# North Dakota statistical areas

The U.S. State of North Dakota currently has nine statistical areas that have been delineated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). On July 21, 2023, the OMB delineated one combined statistical area, four metropolitan statistical areas, and four micropolitan statistical areas in North Dakota. As of 2023, the largest of these is the Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN CSA, comprising the area around Fargo, North Dakota's largest city.

## Background

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has designated more than 1,000 statistical areas for the United States and Puerto Rico. These statistical areas are important geographic delineations of population clusters used by the OMB, the United States Census Bureau, planning organizations, and federal, state, and local government entities.
The OMB defines a core-based statistical area (commonly referred to as a CBSA) as the county or counties (or county-equivalents) surrounding at least one densely-settled core of at least 10,000 population, "plus adjacent counties having a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties with the counties containing the core". The OMB further divides core-based statistical areas based on population into metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for those with at least 50,000 and micropolitan statistical areas (μSAs) for those with 10,000 to 49,999 people.
The OMB defines a combined statistical area (CSA) as two or more adjacent core-based statistical areas where the employment interchange rate (% commuting from A to B plus % commuting from B to A) is at least 15%. The primary statistical areas (PSAs) include all combined statistical areas and any core-based statistical area that is not a constituent of a combined statistical area.

## Table

The nine United States statistical areas and 53 counties of the State of North Dakota :
| Combined statistical area | 2023 population (est.) | Core-based statistical area | 2023 population (est.) | County | 2023 population (est.) |
| Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN CSA | 285,484 212,920 (ND) | Fargo, ND-MN MSA | 262,620 196,362 (ND) | Cass County, North Dakota | 196,362 |
| Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN CSA | 285,484 212,920 (ND) | Fargo, ND-MN MSA | 262,620 196,362 (ND) | Clay County, Minnesota | 66,258 |
| Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN CSA | 285,484 212,920 (ND) | Wahpeton, ND-MN μSA | 22,864 16,558 (ND) | Richland County, North Dakota | 16,558 |
| Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN CSA | 285,484 212,920 (ND) | Wahpeton, ND-MN μSA | 22,864 16,558 (ND) | Wilkin County, Minnesota | 6,306 |
| none | none | Bismarck, ND MSA | 135,786 | Burleigh County, North Dakota | 100,012 |
| none | none | Bismarck, ND MSA | 135,786 | Morton County, North Dakota | 33,895 |
| none | none | Bismarck, ND MSA | 135,786 | Oliver County, North Dakota | 1,879 |
| none | none | Minot, ND MSA | 75,742 | Ward County, North Dakota | 68,332 |
| none | none | Minot, ND MSA | 75,742 | McHenry County, North Dakota | 5,131 |
| none | none | Minot, ND MSA | 75,742 | Renville County, North Dakota | 2,279 |
| none | none | Grand Forks, ND-MN MSA | 103,120 72,708 (ND) | Grand Forks County, North Dakota | 72,708 |
| none | none | Grand Forks, ND-MN MSA | 103,120 72,708 (ND) | Polk County, Minnesota | 30,412 |
| none | none | Williston, ND μSA | 39,113 | Williams County, North Dakota | 39,113 |
| none | none | Dickinson, ND μSA | 38,054 | Stark County, North Dakota | 33,001 |
| none | none | Dickinson, ND μSA | 38,054 | Dunn County, North Dakota | 4,019 |
| none | none | Dickinson, ND μSA | 38,054 | Billings County, North Dakota | 1,034 |
| none | none | Jamestown, ND μSA | 21,392 | Stutsman County, North Dakota | 21,392 |
| none | none | none | none | McKenzie County, North Dakota | 14,252 |
| none | none | none | none | Rolette County, North Dakota | 11,728 |
| none | none | none | none | Ramsey County, North Dakota | 11,463 |
| none | none | none | none | Barnes County, North Dakota | 10,726 |
| none | none | none | none | Walsh County, North Dakota | 10,305 |
| none | none | none | none | McLean County, North Dakota | 9,832 |
| none | none | none | none | Mountrail County, North Dakota | 9,383 |
| none | none | none | none | Mercer County, North Dakota | 8,309 |
| none | none | none | none | Traill County, North Dakota | 7,908 |
| none | none | none | none | Pembina County, North Dakota | 6,661 |
| none | none | none | none | Bottineau County, North Dakota | 6,349 |
| none | none | none | none | Benson County, North Dakota | 5,745 |
| none | none | none | none | Ransom County, North Dakota | 5,603 |
| none | none | none | none | Dickey County, North Dakota | 4,900 |
| none | none | none | none | LaMoure County, North Dakota | 4,096 |
| none | none | none | none | Pierce County, North Dakota | 3,902 |
| none | none | none | none | Wells County, North Dakota | 3,876 |
| none | none | none | none | Sargent County, North Dakota | 3,776 |
| none | none | none | none | Sioux County, North Dakota | 3,643 |
| none | none | none | none | Cavalier County, North Dakota | 3,596 |
| none | none | none | none | Foster County, North Dakota | 3,309 |
| none | none | none | none | Emmons County, North Dakota | 3,224 |
| none | none | none | none | Bowman County, North Dakota | 2,867 |
| none | none | none | none | Nelson County, North Dakota | 2,991 |
| none | none | none | none | McIntosh County, North Dakota | 2,488 |
| none | none | none | none | Hettinger County, North Dakota | 2,415 |
| none | none | none | none | Kidder County, North Dakota | 2,342 |
| none | none | none | none | Eddy County, North Dakota | 2,263 |
| none | none | none | none | Griggs County, North Dakota | 2,248 |
| none | none | none | none | Grant County, North Dakota | 2,215 |
| none | none | none | none | Adams County, North Dakota | 2,163 |
| none | none | none | none | Divide County, North Dakota | 2,135 |
| none | none | none | none | Burke County, North Dakota | 2,134 |
| none | none | none | none | Towner County, North Dakota | 2,030 |
| none | none | none | none | Logan County, North Dakota | 1,869 |
| none | none | none | none | Steele County, North Dakota | 1,782 |
| none | none | none | none | Golden Valley County, North Dakota | 1,743 |
| none | none | none | none | Sheridan County, North Dakota | 1,266 |
| none | none | none | none | Slope County, North Dakota | 674 |
| State of North Dakota | State of North Dakota | State of North Dakota | State of North Dakota | State of North Dakota | 783,926 |

