List of counties in North Dakota
# List of counties in North Dakota

This is a list of counties in North Dakota. There are 53 counties in the U.S. state of North Dakota.

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry. North Dakota's code is 38, which when combined with any county code would be written as 38XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

## List

| County | FIPS code | County seat | Est. | Etymology | Population | Area |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Adams County | 001 | Hettinger | 1885 | John Quincy Adams, a railroad agent and cousin of the former president who was instrumental in having the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway built through North Dakota | 2,115 | 988 sq mi (2,559 $km^2)$ |
| Barnes County | 003 | Valley City | 1875 | Dakota Territory judge Alanson H. Barnes | 10,758 | 1,492 sq mi (3,864 $km^2)$ |
| Benson County | 005 | Minnewaukan | 1883 | Dakota territorial legislator Bertil W. Benson | 5,770 | 1,389 sq mi (3,597 $km^2)$ |
| Billings County | 007 | Medora | 1879 | Frederick H. Billings (1823–1890), who was president of the Northern Pacific Railroad | 1,018 | 1,152 sq mi (2,984 $km^2)$ |
| Bottineau County | 009 | Bottineau | 1873 | Named for frontiersman Pierre Bottineau | 6,376 | 1,669 sq mi (4,323 $km^2)$ |
| Bowman County | 011 | Bowman | 1883 | Dakota territorial legislator Edward M. Bowman | 2,894 | 1,162 sq mi (3,010 $km^2)$ |
| Burke County | 013 | Bowbells | 1910 | John Burke, tenth Governor of North Dakota | 2,155 | 1,104 sq mi (2,859 $km^2)$ |
| Burleigh County | 015 | Bismarck | 1873 | Walter A. Burleigh (1820–1896), territorial delegate to Congress | 99,280 | 1,633 sq mi (4,229 $km^2)$ |
| Cass County | 017 | Fargo | 1873 | George Washington Cass (1810–1888), who was the president of the Northern Pacific Railroad | 192,734 | 1,766 sq mi (4,574 $km^2)$ |
| Cavalier County | 019 | Langdon | 1873 | Charles Cavalier, French fur trapper and one of the area's original settlers | 3,597 | 1,489 sq mi (3,856 $km^2)$ |
| Dickey County | 021 | Ellendale | 1881 | Dakota territorial legislator George H. Dickey | 4,923 | 1,131 sq mi (2,929 $km^2)$ |
| Divide County | 023 | Crosby | 1910 | Named because it was created upon the division of Williams County | 2,187 | 1,259 sq mi (3,261 $km^2)$ |
| Dunn County | 025 | Manning | 1883 | John P. Dunn, an early civic leader of Bismarck, who opened the first drugstore in North Dakota | 4,015 | 2,010 sq mi (5,206 $km^2)$ |
| Eddy County | 027 | New Rockford | 1885 | Ezra B. Eddy, a Fargo banker and one of the territory's wealthiest citizens | 2,314 | 632 sq mi (1,637 $km^2)$ |
| Emmons County | 029 | Linton | 1879 | James Emmons, an early entrepreneur and businessman who operated the first steamboat across the Missouri River in Bismarck | 3,250 | 1,510 sq mi (3,911 $km^2)$ |
| Foster County | 031 | Carrington | 1873 | Either James S. Foster and George I. Foster, brother, and prominent farmers during the territorial days | 3,378 | 635 sq mi (1,645 $km^2)$ |
| Golden Valley County | 033 | Beach | 1912 | Named for either promotional reasons or for the Golden Valley Land and Cattle Company | 1,744 | 1,002 sq mi (2,595 $km^2)$ |
| Grand Forks County | 035 | Grand Forks | 1873 | Named for Grand Forks, North Dakota, which in turn was named for its location at the intersection of the Red Lake River and the Red River of the North | 72,413 | 1,438 sq mi (3,724 $km^2)$ |
| Grant County | 037 | Carson | 1916 | Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), eighteenth U.S. President | 2,243 | 1,660 sq mi (4,299 $km^2)$ |
| Griggs County | 039 | Cooperstown | 1881 | Alexander Griggs, a steamboat captain and founder of Grand Forks, North Dakota | 2,252 | 708 sq mi (1,834 $km^2)$ |
| Hettinger County | 041 | Mott | 1883 | Mathias K. Hettinger, the father-in-law of Erastus A. Williams, the North Dakota Speaker of the House during that session | 2,406 | 1,132 sq mi (2,932 $km^2)$ |
| Kidder County | 043 | Steele | 1873 | Jefferson Parrish Kidder, territorial delegate to the 44th Congress and 45th Congresses | 2,393 | 1,352 sq mi (3,502 $km^2)$ |
| LaMoure County | 045 | LaMoure | 1873 | Dakota territorial legislator and North Dakota state legislator Judson LaMoure | 4,098 | 1,147 sq mi (2,971 $km^2)$ |
