Finnish Population in North Dakota by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Finnish population in North Dakota totals 4,719. Cass County contains the largest Finnish community with 1,440 residents, followed by Burleigh County (772), Ward County (361), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in North Dakota by their Finnish populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Finnish population in North Dakota

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  • 1
    Cass County
    Finnish population in Cass County is 1,440
    0.76% of Cass County population is Finnish
  • 2
    Burleigh County
    Finnish population in Burleigh County is 772
    0.78% of Burleigh County population is Finnish
  • 3
    Ward County
    Finnish population in Ward County is 361
    0.52% of Ward County population is Finnish
  • 4
    Williams County
    Finnish population in Williams County is 307
    0.78% of Williams County population is Finnish
  • 5
    Stark County
    Finnish population in Stark County is 269
    0.81% of Stark County population is Finnish

Overview of Finnish population in North Dakota

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate North Dakota contains 4,719 Finnish residents (0.61% of 779,361 total state population), positioning the state at the 39th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Finnish population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate North Dakota's Finnish population of 0.61% exceeds the national average of 0.19% by a factor of 3.3.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates North Dakota contains 4,719 Finnish residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Finnish population of 618,265, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows North Dakota's density of 0.068 Finnish Americans per square mile remains below the national average of 0.18 per square mile, indicating relatively sparse distribution compared to national demographic concentrations.
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53 Counties in North Dakota Ranked by Finnish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Finnish population in North Dakota distributed across multiple counties, led by Cass County, Burleigh County, Ward County, and Williams County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Finnish descent. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in North Dakota ranked by Finnish population count
Rank by Finnish Population
County
Finnish Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total North Dakota Finnish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Cass County 1,440 0.76% 30.51%
2 Burleigh County 772 0.78% 16.36%
3 Ward County 361 0.52% 7.65%
4 Williams County 307 0.78% 6.51%
5 Stark County 269 0.81% 5.70%
6 Grand Forks County 248 0.34% 5.26%
7 Rolette County 196 1.62% 4.15%
8 132 0.80% 2.80%
9 127 6.01% 2.69%
10 91 1.84% 1.93%
11 80 0.69% 1.70%
12 75 0.78% 1.59%
13 65 0.30% 1.38%
14 55 1.68% 1.17%
15 52 0.81% 1.10%
16 43 1.43% 0.91%
16 43 1.09% 0.91%
17 39 0.12% 0.83%
17 39 1.02% 0.83%
18 38 0.94% 0.81%
19 25 0.24% 0.53%
20 19 0.36% 0.40%
20 19 0.19% 0.40%
20 19 0.24% 0.40%
21 18 0.97% 0.38%
22 16 0.39% 0.34%
23 15 0.18% 0.32%
24 14 0.64% 0.30%
25 13 0.44% 0.28%
26 10 0.09% 0.21%
26 10 0.41% 0.21%
26 10 0.07% 0.21%
27 9 0.38% 0.19%
27 9 0.13% 0.19%
28 8 0.24% 0.17%
29 6 0.33% 0.13%
30 5 0.09% 0.11%
30 5 0.14% 0.11%
30 5 0.21% 0.11%
31 4 0.18% 0.08%
31 4 0.50% 0.08%
32 2 0.09% 0.04%
33 1 0.04% 0.02%
33 1 0.06% 0.02%
34 0 - -
34 0 - -
34 0 - -
34 0 - -
34 0 - -
34 0 - -
34 0 - -
34 0 - -
34 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in North Dakota by their Finnish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Finnish population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Finnish ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Finnish alone, while others identify as Finnish along with another race (such as Finnish and German).
  • We’ve used the “Finnish alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Finnish population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Finnish alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Finnish .
  2. % of Total North Dakota Finnish Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Finnish population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Finnish populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported Finnish population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Finnish populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.