Grand Forks County, North Dakota: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted R+18%. Republican peak: R+54 in 1924.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+18MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 72,9232024 5-year
- Median household income
- $68,0752024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 83.1%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.9%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 5.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+34 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+54 in 1924MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Traill County, ND · similarity 0.98
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Grand Forks CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Grand Forks County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −51.3% |
| 1896 | −12.3% |
| 1900 | −25.2% |
| 1904 | −51.6% |
| 1908 | −20.7% |
| 1912 | +13.4% |
| 1916 | +12.7% |
| 1920 | −49.5% |
| 1924 | −54.0% |
| 1928 | −30.1% |
| 1932 | +19.3% |
| 1936 | +33.7% |
| 1940 | +8.7% |
| 1944 | +15.2% |
| 1948 | +4.5% |
| 1952 | −31.8% |
| 1956 | −24.5% |
| 1960 | −13.7% |
| 1964 | +18.6% |
| 1968 | −11.2% |
| 1972 | −16.8% |
| 1976 | −8.7% |
| 1980 | −29.4% |
| 1984 | −22.3% |
| 1988 | −8.4% |
| 1992 | −8.9% |
| 1996 | −0.9% |
| 2000 | −18.6% |
| 2004 | −15.3% |
| 2008 | +5.1% |
| 2012 | −3.4% |
| 2016 | −18.1% |
| 2020 | −13.3% |
| 2024 | −18.0% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 12,469 | 18,123 | 31,411 | ||
| R | 12,880 | 16,987 | 30,970 | ||
| R | 10,851 | 16,340 | 30,365 | ||
| R | 14,032 | 15,060 | 30,029 | ||
| D | 16,104 | 14,520 | 31,153 | ||
| R | 12,646 | 17,298 | 30,470 | ||
| R | 10,593 | 15,875 | 28,385 | ||
| R | 11,376 | 11,606 | 25,836 | ||
| R | 10,930 | 13,705 | 31,104 | ||
| R | 12,494 | 14,801 | 27,531 | ||
| R | 10,050 | 15,898 | 26,191 | ||
| R | 6,997 | 14,257 | 24,731 | ||
| R | 11,545 | 13,820 | 26,218 | ||
| R | 9,416 | 13,361 | 23,475 | ||
| R | 7,695 | 9,802 | 18,849 | ||
| D | 10,740 | 7,367 | 18,175 | ||
| R | 8,341 | 10,997 | 19,343 | ||
| R | 6,231 | 10,289 | 16,550 | ||
| R | 5,639 | 10,939 | 16,662 | ||
| D | 6,996 | 6,374 | 13,789 | ||
| D | 7,707 | 5,668 | 13,434 | ||
| D | 8,396 | 7,043 | 15,506 | ||
| D | 9,222 | 4,312 | 14,549 | ||
| D | 7,579 | 5,090 | 12,900 | ||
| R | 4,300 | 8,024 | 12,371 | ||
| R | 943 | 6,690 | 10,651 | ||
| R | 2,527 | 7,646 | 10,332 | ||
| D | 2,814 | 2,159 | 5,148 | ||
| O | 1,492 | 955 | 3,999 | ||
| R | 1,750 | 2,740 | 4,773 | ||
| R | 828 | 2,807 | 3,837 | ||
| R | 1,532 | 2,603 | 4,244 | ||
| R | 1,893 | 2,432 | 4,365 | ||
| R | 0 | 1,639 | 3,197 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
27.6%
Irish
9.3%
English
5.8%
Polish
4.1%
French
2.9%
American
2.1%
Italian
2.0%
African American
3.1%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 30.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$68,075
Grand Forks County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Grand Forks County$68,075
North Dakota$76,657
United States$80,734
Grand Forks County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
13.2%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 189.4%
Working age (18–64)14.6%
Seniors (65+)10.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
92.0%
speak English only
Other Indo-European2.7%
Spanish1.9%
Other languages1.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.6%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 52.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Grand Forks County anchors a regional university economy in the Red River Valley but has trended decisively Republican in recent cycles, posting an R+18 margin in 2024 despite a sizable student and academic population.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached thirty-four points in 1936; the Republican margin reached fifty-four points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved five points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was eighteen points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 83% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $68,075, and a 13% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Traill County and Richland County.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Grand Forks County, North Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/38035/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in North Dakota
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Frequently asked questions
How did Grand Forks County, North Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, Grand Forks County, North Dakota voted Republican by 18.0 points (R+18), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 31,411 votes cast, 12,469 went Democratic and 18,123 went Republican.
What is Grand Forks County, North Dakota's political typology?
Akashic places Grand Forks County, North Dakota in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology — Mid-size industrial metros with Catholic ethnic roots — among the most competitive, swing-prone ground in the country. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 8 times, Republican 25 times, and other 1 times.
When did Grand Forks County, North Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Grand Forks County, North Dakota voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Grand Forks County, North Dakota?
Grand Forks County, North Dakota has a population of 72,923 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Grand Forks County, North Dakota?
Median household income in Grand Forks County, North Dakota is $68,075 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Dakota state median is $76,657.
What is the political history of Grand Forks County, North Dakota?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Grand Forks County, North Dakota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 8 went Democratic and 25 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.