Williams County, ND

County

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2024 Population

39,555

US Senator

John Hoeven

Republican Party

US Senator

Kevin Cramer

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

31.8

1.55% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

8.64%

1.32% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$85,595

5.13% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$284,800

6.35% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

19,960

0.8% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Williams 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.

94.9% of the residents in Williams County, ND are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Williams County, ND are Williston State College (329 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Williams County, ND was $284,800, and the homeownership rate was 53%.

Most people in Williams County, ND drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Williams County, ND was 2 cars per household.

Williams County, ND borders Richland County, MT, Roosevelt County, MT, Sheridan County, MT, Burke County, ND, Divide County, ND, McKenzie County, ND, and Mountrail County, ND.

United States North Dakota Williston, ND

Population & Diversity

Williams County, ND is home to a population of 39.6k people, from which 94.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 8.5% of Williams County, ND residents were born outside of the country (3.36k people).

In 2024, there were 16.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (29.9k people) in Williams County, ND than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.86k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 1.86k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.9%

2024 Citizenship

95.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.9% of Williams County, ND residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Williams County, ND was 95.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Williams County, ND

White (Non-Hispanic)
29.9k ± 159
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.86k ± 442
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.86k ± 269

10.2%

Hispanic Population

4.03k people

10.2% of the people in Williams County, ND are hispanic (4.03k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Williams 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

8.5%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.36k people

7.49%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

2.95k people

As of 2024, 8.5% of Williams County, ND residents (3.36k 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 Williams County, ND was 7.49%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
1,220 ± 487
Vietnam
309 ± 113
Gulf War (1990s)
246 ± 136

Williams County, ND has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 3.95 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Williams County, ND employs 20k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Williams County, ND were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,652 people), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (2,610 people), and Retail Trade (2,434 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($110,792), Utilities ($100,225), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($84,634).

Employment

Occupations

20k

2024 Value

± 1,549

−0.8%

1 Year decline

± 11.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Williams County, ND declined at a rate of −0.8%, from 20.1k employees to 20k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Williams County, ND, are Management Occupations (2,873 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,425 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (1,768 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Williams 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

20k

2024 Value

± 1,549

−0.8%

1 Year decline

± 11.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Williams County, ND declined at a rate of −0.8%, from 20.1k employees to 20k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Williams County, ND, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,652 people), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (2,610 people), and Retail Trade (2,434 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Williams County, ND, though some of these residents may live in Williams County, ND and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$72,344

Median earning men ± $6,681

$37,081

Median earning women ± $6,109

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($98,750), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($98,173), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($87,418).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($91,250), Information ($87,875), and Public Administration ($68,235).

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

117
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
86
Transportation and Warehousing
86
Construction

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

$647k
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
$213k
Construction
$137k
Wholesale Trade

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Williams County, ND awarded 329 degrees. The student population of Williams County, ND in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 342 male students and 570 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Williams County, ND are White (233 and 75.9%), Hispanic or Latino (31 and 10.1%), Two or More Races (26 and 8.47%), and Black or African American (9 and 2.93%).

The largest universities in Williams County, ND by number of degrees awarded are Williston State College (329 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Williams County, ND are Liberal Arts & Sciences (142 and 43.2%), Other Business Administration, Management, & Operations (41 and 12.5%), and Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (29 and 8.81%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 912 students enrolled in Williams County, ND, 37.5% men and 62.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 510 records, of which 62.7% were women and 37.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
142 degrees awarded
Other Business Administration, Management, & Operations
41 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
24 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Williams County, ND was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 142 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Williams County, ND according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Williston State College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

329 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Williston State College with 329 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 120 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Williams County, ND, which is 0.574 times less than the 209 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 233 degrees mean that there were 7.52 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 31 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,310) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,628) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,100) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Williams County, ND was $284,800 in 2024, which is 0.856 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $267,800 to $284,800, a 6.35% increase. The homeownership rate in Williams County, ND is 53%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Williams County, ND have an average commute time of 18.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Williams County, ND is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Williams County, ND. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 7.97%.

Housing

Property

$284,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$24,004

$8,029

Median Property Taxes

±$801

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 Williams County, ND the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

53%

Homeownership

2024

65.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 53% of the housing units in Williams County, ND were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 57.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Williams 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.

$85,595

Median Household Income

± $6,424

15.2k

Number of Households

± 1,307

In 2024, the median household income of the 15.2k households in Williams County, ND declined from $85,595 from the previous year's value of $90,224.

The following chart displays the households in Williams 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Williams 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 (81.7%)
Carpooled (9.88%)
Worked At Home (3.97%)

In 2024, 81.7% of workers in Williams County, ND drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.88%) and those who worked at home (3.97%).

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

18.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Williams County, ND have a shorter commute time (18.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.896% of the workforce in Williams County, ND have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Williams 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 Williams County, ND distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Williams County, ND have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Williams County, ND. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 7.97%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

8.64% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Williams County, ND (3.38k out of 39.1k 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 35 - 44, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Williams County, ND is White, followed by Black 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, 8.6% of the children was living in poverty in Williams County, ND. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.6%.

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 373 in Williams County, ND. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 112 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

88.5% of the population of Williams County, ND has health coverage, with 59.4% on employee plans, 6.72% on Medicaid, 8.02% on Medicare, 14.1% on non-group plans, and 0.311% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Williams County, ND see 2,264 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,264 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1588 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 711 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

2,264 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Williams County, ND

Primary care physicians in Williams County, ND see an average of 2,264 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,264 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 31.2% under 18 years, 23.7% between 18 and 34 years, 35.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 9.64% 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

11.5%

Uninsured

59.4%

Employer Coverage

6.72%

Medicaid

8.02%

Medicare

14.1%

Non-Group

0.311%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Williams County, ND declined by 1.85% from 11.7% to 11.5%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 53.2 in Williams County, ND.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Williams County, ND.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 37.7% in Williams County, ND.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Williams County, ND.