County outline
Where Slope County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.7% of Slope County’s measured area and water for 0.3%. Its combined area converts to 3,158.5 square kilometers or approximately 780,483 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,215.264 | 3,147.519 | 777,769 |
| Water | 4.24 | 10.982 | 2,713.6 |
| Total | 1,219.504 | 3,158.501 | 780,482.6 |
How Slope County compares
By original Census land area, Slope County ranks #25 of 53 in North Dakota and #505 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.046 times the North Dakota county-equivalent median of 1,161.8 square miles. It accounts for 1.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete North Dakota ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Slope County
The Census Bureau estimates that 628 people lived in Slope County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #3,209 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #53 of 53 in North Dakota. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 701, the population has declined by 73 (−10.4%), compared with +2.6% for North Dakota as a whole.
With 1,215.3 square miles of land, that is 0.52 people per square mile (0.2 per km²), placing Slope County #3,193 nationally for density and #53 in North Dakota. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the North Dakota median is 3.7. Put another way, there are about 1,238 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 697 | 688 | 678 | 668 | 644 | 628 |
| Change | — | −9 | −10 | −10 | −24 | −16 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Slope County
2 incorporated places lie at least partly in Slope County. Together they are home to 112 people (17.8%); the other 516 (82.2%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Marmarth city, with 91 residents in the county. The county seat, Amidon city, has 21 residents.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marmarth city | 91 | −10.8% | 2.578 |
| Amidon cityCounty seat | 21 | −12.5% | 0.627 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Slope County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Slope County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Slope County; 1 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
586205862258623586435864758649586515865358654
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Slope County
Slope County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents, including 1 in Montana. It has more land than 5 of them. The largest neighbor is Fallon County (1,620.6 mi²) and the smallest is Adams County (987.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Slope County forms a block of 9,601.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Slope | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fallon CountyMontana | 1,620.6 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Stark County | 1,334.9 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Bowman County | 1,161.8 | about the same | Compare |
| Billings County | 1,148.5 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Hettinger County | 1,132.2 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Golden Valley County | 1,000.9 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Adams County | 987.5 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
How big is Slope County compared with U.S. states?
Slope County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.2 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.6 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). North Dakota’s county land could hold about 57 areas the size of Slope County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 34.9 miles (56.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Slope County?
Slope County has more land than 2,717 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Slope County at #584 nationally by total area, 79 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 0.3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.8 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Slope County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #504 | Atascosa County, Texas | 1,219.5 | Compare |
| #505 | Slope County, North Dakota | 1,215.3 | This county |
| #506 | Oneida County, New York | 1,212.4 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 46.445834, -103.462462. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 3,147,520,243 m²; AWATER: 10,980,612 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Slope County?
Slope County, North Dakota has 1,215.3 square miles (3,147.5 km²) of land and 4.24 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,219.5 square miles. It ranks #505 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Slope County the largest county in North Dakota?
No. Slope County ranks #25 of 53 in North Dakota by land area. The largest is McKenzie County, with 2,760.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Slope County?
Slope County shares a land border with Bowman County, Golden Valley County, Hettinger County, Fallon County, Montana, Billings County, Stark County, and Adams County.
What is the population of Slope County?
The Census Bureau estimates Slope County had 628 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #3,209 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 0.52 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Slope County?
The county seat of Slope County is Amidon.
What cities and towns are in Slope County?
Slope County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are Marmarth city and Amidon city; 516 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Slope County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Slope County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Slope County?
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Slope County, and 1 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Slope County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Slope County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 777,769 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 780,483 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.