 jobsTraill County3,562McLean County: 3,404 jobsMcLean County3,404Pembina County: 3,284 jobsPembina County3,284Sargent County: 2,762 jobsSargent County2,762Bottineau County: 2,491 jobsBottineau County2,491Dunn County: 2,076 jobsDunn County2,076Ransom County: 1,997 jobsRansom County1,997Dickey County: 1,979 jobsDickey County1,979Benson County: 1,973 jobsBenson County1,973Pierce County: 1,606 jobsPierce County1,606Foster County: 1,542 jobsFoster County1,542Sioux County: 1,491 jobsSioux County1,491Wells County: 1,438 jobsWells County1,438LaMoure County: 1,406 jobsLaMoure County1,406Bowman County: 1,344 jobsBowman County1,344McHenry County: 1,298 jobsMcHenry County1,298Cavalier County: 1,232 jobsCavalier County1,232Nelson County: 1,040 jobsNelson County1,040McIntosh County: 998 jobsMcIntosh County998Emmons County: 943 jobsEmmons County943Adams County: 844 jobsAdams County844Griggs County: 789 jobsGriggs County789Kidder County: 732 jobsKidder County732Eddy County: 711 jobsEddy County711Oliver County: 706 jobsOliver County706Divide County: 697 jobsDivide County697Renville County: 678 jobsRenville County678Hettinger County: 673 jobsHettinger County673Billings County: 671 jobsBillings County671Burke County: 662 jobsBurke County662Grant County: 661 jobsGrant County661Towner County: 658 jobsTowner County658Golden Valley County: 641 jobsGolden Valley County641Logan County: 638 jobsLogan County638Steele County: 536 jobsSteele County536Sheridan County: 228 jobsSheridan County228Slope County: 99 jobsSlope County99Cass County: 128,033 jobsCass County128,033Burleigh County: 58,033 jobsBurleigh County58,033Grand Forks County: 40,704 jobsGrand Forks County40,704Ward County: 31,358 jobsWard County31,358Williams County: 27,125 jobsWilliams County27,125Stark County: 19,526 jobsStark County19,526Morton County: 12,332 jobsMorton County12,332McKenzie County: 11,484 jobsMcKenzie County11,484Stutsman County: 11,076 jobsStutsman County11,076Richland County: 7,970 jobsRichland County7,970Ramsey County: 5,587 jobsRamsey County5,587Mountrail County: 5,341 jobsMountrail County5,341Walsh County: 4,790 jobsWalsh County4,790Rolette County: 4,591 jobsRolette County4,591Barnes County: 4,474 jobsBarnes County4,474Mercer County: 4,450 jobsMercer County4,450Traill County: 3,562 jobsTraill County3,562McLean County: 3,404 jobsMcLean County3,404Pembina County: 3,284 jobsPembina County3,284Sargent County: 2,762 jobsSargent County2,762Bottineau County: 2,491 jobsBottineau County2,491Dunn County: 2,076 jobsDunn County2,076Ransom County: 1,997 jobsRansom County1,997Dickey County: 1,979 jobsDickey County1,979Benson County: 1,973 jobsBenson County1,973Pierce County: 1,606 jobsPierce County1,606Foster County: 1,542 jobsFoster County1,542Sioux County: 1,491 jobsSioux County1,491Wells County: 1,438 jobsWells County1,438LaMoure County: 1,406 jobsLaMoure County1,406Bowman County: 1,344 jobsBowman County1,344McHenry County: 1,298 jobsMcHenry County1,298Cavalier County: 1,232 jobsCavalier County1,232Nelson County: 1,040 jobsNelson County1,040McIntosh County: 998 jobsMcIntosh County998Emmons County: 943 jobsEmmons County943Adams County: 844 jobsAdams County844Griggs County: 789 jobsGriggs County789Kidder County: 732 jobsKidder County732Eddy County: 711 jobsEddy County711Oliver County: 706 jobsOliver County706Divide County: 697 jobsDivide County697Renville County: 678 jobsRenville County678Hettinger County: 673 jobsHettinger County673Billings County: 671 jobsBillings County671Burke County: 662 jobsBurke County662Grant County: 661 jobsGrant County661Towner County: 658 jobsTowner County658Golden Valley County: 641 jobsGolden Valley County641Logan County: 638 jobsLogan County638Steele County: 536 jobsSteele County536Sheridan County: 228 jobsSheridan County228Slope County: 99 jobsSlope County99
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

RankCounties2024
jobs
Change on 2023
1Cass County128,033+1.5%
2Burleigh County58,033+1.3%
3Grand Forks County40,704+2.1%
4Ward County31,358+0.8%
5Williams County27,125+3.4%
6Stark County19,526+2.5%
7Morton County12,332+1.2%
8McKenzie County11,484+4%
9Stutsman County11,076+0.5%
10Richland County7,970+0.9%
11Ramsey County5,587+0.6%
12Mountrail County5,341+1.4%
13Walsh County4,790+1%
14Rolette County4,591+2.4%
15Barnes County4,474-0%
16Mercer County4,450+6.9%
17Traill County3,562+0.8%
18McLean County3,404-0.1%
19Pembina County3,284-0.3%
20Sargent County2,762-2.6%
21Bottineau County2,491+1.8%
22Dunn County2,076+2.5%
23Ransom County1,997+2.4%
24Dickey County1,979+15.5%
25Benson County1,973-0.1%
26Pierce County1,606+0.7%
27Foster County1,542+0.3%
28Sioux County1,491+0.7%
29Wells County1,438-1%
30LaMoure County1,406+3.5%
31Bowman County1,344+0.7%
32McHenry County1,298-3.8%
33Cavalier County1,232-0.5%
34Nelson County1,040+4.1%
35McIntosh County998+2.4%
36Emmons County943+0.5%
37Adams County844+3.1%
38Griggs County789-1.1%
39Kidder County732-2%
40Eddy County711+0.9%
41Oliver County706+5.2%
42Divide County697-15.1%
43Renville County678-7.8%
44Hettinger County673-0.7%
45Billings County671+3.7%
46Burke County662-1.9%
47Grant County661+8.2%
48Towner County658-3.1%
49Golden Valley County641+2.4%
50Logan County638+3.7%
51Steele County536+1.1%
52Sheridan County228-2.6%
53Slope County99+28.6%

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/2024/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), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/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), 2024. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2024. 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), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2024.

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), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_north_dakota_2024,
  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), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2024. 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/2024/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), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/north-dakota-counties?period=2024.
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/2024/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 128,033 jobs in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Slope County, with 99 jobs in 2024.

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