The 10 North Dakota Cities With The Largest Native American Population For 2023


We used data and science to determine the cities in North Dakota with the largest Native American population.

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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in North Dakota with the largest Native American population.

There are three major races in America that come to most of our minds right away:

  1. White
  2. Hispanic
  3. African American

But those are only the major races, there's a whole bunch of other races people are interested in knowing about.

And today, we are going to look at the percent of the population in North Dakota that are Native American.

Native Americans are not a major portion of the current American Population, but they are still very important.

There are now over 2 million people who identify as Native American living in America, making up .65% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Native American population in North Dakota is 37,016 - at 4.8% of the total population of North Dakota.

So, what how does the Native American population stratify across North Dakota? Which cities and towns in North Dakota have seen the greatest increase in their Native American population?

The 10 Cities In North Dakota With The Largest Native American Population For 2023

  1. Devils Lake
  2. Mandan
  3. Bismarck
  4. Grand Forks
  5. Minot
  6. Jamestown
  7. Williston
  8. Wahpeton
  9. Dickinson
  10. Valley City

Which city in North Dakota had the largest Native American population?

Devils Lake took the number one over all spot for the largest Native American population in North Dakota for 2023. 14.05% of Devils Lake identify as Native American.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where North Dakota ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.

And if you already knew these places were Native American, check out the best places to live in North Dakota or the most diverse places in North Dakota.

For more North Dakota reading, check out:

Cities In North Dakota With The Largest Native American Population For 2023

Devils Lake, ND

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,201
% Native American: 14.05%
# Of Native American Residents: 1,012
Percent Change Since 2010: 23.87%
More on Devils Lake: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Mandan, ND

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 23,784
% Native American: 4.45%
# Of Native American Residents: 1,059
Percent Change Since 2010: 46.27%
More on Mandan: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Bismarck, ND

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 73,321
% Native American: 4.36%
# Of Native American Residents: 3,199
Percent Change Since 2010: 52.04%
More on Bismarck: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Grand Forks, ND

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 58,867
% Native American: 2.6%
# Of Native American Residents: 1,531
Percent Change Since 2010: -9.14%
More on Grand Forks: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Minot, ND

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 48,005
% Native American: 2.15%
# Of Native American Residents: 1,032
Percent Change Since 2010: 18.76%
More on Minot: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Jamestown, ND

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 15,823
% Native American: 1.86%
# Of Native American Residents: 294
Percent Change Since 2010: 8.09%
More on Jamestown: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Williston, ND

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 27,368
% Native American: 1.83%
# Of Native American Residents: 501
Percent Change Since 2010: 32.89%
More on Williston: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Wahpeton, ND

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,928
% Native American: 1.83%
# Of Native American Residents: 145
Percent Change Since 2010: -32.87%
More on Wahpeton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Dickinson, ND

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 24,851
% Native American: 1.64%
# Of Native American Residents: 408
Percent Change Since 2010: 187.32%
More on Dickinson: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Valley City, ND

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 6,586
% Native American: 1.2%
# Of Native American Residents: 79
Percent Change Since 2010: 276.19%
More on Valley City: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In North Dakota With The Largest Native American Population For 2023

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across North Dakota.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as American Indian and Alaska Native alone.

We limited our analysis to places with a population greater than 6,000 people. That left us with 12 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are American Indian and Alaska Native. The percentages ranked from 14.05% to 0.93%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of American Indian and Alaska Native population with a higher score being more American Indian and Alaska Native than a lower score. Devils Lake took the distinction of being the most American Indian and Alaska Native, while West Fargo was the least Native American city.

Read on for more information on how the cities in North Dakota ranked by population of American Indian and Alaska Native residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Native American Populations Across North Dakota

If you're looking for a breakdown of Native American populations across North Dakota according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least Native American places in North Dakota:

  1. West Fargo
  2. Fargo
  3. Valley City

For more North Dakota reading, check out:

What Are The Most Native American Places In North Dakota?

Rank City % Native American Population
1 Devils Lake 14.05% 7,201
2 Mandan 4.45% 23,784
3 Bismarck 4.36% 73,321
4 Grand Forks 2.6% 58,867
5 Minot 2.15% 48,005
6 Jamestown 1.86% 15,823
7 Williston 1.83% 27,368
8 Wahpeton 1.83% 7,928
9 Dickinson 1.64% 24,851
10 Valley City 1.2% 6,586
11 Fargo 1.04% 124,979
12 West Fargo 0.93% 37,913

How Is The Area In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.