county

Nelson County, ND

Demographic and economic profile of Nelson County, ND, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Nelson County is a small, agriculture-oriented rural economy with a population of 3,015 that grew 3.3% over five years, a notable uptick for a county of this scale. The labor force participation rate of 55.7% reflects a median age of 50.1, and while 28.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the 1.2% unemployment rate points to a tight local market with median worker earnings of $44,795. Housing costs are low, with a median home value of $114,500 and median gross rent of $593/month, and a homeownership rate of 76.9% underscores the county's established, owner-occupant character.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

3,015

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$67,193

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

50.1 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+3.3% since 2018

Nelson County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone2,795 (92.7%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races90 (3.0%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race41 (1.4%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone29 (1.0%)
  • Some Other Race Alone25 (0.8%)
  • Asian Alone22 (0.7%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic40
  2. 2.Spanish33
  3. 3.Other Indo-European26
  4. 4.Tagalog (incl. Filipino)24
  5. 5.German or other West Germanic17

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

20.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

51.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

27.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

3.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

210

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$54,359

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$38,484

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

1.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

10.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance428
  2. 2.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining301
  3. 3.Construction (Group)133
  4. 4.Retail Trade (Group)105
  5. 5.Public Administration (Group)79

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations661
  2. 2.Service Occupations228
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations217
  4. 4.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations179
  5. 5.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations142

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 11.02×)239
  2. 2.Construction (LQ 1.19×)112
  3. 3.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.18×)376
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.03×)153

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$114,500

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$593/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

75.1%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $100,000 to $124,999115 (11.4%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999115 (11.4%)
  • $150,000 to $174,99986 (8.6%)
  • $125,000 to $149,99974 (7.4%)
  • $300,000 to $399,99971 (7.1%)
  • $80,000 to $89,99964 (6.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

28.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

93.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

55.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$44,795

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

19.6 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

3.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone1,010 (71.5%)
  • Walked130 (9.2%)
  • Carpooled125 (8.9%)
  • Worked At Home115 (8.1%)
  • Bicycle22 (1.6%)
  • Other8 (0.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.