Real estate · County · North Dakota
Real estate businesses in Ward County, ND
How Ward County, ND compares with other counties and the U.S. for real estate businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,061 of 2,229 scored counties
#12 of 12 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 82
- 3 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 58
- +5.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $409.9M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $14,350 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 115
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 28.7
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Ward County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Ward County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
For real estate businesses, Ward County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #2,061 of 2,229 scored counties and #12 of 12 scored counties in North Dakota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 82 real estate businesses in Ward County. Chain locations make up 4% of them, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 28.7, 25% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
Households in Ward County spend about $409.9M a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $14,350 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 15% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.
In 2023, official counts showed 58 businesses with payroll in Ward County classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors, up 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 493 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Ward County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ward County compares
The same measures for North Dakota and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 28.7 | 27.2 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 115 | 120 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 493 | 493 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.5% | +8.6% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $14,350 | $14,169 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 55 → 58+5.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 224
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 266Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 823 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 95The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Ward County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Ward County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across North Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Ward County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Richland County, ND | 68 | 10 | 14.6 | 223 | +1.2% | #274 of 2,229 |
| 2Morton County, ND | 60 | 20 | 14.3 | 229 | +3.8% | #564 of 2,229 |
| 3Barnes County, ND | 53 | 6 | 12.2 | 250 | −2.7% | #896 of 2,229 |
| 4McKenzie County, ND | 50 | 18 | 30.0 | 123 | +2.8% | #1,098 of 2,229 |
| 5Stutsman County, ND | 46 | 20 | 21.2 | 143 | −0.6% | #1,280 of 2,229 |
| 6Ramsey County, ND | 40 | 10 | 18.5 | 164 | −0.4% | #1,597 of 2,229 |
| 7Williams County, ND | 39 | 39 | 25.7 | 135 | +1.4% | #1,662 of 2,229 |
| 8Stark County, ND | 35 | 43 | 31.8 | 103 | +0.5% | #1,871 of 2,229 |
| 9Burleigh County, ND | 35 | 159 | 38.5 | 89 | +4.7% | #1,877 of 2,229 |
| 10Grand Forks County, ND | 34 | 95 | 30.4 | 104 | +1.9% | #1,922 of 2,229 |
| 12Ward County, ND | 30 | 82 | 28.7 | 115 | −2.4% | #2,061 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Ward County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Ward County, ND?
Ward County has 82 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 58 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. Another 266 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ward County, ND spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $409.9M a year, or $14,350 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 82 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 15% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Ward County has 28.7 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 115, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Ward County would have about 95, against 82 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 493 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Ward County scores 30 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #2,061 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Ward County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.