| Logan County | 047 | Napoleon | 1873 | Illinois U.S. Senator John A. Logan (1826–1886) | 1,855 | 993 sq mi (2,572 $km^2)$ |
| McHenry County | 049 | Towner | 1873 | James McHenry, one of the area's original settlers | 5,189 | 1,874 sq mi (4,854 $km^2)$ |
| McIntosh County | 051 | Ashley | 1883 | Edward H. McIntosh, a member of the Territorial Legislature | 2,475 | 975 sq mi (2,525 $km^2)$ |
| McKenzie County | 053 | Watford City | 1905 | Alexander McKenzie, party boss known in the state as "the senator-maker" | 13,908 | 2,742 sq mi (7,102 $km^2)$ |
| McLean County | 055 | Washburn | 1883 | John A. McLean, first mayor of Bismarck, North Dakota | 9,824 | 2,110 sq mi (5,465 $km^2)$ |
| Mercer County | 057 | Stanton | 1875 | William Henry Harrison Mercer, an early settler | 8,333 | 1,045 sq mi (2,707 $km^2)$ |
| Morton County | 059 | Mandan | 1873 | Governor of Indiana Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton | 33,710 | 1,926 sq mi (4,988 $km^2)$ |
| Mountrail County | 061 | Stanley | 1873 | Joseph Mountraille, Metis voyageur and early explorer | 9,290 | 1,824 sq mi (4,724 $km^2)$ |
| Nelson County | 063 | Lakota | 1883 | Dakota territorial legislator Nelson E. Nelson | 2,995 | 982 sq mi (2,543 $km^2)$ |
| Oliver County | 065 | Center | 1885 | Dakota territorial legislator Harry S. Oliver | 1,856 | 724 sq mi (1,875 $km^2)$ |
| Pembina County | 067 | Cavalier | 1867 | Named for the high-bush cranberries which grew wild in the area. Pembina may be from an Ojibwa phrase, anepeminan sipi, referring to the berries, as they grew in abundance around the Redberry River; it may also be from an Ojibwa word meaning meeting place. The name originally applied to the old Pembina Territory | 6,763 | 1,119 sq mi (2,898 $km^2)$ |
| Pierce County | 069 | Rugby | 1887 | Gilbert Ashville Pierce, a Governor of Dakota Territory and later a U.S. Senator from North Dakota | 3,942 | 1,018 sq mi (2,637 $km^2)$ |
| Ramsey County | 071 | Devils Lake | 1873 | Minnesota U.S. Senator Alexander Ramsey | 11,515 | 1,186 sq mi (3,072 $km^2)$ |
| Ransom County | 073 | Lisbon | 1873 | Named for locally situated Fort Ransom | 5,640 | 863 sq mi (2,235 $km^2)$ |
| Renville County | 075 | Mohall | 1873 | Joseph Renville, missionary and interpreter for Dakota Native Americans | 2,220 | 875 sq mi (2,266 $km^2)$ |
| Richland County | 077 | Wahpeton | 1873 | Morgan T. Rich, early settler | 16,580 | 1,437 sq mi (3,722 $km^2)$ |
| Rolette County | 079 | Rolla | 1873 | Joseph Rolette, Jr. (1820–1871), a prominent fur trapper and local political organizer | 11,933 | 902 sq mi (2,336 $km^2)$ |
| Sargent County | 081 | Forman | 1883 | Homer E. Sargent, a general manager of the Northern Pacific Railroad | 3,795 | 859 sq mi (2,225 $km^2)$ |
| Sheridan County | 083 | McClusky | 1873 | American Civil War officer Philip Henry Sheridan (1831–1888) | 1,295 | 972 sq mi (2,517 $km^2)$ |
| Sioux County | 085 | Fort Yates | 1915 | The Native American Sioux people | 3,711 | 1,094 sq mi (2,833 $km^2)$ |
| Slope County | 087 | Amidon | 1915 | Topographical feature within the county known as the Missouri Slope | 672 | 1,218 sq mi (3,155 $km^2)$ |
| Stark County | 089 | Dickinson | 1879 | George Stark, a vice president of the Northern Pacific Railroad | 32,803 | 1,338 sq mi (3,465 $km^2)$ |
| Steele County | 091 | Finley | 1883 | Edward H. Steele, secretary-treasurer of the Red River Land Company | 1,788 | 712 sq mi (1,844 $km^2)$ |
| Stutsman County | 093 | Jamestown | 1873 | Dakota Territorial Legislator Enos Stutsman | 21,487 | 2,222 sq mi (5,755 $km^2)$ |
| Towner County | 095 | Cando | 1883 | Dakota territorial legislator Oscar M. Towner | 2,064 | 1,025 sq mi (2,655 $km^2)$ |
| Traill County | 097 | Hillsboro | 1875 | Walter John Strickland Traill, early settler | 7,958 | 862 sq mi (2,233 $km^2)$ |
| Walsh County | 099 | Grafton | 1881 | George H. Walsh, early settler and one of the founders of the University of North Dakota | 10,438 | 1,282 sq mi (3,320 $km^2)$ |
| Ward County | 101 | Minot | 1888 | Dakota territorial legislator Mark Ward (1844–1902) | 68,870 | 2,013 sq mi (5,214 $km^2)$ |
| Wells County | 103 | Fessenden | 1873 | Dakota territorial legislator Edward Payson Wells | 3,930 | 1,271 sq mi (3,292 $km^2)$ |
| Williams County | 105 | Williston | 1890 | Dakota territorial legislator Erastus Appelman Williams | 38,109 | 2,071 sq mi (5,364 $km^2)$ |
