North Dakota counties by area
Official, comparable measurements for 53 counties and county equivalents.
Understanding North Dakota’s county areas
The land-area range runs from Eddy County at 630.2 mi² to McKenzie County at 2,760.1 mi². The largest has 4.4 times the land area of the smallest and accounts for 4% of the combined county land in North Dakota.
The median county-equivalent land area is 1,161.8 mi², above the national median of 604.5 mi². The median describes the middle of the county size distribution; it does not describe how people or development are distributed. A state with a few very large counties can have a much smaller median than its largest entry suggests.
Where water changes the picture
McLean County has the most assigned water area, at 217.7 mi². It also has the highest water share, with water making up 9.4% of its total area. Water area and water percentage answer different questions: the first measures an amount, while the second measures the mix of land and water.
Across all 53 entries, water accounts for 2.4% of the combined total area. This is calculated from the summed land and water measurements, rather than averaging county percentages, which would give each small and large county equal weight.
Compare the largest and smallest county equivalents in North Dakota to see land, water, and total area on the same scale.
These calculations use the 2026 Census county records listed below. County-equivalent boundaries vary between states; area alone does not measure population, density, or usable land. See coverage and calculation rules.
Complete area table
Sorted from largest to smallest land area.
| # | County / equivalent | Land | Water | Water share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McKenzie CountyGEOID 38053 | 2,760.1 mi² | 100.3 mi² | 3.5% |
| 2 | Stutsman CountyGEOID 38093 | 2,221.9 mi² | 76.2 mi² | 3.3% |
| 3 | McLean CountyGEOID 38055 | 2,110.3 mi² | 217.7 mi² | 9.4% |
| 4 | Williams CountyGEOID 38105 | 2,077.6 mi² | 70.2 mi² | 3.3% |
| 5 | Ward CountyGEOID 38101 | 2,013 mi² | 43 mi² | 2.1% |
| 6 | Dunn CountyGEOID 38025 | 2,008.6 mi² | 73.6 mi² | 3.5% |
| 7 | Morton CountyGEOID 38059 | 1,925.9 mi² | 19.3 mi² | 1% |
| 8 | McHenry CountyGEOID 38049 | 1,873.9 mi² | 37.6 mi² | 2% |
| 9 | Mountrail CountyGEOID 38061 | 1,825.2 mi² | 116.4 mi² | 6% |
| 10 | Cass CountyGEOID 38017 | 1,764.9 mi² | 2.9 mi² | 0.2% |
| 11 | Bottineau CountyGEOID 38009 | 1,668.9 mi² | 28.8 mi² | 1.7% |
| 12 | Grant CountyGEOID 38037 | 1,659.2 mi² | 6.8 mi² | 0.4% |
| 13 | Burleigh CountyGEOID 38015 | 1,632.7 mi² | 35.8 mi² | 2.1% |
| 14 | Emmons CountyGEOID 38029 | 1,508.4 mi² | 46.9 mi² | 3% |
| 15 | Barnes CountyGEOID 38003 | 1,491.6 mi² | 21.8 mi² | 1.4% |
| 16 | Cavalier CountyGEOID 38019 | 1,489.1 mi² | 20.7 mi² | 1.4% |
| 17 | Grand Forks CountyGEOID 38035 | 1,436.2 mi² | 3.2 mi² | 0.2% |
| 18 | Richland CountyGEOID 38077 | 1,435.7 mi² | 9.7 mi² | 0.7% |
| 19 | Benson CountyGEOID 38005 | 1,388.6 mi² | 50.8 mi² | 3.5% |
| 20 | Kidder CountyGEOID 38043 | 1,351.1 mi² | 81.8 mi² | 5.7% |
| 21 | Stark CountyGEOID 38089 | 1,334.9 mi² | 5.4 mi² | 0.4% |
| 22 | Walsh CountyGEOID 38099 | 1,281.6 mi² | 12.4 mi² | 1% |
| 23 | Wells CountyGEOID 38103 | 1,270.5 mi² | 19.8 mi² | 1.5% |
| 24 | Divide CountyGEOID 38023 | 1,261.1 mi² | 33.5 mi² | 2.6% |
| 25 | Slope CountyGEOID 38087 | 1,215.3 mi² | 4.2 mi² | 0.3% |
| 26 | Ramsey CountyGEOID 38071 | 1,185.4 mi² | 115.6 mi² | 8.9% |
| 27 | Bowman CountyGEOID 38011 | 1,161.8 mi² | 5.2 mi² | 0.4% |
| 28 | Billings CountyGEOID 38007 | 1,148.5 mi² | 4.6 mi² | 0.4% |
| 29 | LaMoure CountyGEOID 38045 | 1,146 mi² | 5 mi² | 0.4% |
| 30 | Hettinger CountyGEOID 38041 | 1,132.2 mi² | 1.5 mi² | 0.1% |
| 31 | Dickey CountyGEOID 38021 | 1,131.5 mi² | 10.7 mi² | 0.9% |
| 32 | Pembina CountyGEOID 38067 | 1,118.5 mi² | 2.7 mi² | 0.2% |
| 33 | Burke CountyGEOID 38013 | 1,103.6 mi² | 25.4 mi² | 2.2% |
| 34 | Sioux CountyGEOID 38085 | 1,094.1 mi² | 34.2 mi² | 3% |
| 35 | Mercer CountyGEOID 38057 | 1,042.8 mi² | 69.8 mi² | 6.3% |
| 36 | Towner CountyGEOID 38095 | 1,025.1 mi² | 16.5 mi² | 1.6% |
| 37 | Pierce CountyGEOID 38069 | 1,018.3 mi² | 64.2 mi² | 5.9% |
| 38 | Golden Valley CountyGEOID 38033 | 1,000.9 mi² | 1.6 mi² | 0.2% |
| 39 | Logan CountyGEOID 38047 | 992.6 mi² | 18.4 mi² | 1.8% |
| 40 | Adams CountyGEOID 38001 | 987.5 mi² | 1.1 mi² | 0.1% |
| 41 | Nelson CountyGEOID 38063 | 981.8 mi² | 27.1 mi² | 2.7% |
| 42 | McIntosh CountyGEOID 38051 | 974.6 mi² | 20 mi² | 2% |
| 43 | Sheridan CountyGEOID 38083 | 972.2 mi² | 33.3 mi² | 3.3% |
| 44 | Rolette CountyGEOID 38079 | 903 mi² | 36.5 mi² | 3.9% |
| 45 | Renville CountyGEOID 38075 | 877.2 mi² | 15.7 mi² | 1.8% |
| 46 | Ransom CountyGEOID 38073 | 862.5 mi² | 1.4 mi² | 0.2% |
| 47 | Traill CountyGEOID 38097 | 861.9 mi² | 0.6 mi² | 0.1% |
| 48 | Sargent CountyGEOID 38081 | 858.5 mi² | 8.4 mi² | 1% |
| 49 | Oliver CountyGEOID 38065 | 722.4 mi² | 8.7 mi² | 1.2% |
| 50 | Steele CountyGEOID 38091 | 712.1 mi² | 3.3 mi² | 0.5% |
| 51 | Griggs CountyGEOID 38039 | 708.7 mi² | 7.9 mi² | 1.1% |
| 52 | Foster CountyGEOID 38031 | 634.1 mi² | 12.8 mi² | 2% |
| 53 | Eddy CountyGEOID 38027 | 630.2 mi² | 13.9 mi² | 2.2% |