Foster County, ND

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

3,358

US Senator

John Hoeven

Republican Party

US Senator

Kevin Cramer

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

43.4

0.231% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.77%

3.79% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$87,831

5.3% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$167,500

2.89% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

1,835

0.703% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Foster County, ND reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.5% of the residents in Foster County, ND are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Foster County, ND was $167,500, and the homeownership rate was 79.7%.

Most people in Foster County, ND drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 12.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Foster County, ND was 2 cars per household.

Foster County, ND borders Eddy County, ND, Griggs County, ND, Stutsman County, ND, and Wells County, ND.

United States North Dakota

Population & Diversity

Foster County, ND is home to a population of 3.36k people, from which 98.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.97% of Foster County, ND residents were born outside of the country (66 people).

In 2024, there were 37.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.13k people) in Foster County, ND than any other race or ethnicity. There were 84 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 61 Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.5%

2024 Citizenship

98.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.5% of Foster County, ND residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Foster County, ND was 98.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Foster County, ND compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Foster County, ND

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.13k ± 21
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
84 ± 46
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
61 ± 49

1.7%

Hispanic Population

57 people

1.7% of the people in Foster County, ND are hispanic (57 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Foster County, ND as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for North Dakota.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,032 ± 1,349 people
Canada
2,767 ± 1,289 people
Philippines
2,721 ± 1,278 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,032 North Dakota residents, followed by Canada with 2,767 and Philippines with 2,721.

Foreign-Born Population

1.97%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

66 people

1.36%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

46 people

As of 2024, 1.97% of Foster County, ND residents (66 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Foster County, ND was 1.36%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Foster County, ND compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
55 ± 33
Gulf War (2001-)
14 ± 18
Gulf War (1990s)
5 ± 13

Foster County, ND has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.93 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Foster County, ND.

Economy

The economy of Foster County, ND employs 1.84k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Foster County, ND were Retail Trade (264 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (248 people), and Manufacturing (245 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($113,438), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($110,278), and Information ($82,708).

Employment

Occupations

1.84k

2024 Value

± 206

−0.703%

1 Year decline

± 15.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Foster County, ND declined at a rate of −0.703%, from 1.85k employees to 1.84k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Foster County, ND, are Sales & Related Occupations (236 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (228 people), and Management Occupations (164 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Foster County, ND.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Dakota.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Dakota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

1.84k

2024 Value

± 206

−0.703%

1 Year decline

± 15.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Foster County, ND declined at a rate of −0.703%, from 1.85k employees to 1.84k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Foster County, ND, are Retail Trade (264 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (248 people), and Manufacturing (245 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Foster County, ND, though some of these residents may live in Foster County, ND and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$67,042

Median earning men ± $6,279

$42,143

Median earning women ± $6,526

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($87,083), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($82,000), and Manufacturing ($76,467).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($133,500), Information ($55,938), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,382).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Dakota.

Y-Axis

2.83%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 428k people employed in North Dakota. This represents a 2.83% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 12.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Dakota.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

12
Construction
10
Wholesale Trade
8
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$23.8k
Manufacturing
$12.3k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$10.9k
Wholesale Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Foster County, ND was $167,500 in 2024, which is 0.503 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $162,800 to $167,500, a 2.89% increase. The homeownership rate in Foster County, ND is 79.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Foster County, ND have an average commute time of 12.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Foster County, ND is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 7.56% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Foster County, ND. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.04%.

Housing

Property

$167,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$27,475

$1,220

Median Property Taxes

±$159

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Foster County, ND the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Foster County, ND compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

79.7%

Homeownership

2024

60.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 79.7% of the housing units in Foster County, ND were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 77.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Foster County, ND compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$87,831

Median Household Income

± $10,924

1.53k

Number of Households

± 182

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.53k households in Foster County, ND grew to $87,831 from the previous year's value of $83,412.

The following chart displays the households in Foster County, ND distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Foster County, ND is from North Dakota.

0.432

2023 Wage GINI in North Dakota

0.436

2022 Wage GINI in North Dakota

In 2023, the income inequality in North Dakota was 0.432 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.922% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Dakota in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Dakota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.1%)
Carpooled (8.89%)
Worked At Home (7.74%)

In 2024, 79.1% of workers in Foster County, ND drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.89%) and those who worked at home (7.74%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

12.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Foster County, ND have a shorter commute time (12.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.476% of the workforce in Foster County, ND have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Foster County, ND compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Foster County, ND distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Foster County, ND have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 7.56% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Foster County, ND. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.04%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

8.77% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Foster County, ND (286 out of 3.26k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Foster County, ND is White, followed by Asian and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 10% of the children was living in poverty in Foster County, ND. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 18.7 in Foster County, ND. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 5.36 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

95.1% of the population of Foster County, ND has health coverage, with 47.4% on employee plans, 10.2% on Medicaid, 18.9% on Medicare, 18.1% on non-group plans, and 0.519% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Foster County, ND see 3,364 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,364 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 844 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1103 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.8% were men and 47.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

3,364 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Foster County, ND

Primary care physicians in Foster County, ND see an average of 3,364 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,364 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Foster County, ND in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.6% under 18 years, 17.4% between 18 and 34 years, 37.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.8% were men and 47.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

4.91%

Uninsured

47.4%

Employer Coverage

10.2%

Medicaid

18.9%

Medicare

18.1%

Non-Group

0.519%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Foster County, ND grew by 3.9% from 4.73% to 4.91%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Foster County, ND changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.