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COUNTY

Richland County

North Dakota · 16,731 residents (2025 est.) · 1,436 sq mi
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The short version

Richland County is home to 16,584 people in North Dakota. That puts it in the top 7% of US counties for household income. There are 12 people per square mile. The foreign-born share is 2%. 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $183,600.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.0
US median: 38.9
Less educated
25% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 55%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
16,584
−8%since 2000
from 17,998 in 2000
16,731 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
12 / sq mi
Unchangedsince 2009
from 12 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
38.0
+7%since 2000
from 35.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,436 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
16K17K17K18K18K19902000201020202024Richland County
202417K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.3%(874)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.1%(1,013)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.5%(1,080)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 199.6%(1,593)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.3%(1,210)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.3%(1,870)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.3%(1,866)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 549.7%(1,606)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.8%(2,116)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.4%(1,897)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.8%(1,125)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(334)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$75,432
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,098 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$40,975
+151%since 2000
from $16,339 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
50.4%
+24.8 ptssince 2009
from 25.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2000
from 10.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.447
+8%since 2010
from 0.415 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade16%
US avg: 9.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing11.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction11%
US avg: 1.2%
Information8.1%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade5.3%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing3.5%
US avg: 2.2%
Other services3.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Arts, entertainment, food0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.5%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$183,600
+55%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $65,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$740
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $374 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
68.1%
−1.5 ptssince 2000
from 69.6% in 2000
31.9% rent
Vacancy rate
9.0%
−4.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.21 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.23 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
14.1%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 16.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
30.3%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 31.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.4
+24%since 2009
from 2.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
54
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic96.3%(17,337)
Black0.3%(62)
Hispanic / Latino0.7%(123)
Asian0.2%(44)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic88.8%(14,722)
Black0.8%(130)
Hispanic / Latino3.8%(624)
Asian0.8%(131)
Other5.9%(977)
Diversity Score
26
+80%since 2009
from 14 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
12
−39%since 2020
from 20 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.8%(463)
Costa Rican0.3%(53)
Spaniard0.1%(16)
Dominican0.1%(10)
Cuban0%(4)
Asian origin
Filipino0.7%(114)
Chinese0.1%(20)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
German42.8%(7,098)
Norwegian21.2%(3,512)
Irish5.5%(904)
Swedish3.7%(612)
English3.6%(598)
Czech2.6%(432)
Polish2.6%(430)
French1.8%(306)
Dutch1.8%(304)
American1.7%(279)
Russian1.5%(255)
Scottish1.4%(232)
+ 23 more ancestry groups with data
Danish1%(170)
Italian0.5%(84)
Finnish0.4%(73)
Swiss0.4%(64)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(53)
Ukrainian0.3%(49)
Austrian0.3%(44)
Hungarian0.2%(34)
Welsh0.1%(22)
Greek0.1%(15)
Canadian0.1%(14)
Slovak0.1%(13)
Armenian0.1%(11)
Haitian0%(8)
Belgian0%(7)
Serbian0%(7)
British0%(4)
Arab0%(3)
Syrian0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
24.9%
+9.7 ptssince 2000
from 15.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.5%
+11.3 ptssince 2000
from 83.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.6%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 3.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.1 min
+52%since 2000
from 13.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
77.3%
+3.5 ptssince 2009
from 73.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.5%
−6.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
8.2%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
6.5%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.3%
+3.5 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
1.7%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 3.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.3%
−0.9 ptssince 2011
from 67.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
82.8%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 79.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.8%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
36.1%
+7.9 ptssince 2009
from 28.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.4%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 52.4% in 2009
Female
49.6%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 47.6% in 2009
Foreign born
1.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.3%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.7%
+1.8 ptssince 2012
from 10.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.7%
−0.8 ptssince 2013
from 7.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.4%
+17.8 ptssince 2017
from 73.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.6%
+3.4 ptssince 2020
from 91.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
88.1%
+5.5 ptssince 2020
from 82.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
97.2%
+0.4 ptssince 2016
from 96.8% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2016
from 1.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married37.3%(2,606)
Married49%(3,420)
Widowed1.8%(127)
Divorced11.8%(825)
Women 15+
Never married28.2%(1,870)
Married53.5%(3,550)
Widowed10.4%(693)
Divorced7.9%(526)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.7%
−0.8 ptssince 2013
from 7.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
60.0%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 61.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
21.0%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 21.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.8%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 19.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
11.5%
−2.9 ptssince 2020
from 14.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 3.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
79.4%
−1.8 ptssince 2020
from 81.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
30.2%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 31.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)18.5%(174)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)15.7%(148)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era42.6%(401)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.7%(44)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.4%(4)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 941 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Richland County to nearby counties

RICHLAND COUNTY VS
Wilkin County
Income$71,410−5%
Home value$182,200−1%
Population6,288−62%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RICHLAND COUNTY VS
Sargent County
Income$77,946+3%
Home value$163,200−11%
Population3,711−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RICHLAND COUNTY VS
Ransom County
Income$75,736same
Home value$193,000+5%
Population5,617−66%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RICHLAND COUNTY VS
Traverse County
Income$62,989−16%
Home value$114,100−38%
Population3,130−81%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Richland County, North Dakota?

Richland County, North Dakota has about 16,584 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Richland County, North Dakota?

The typical household in Richland County, North Dakota earns about $75,432 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Richland County, North Dakota expensive?

In Richland County, North Dakota, the median home is worth about $183,600, and the typical rent is about $740 a month.

How educated are people in Richland County, North Dakota?

About 24.9% of adults age 25 and over in Richland County, North Dakota hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Richland County, North Dakota?

About 9.7% of people in Richland County, North Dakota live below the federal poverty line.

Has Richland County, North Dakota grown since 1990?

Yes, Richland County, North Dakota has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 1,564 residents, a change of about -9 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →