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

According to U.S. Census estimates, the French population in North Dakota totals 19,069. Every county in the state reports a non-zero population, with Cass County leading at 6,304, followed by Grand Forks County (2,192) and Burleigh County (1,810). This demographic analysis ranks all counties in North Dakota by their French population, offering insights into regional distribution patterns and highlighting county-level concentrations across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest French population in North Dakota

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  • 1
    Cass County
    French population in Cass County is 6,304
    3.33% of Cass County population is French
  • 2
    Grand Forks County
    French population in Grand Forks County is 2,192
    3.01% of Grand Forks County population is French
  • 3
    Burleigh County
    French population in Burleigh County is 1,810
    1.83% of Burleigh County population is French
  • 4
    Ward County
    French population in Ward County is 1,773
    2.56% of Ward County population is French
  • 5
    Stark County
    French population in Stark County is 666
    2.01% of Stark County population is French

Overview of French population in North Dakota

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents North Dakota with 19,069 French residents (2.4% of 779,361 total state population), ranking the state at the 10th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for French demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate North Dakota's French population of 2.4% exceeds the national average of 2% by a factor of 1.2.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates North Dakota contains 19,069 French residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total French population of 6.6 million, 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 document North Dakota with 0.28 French Americans per square mile, below the national average of 1.9 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with below-average demographic concentrations nationally.
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53 Counties in North Dakota Ranked by French Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show French populations across every county in North Dakota, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Cass County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. 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 French population count
Rank by French Population
County
French Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total North Dakota French Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Cass County 6,304 3.33% 33.06%
2 Grand Forks County 2,192 3.01% 11.50%
3 Burleigh County 1,810 1.83% 9.49%
4 Ward County 1,773 2.56% 9.30%
5 Stark County 666 2.01% 3.49%
6 Stutsman County 621 2.89% 3.26%
7 Williams County 571 1.45% 2.99%
8 491 4.68% 2.57%
9 467 6.88% 2.45%
10 336 2.03% 1.76%
11 335 5.24% 1.76%
12 326 2.82% 1.71%
13 281 0.84% 1.47%
14 280 1.96% 1.47%
15 241 2.00% 1.26%
16 201 2.52% 1.05%
17 188 1.74% 0.99%
18 154 4.20% 0.81%
19 150 2.65% 0.79%
20 130 1.33% 0.68%
21 122 1.46% 0.64%
22 117 3.88% 0.61%
23 104 1.98% 0.55%
24 87 2.20% 0.46%
25 85 2.24% 0.45%
26 80 1.61% 0.42%
27 65 3.01% 0.34%
28 62 2.93% 0.33%
29 61 2.68% 0.32%
30 57 1.39% 0.30%
30 57 2.27% 0.30%
30 57 1.45% 0.30%
31 55 1.44% 0.29%
32 51 2.18% 0.27%
33 47 1.92% 0.25%
34 46 2.49% 0.24%
35 44 0.75% 0.23%
36 40 1.84% 0.21%
37 39 2.14% 0.20%
38 35 2.08% 0.18%
39 32 0.98% 0.17%
40 26 0.89% 0.14%
40 26 1.96% 0.14%
41 25 0.74% 0.13%
42 23 0.57% 0.12%
42 23 0.99% 0.12%
43 19 2.00% 0.10%
44 13 0.57% 0.07%
44 13 0.55% 0.07%
45 12 0.55% 0.06%
45 12 0.13% 0.06%
46 10 0.58% 0.05%
47 7 0.88% 0.04%
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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 French population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines French 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 French 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 French alone, while others identify as French along with another race (such as French and German).
  • We’ve used the “French alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the French population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as French 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 French .
  2. % of Total North Dakota French Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. French 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 French 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 French 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 French populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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