## Core-based statistical areas

The following table provides the in-state population ranking of each CBSA along with its rate of population change over time.
The eight core-based statistical areas of the State of North Dakota :
| 2023 rank | Core-based statistical area | Population | Population | Population | Population | Population |
| 2023 rank | Core-based statistical area | 2023 estimate | Change | 2020 Census | Change | 2010 Census |
| 1 | Fargo, ND-MN MSA (ND) | 196,362 | +6.41% | 184,525 | +23.20% | 149,778 |
| 2 | Bismarck, ND MSA | 135,786 | +1.62% | 133,626 | +20.79% | 110,625 |
| 3 | Minot, ND MSA | 75,742 | −2.33% | 77,546 | +11.51% | 69,540 |
| 4 | Grand Forks, ND-MN MSA (ND) | 72,708 | −0.63% | 73,170 | +9.44% | 66,861 |
| 5 | Williston, ND μSA | 39,113 | −4.49% | 40,950 | +82.83% | 22,398 |
| 6 | Dickinson, ND μSA | 37,466 | −3.15% | 38,686 | +35.65% | 28,518 |
| 7 | Jamestown, ND μSA | 21,392 | −0.93% | 21,593 | +2.34% | 21,100 |
| 8 | Wahpeton, ND-MN μSA (ND) | 16,558 | +0.18% | 16,529 | +1.27% | 16,321 |
| | Fargo, ND-MN MSA | 262,620 | +5.11% | 249,843 | +19.67% | 208,777 |
| | Grand Forks, ND-MN MSA | 103,120 | −1.19% | 104,362 | +5.99% | 98,461 |
| | Wahpeton, ND-MN μSA | 22,864 | −0.74% | 23,035 | +0.60% | 22,897 |

## Combined statistical areas

The following table provides the in-state population ranking of each CSA along with its rate of population change over time.
The one combined statistical area of the State of North Dakota :
| 2023 rank | Combined statistical area | Population | Population | Population | Population | Population |
| 2023 rank | Combined statistical area | 2023 estimate | Change | 2020 Census | Change | 2010 Census |
| 1 | Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN CSA (ND) | 212,920 | +5.90% | 201,054 | +21.04% | 166,099 |
| | Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN CSA | 285,484 | +4.62% | 272,878 | +17.79% | 231,674 |