You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in North Dakota.
The median household income in Dunn County, the richest county in North Dakota is $97,689, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 53 counties in the Peace Garden State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in North Dakota? The richest county in North Dakota is Dunn County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Sioux County, according to the Census data.
$97,689 median income · $384,084 median home price
$93,404 median income · $367,243 median home price
$86,806 median income · $376,267 median home price
$86,851 median income · $362,350 median home price
$85,595 median income · $343,436 median home price
$84,449 median income · $310,355 median home price
$79,382 median income · $318,880 median home price
$87,004 median income · $211,640 median home price
$80,946 median income · $231,337 median home price
$80,717 median income · $236,830 median home price
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is North Dakota’s statewide median.
North Dakota statewide median: $76,657
North Dakota statewide median: $284,076
On the map
Where North Dakota’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which North Dakota county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in North Dakota, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in North Dakota for each of the criteria from one to 53, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In North Dakota.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Peace Garden State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in North Dakota. The median North Dakota home is 41 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In North Dakota
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dunn County | 4,040 | $97,689 | $384,084 |
| 2 | McKenzie County | 14,321 | $93,404 | $367,243 |
| 3 | Billings County | 1,024 | $86,806 | $376,267 |
| 4 | Burleigh County | 100,600 | $86,851 | $362,350 |
| 5 | Williams County | 39,555 | $85,595 | $343,436 |
| 6 | Stark County | 33,302 | $84,449 | $310,355 |
| 7 | Morton County | 33,777 | $79,382 | $318,880 |
| 8 | Traill County | 7,970 | $87,004 | $211,640 |
| 9 | Mercer County | 8,337 | $80,946 | $231,337 |
| 10 | Mountrail County | 9,507 | $80,717 | $236,830 |
| 10 | Divide County | 2,167 | $91,852 | $190,521 |
| 12 | Ward County | 68,973 | $78,238 | $277,618 |
| 13 | Cass County | 193,400 | $75,555 | $328,967 |
| 14 | McLean County | 9,823 | $83,583 | $212,100 |
| 14 | Bottineau County | 6,378 | $85,000 | $210,385 |
| 16 | Foster County | 3,358 | $87,831 | $184,311 |
| 16 | Oliver County | 1,839 | $77,240 | $251,891 |
| 18 | Richland County | 16,584 | $75,432 | $222,822 |
| 19 | Grand Forks County | 72,923 | $68,075 | $284,894 |
| 20 | Burke County | 2,156 | $91,591 | $140,162 |
| 20 | Ransom County | 5,643 | $75,736 | $193,954 |
| 22 | Sargent County | 3,804 | $77,946 | $175,719 |
| 22 | McHenry County | 5,207 | $80,733 | $153,384 |
| 24 | Renville County | 2,304 | $74,301 | $186,736 |
| 25 | Slope County | 766 | $71,250 | $193,249 |
| 26 | Bowman County | 2,906 | $72,109 | $183,492 |
| 27 | Barnes County | 10,773 | $68,038 | $193,628 |
| 27 | Steele County | 1,804 | $77,500 | $148,574 |
| 29 | Kidder County | 2,377 | $65,610 | $213,803 |
| 30 | LaMoure County | 4,118 | $80,664 | $133,228 |
| 31 | Stutsman County | 21,549 | $61,856 | $224,540 |
| 33 | Dickey County | 4,935 | $68,654 | $168,745 |
| 33 | Golden Valley County | 1,653 | $68,021 | $184,552 |
| 33 | Walsh County | 10,396 | $71,944 | $157,408 |
| 35 | Cavalier County | 3,633 | $69,531 | $163,327 |
| 36 | Ramsey County | 11,556 | $61,006 | $222,690 |
| 37 | Hettinger County | 2,432 | $73,026 | $135,967 |
| 38 | Nelson County | 3,016 | $67,193 | $151,639 |
| 39 | Pembina County | 6,727 | $68,393 | $132,947 |
| 40 | Emmons County | 3,254 | $66,538 | $145,400 |
| 41 | Benson County | 5,808 | $64,033 | $147,236 |
| 42 | Pierce County | 3,928 | $59,365 | $167,444 |
| 42 | Towner County | 2,079 | $67,350 | $131,821 |
| 44 | Wells County | 3,890 | $66,114 | $132,761 |
| 45 | Adams County | 2,145 | $62,500 | $136,450 |
| 46 | Sheridan County | 1,303 | $62,639 | $128,478 |
| 47 | Logan County | 1,819 | $62,750 | $115,949 |
| 47 | Griggs County | 2,245 | $61,711 | $128,850 |
| 49 | McIntosh County | 2,497 | $64,419 | $95,715 |
| 50 | Rolette County | 11,924 | $59,517 | $117,995 |
| 51 | Eddy County | 2,307 | $50,850 | $116,782 |
| 52 | Grant County | 2,269 | $57,875 | $105,946 |
| 53 | Sioux County | 3,740 | $42,083 | $97,079 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 53 North Dakota counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In North Dakota For 2026
Living in North Dakota can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in North Dakota are Dunn County, McKenzie County, Billings County, Burleigh County, Williams County, Stark County, Morton County, Traill County, Mercer County, and Mountrail County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on North Dakota? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Counties In North Dakota FAQs
What is the richest county in North Dakota?
Dunn County is the richest county in North Dakota for 2026, with a median household income of $97,689. McKenzie County and Billings County are next.
What are the richest counties in North Dakota?
The richest counties in North Dakota are Dunn County, McKenzie County, Billings County, Burleigh County, Williams County, Stark County, Morton County, Traill County, Mercer County, and Mountrail County. We ranked all 53 North Dakota counties on average home price and median income.
How much do people make in Dunn County?
The median household in Dunn County earns $97,689 a year, against a North Dakota statewide median of $76,657. The US median household income is $74,580.
What do homes cost in the richest counties of North Dakota?
The median home across the ten richest North Dakota counties is $331,158, versus $284,076 statewide. In Dunn County, the typical home runs $384,084.
What is the poorest county in North Dakota?
Sioux County is the poorest county in North Dakota by this ranking, coming in last of the 53 counties we scored on income and home prices.
