Ward County, North Dakota: Farm Belt county. In 2024, voted R+47%. Republican peak: R+62 in 1904.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+47MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Farm BeltAkashic typology
- Population
- 68,9732024 5-year
- Median household income
- $78,2382024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 81.3%2024 5-year
- Black
- 4.7%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 7.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+41 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+62 in 1904MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Mercer County, ND · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Ward CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Ward 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 | −58.5% |
| 1896 | −21.4% |
| 1900 | −39.9% |
| 1904 | −61.7% |
| 1908 | −23.1% |
| 1912 | +11.0% |
| 1916 | +21.3% |
| 1920 | −42.4% |
| 1924 | −39.7% |
| 1928 | −20.0% |
| 1932 | +31.2% |
| 1936 | +40.8% |
| 1940 | +8.0% |
| 1944 | +2.7% |
| 1948 | −2.9% |
| 1952 | −33.9% |
| 1956 | −22.1% |
| 1960 | −9.8% |
| 1964 | +23.0% |
| 1968 | −11.5% |
| 1972 | −34.5% |
| 1976 | −14.4% |
| 1980 | −42.6% |
| 1984 | −37.0% |
| 1988 | −14.1% |
| 1992 | −16.2% |
| 1996 | −8.6% |
| 2000 | −28.8% |
| 2004 | −34.2% |
| 2008 | −19.2% |
| 2012 | −30.6% |
| 2016 | −46.8% |
| 2020 | −44.9% |
| 2024 | −47.0% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 7,215 | 20,635 | 28,552 | ||
| R | 7,293 | 19,974 | 28,246 | ||
| R | 5,806 | 18,636 | 27,412 | ||
| R | 8,441 | 16,230 | 25,463 | ||
| R | 10,144 | 15,061 | 25,621 | ||
| R | 8,236 | 17,008 | 25,612 | ||
| R | 7,533 | 13,997 | 22,482 | ||
| R | 8,660 | 10,546 | 21,964 | ||
| R | 7,856 | 12,056 | 25,852 | ||
| R | 9,906 | 13,179 | 23,228 | ||
| R | 7,336 | 16,077 | 23,623 | ||
| R | 5,554 | 14,997 | 22,189 | ||
| R | 9,484 | 12,751 | 22,721 | ||
| R | 6,706 | 13,900 | 20,868 | ||
| R | 7,105 | 9,079 | 17,095 | ||
| D | 10,871 | 6,798 | 17,735 | ||
| R | 7,954 | 9,680 | 17,653 | ||
| R | 5,762 | 9,042 | 14,832 | ||
| R | 4,966 | 10,130 | 15,211 | ||
| R | 5,189 | 5,514 | 11,337 | ||
| D | 5,822 | 5,514 | 11,417 | ||
| D | 7,669 | 6,519 | 14,293 | ||
| D | 8,872 | 3,142 | 14,055 | ||
| D | 8,129 | 4,195 | 12,626 | ||
| R | 4,362 | 6,561 | 10,986 | ||
| R | 721 | 4,166 | 8,681 | ||
| R | 2,291 | 6,166 | 9,147 | ||
| D | 2,791 | 1,743 | 4,919 | ||
| O | 1,071 | 686 | 3,502 | ||
| R | 3,163 | 5,286 | 9,210 | ||
| R | 914 | 4,349 | 5,565 | ||
| R | 364 | 880 | 1,293 | ||
| R | 193 | 299 | 496 | ||
| R | 0 | 182 | 311 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
30.2%
Irish
8.7%
English
6.3%
French
2.6%
American
2.4%
Polish
1.5%
Italian
1.4%
African American
3.8%
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: 33.6 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
$78,238
Ward County ranks in the top 25% of US counties.
Ward County$78,238
North Dakota$76,657
United States$80,734
Ward County ranks in the top 25% 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
8.6%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 186.9%
Working age (18–64)9.1%
Seniors (65+)9.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
94.5%
speak English only
Spanish2.6%
Other Indo-European1.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%
Other languages0.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 58.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to Minot Air Force Base, Ward County's economy and population are shaped by military presence and energy extraction, producing some of North Dakota's most consistent Republican margins in statewide and federal contests.
The Republican margin here reached sixty-two points in 1904. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was forty-seven points.
A population of 68,973, a 81% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $78,238 describe an agricultural county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Mercer County and Richardson 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.
Ward County, North Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/38101/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in North Dakota
More farm belt counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Ward County, North Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, Ward County, North Dakota voted Republican by 47.0 points (R+47), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 28,552 votes cast, 7,215 went Democratic and 20,635 went Republican.
What is Ward County, North Dakota's political typology?
Akashic places Ward County, North Dakota in the "Farm Belt" typology — Rural Plains and Midwest farm counties — Republican, with modest recent movement. 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 6 times, Republican 27 times, and other 1 times.
When did Ward County, North Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Ward County, North Dakota voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in Ward County, North Dakota?
Ward County, North Dakota has a population of 68,973 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Ward County, North Dakota?
Median household income in Ward County, North Dakota is $78,238 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Dakota state median is $76,657.
What is the political history of Ward County, North Dakota?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Ward County, North Dakota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The county's typology — "Farm Belt" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.