North Dakota Counties (ND): Complete County List and Practical Guide
North Dakota is divided into 53 counties. Each county is a practical unit for records, services, and local geography. If you work with addresses, property, data, or planning, the county level keeps everything organized and easy to compare across places.
This page is built for quick reference. It starts with a complete county list, then covers simple, evergreen county facts you can use any time.
Quick Note
A county seat is the main administrative hub for a county. It is often, but not always, the largest city in that county.
Complete List of North Dakota Counties and County Seats
| County | County Seat |
|---|---|
| Adams | Hettinger |
| Barnes | Valley City |
| Benson | Minnewaukan |
| Billings | Medora |
| Bottineau | Bottineau |
| Bowman | Bowman |
| Burke | Bowbells |
| Burleigh | Bismarck |
| Cass | Fargo |
| Cavalier | Langdon |
| Dickey | Ellendale |
| Divide | Crosby |
| Dunn | Manning |
| Eddy | New Rockford |
| Emmons | Linton |
| Foster | Carrington |
| Golden Valley | Beach |
| Grand Forks | Grand Forks |
| Grant | Carson |
| Griggs | Cooperstown |
| Hettinger | Mott |
| Kidder | Steele |
| LaMoure | LaMoure |
| Logan | Napoleon |
| McHenry | Towner |
| McIntosh | Ashley |
| McKenzie | Watford City |
| McLean | Garrison |
| Mercer | Stanton |
| Morton | Mandan |
| Mountrail | Stanley |
| Nelson | Lakota |
| Oliver | Center |
| Pembina | Cavalier |
| Pierce | Rugby |
| Ramsey | Devils Lake |
| Ransom | Lisbon |
| Renville | Mohall |
| Richland | Wahpeton |
| Rolette | Rolla |
| Sargent | Forman |
| Sheridan | McClusky |
| Sioux | Fort Yates |
| Slope | Amidon |
| Stark | Dickinson |
| Steele | Finley |
| Stutsman | Jamestown |
| Towner | Cando |
| Traill | Hillsboro |
| Walsh | Grafton |
| Ward | Minot |
| Wells | Fessenden |
| Williams | Williston |
| Eddy | New Rockford |
| Emmons | Linton |
| Foster | Carrington |
| Grand Forks | Grand Forks |
| Grants | Carson |
| Griggs | Cooperstown |
| LaMoure | LaMoure |
| Logan | Napoleon |
| Mercer | Stanton |
| Nelson | Lakota |
| Oliver | Center |
| Ramsey | Devils Lake |
| Ransom | Lisbon |
| Richland | Wahpeton |
| Rolette | Rolla |
| Sargent | Forman |
| Stutsman | Jamestown |
Tip for Fast Use
If you need to confirm a county for a small town, start with the county seat. Seats usually host the courthouse and county offices, so they appear often in official directories and records.
County Basics You Can Use
Counties help keep services consistent across a wide area. You will see counties used for public records, mapping, and many types of statistics. Think of a county as a stable label for place based information.
- Administrative boundaries stay stable over time, which makes long term comparisons easier.
- County seats are the usual home for key offices and records.
- Many datasets group results by county because it balances detail and simplicity.
County Seat and Service Hubs
A county seat is a practical anchor point. It often includes offices tied to records and services that people look up again and again. That makes the seat a useful reference even if you never visit.
What You Typically Find in a County Seat
- Courthouse and recordkeeping offices
- Property and land related filings
- Licenses and permits for common local needs
- Service departments that cover the full county area
This is why a county seat name is a strong clue when sorting addresses or documnts.
Finding a County From a Place Name
County lookups are straightforward when you use a consistent approach. These steps work well for both cities and rural locations.
- Start with the city or community name.
- Check whether the place is inside one county or near a border.
- If you have only a ZIP code, treat it as a hint, not a perfect match.
- For high accuracy, use a point location like a street intersection or GPS coordinate, then match it to a county boundary.
Common Mix Ups That Are Easy to Avoid
- Postal city and county are not the same thing.
- A county seat can share a name with the county, yet many do not.
- Rural addresses can reference a nearby town while still being in a different county.
County Level Statistics That Stay Useful
If you want information that stays relevant year after year, focus on measures that rarely change. These work well for dashboards, research notes, and general reference.
| Stable Data Type | Why It Stays Evergreen |
|---|---|
| County names and seats | They change rarely and anchor many official records |
| Boundary based measures | Geographic shape and area are stable for long periods |
| Core geography context | Major river basins and regional landscape patterns persist |
| Time zone overview | North Dakota uses Central and Mountain time zones, a stable planning detail |
Practical Ways People Use Counties
County level organization shows up in everyday tasks. The examples below are common and safe for general audiences, and they keep working even as details like population shift over time.
- Genealogy and local history: older records are often filed by county and county seat.
- Property research: parcels, deeds, and land filings are typically organized by county.
- Business planning: service areas and market notes often use county boundaries for clarity.
- Travel planning: county seats can be handy waypoints, since they tend to be well marked and easy to find.
North Dakota Snapshot for Context
- State Capital: Bismarck
- Total Counties: 53
- Major Rivers: Missouri River, Red River
- Landscape: Great Plains with strong regional variation from east to west
County Names, Quickly Scanned
If you want a fast alphabetical skim, this list helps you spot a county name at a glance before you jump back to the table.
A–G
Adams, Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Dunn, Eddy, Emmons, Foster, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs
H–M
Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail
N–W
Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill, Walsh, Ward, Wells, Williams