Icelander Population in North Dakota by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights
According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Icelander population in North Dakota totals 3,030. Cass County contains the largest Icelander community with 701 residents, followed by Grand Forks County (692), Pembina County (430), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in North Dakota by their Icelander populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.
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Top 5 counties with the largest Icelander population in North Dakota
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1Cass CountyIcelander population in Cass County is 7010.37% of Cass County population is Icelander
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2Grand Forks CountyIcelander population in Grand Forks County is 6920.95% of Grand Forks County population is Icelander
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3Pembina CountyIcelander population in Pembina County is 4306.34% of Pembina County population is Icelander
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4Burleigh CountyIcelander population in Burleigh County is 1690.17% of Burleigh County population is Icelander
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5Walsh CountyIcelander population in Walsh County is 1651.57% of Walsh County population is Icelander
Overview of Icelander population in North Dakota
- Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate North Dakota contains 3,030 Icelander residents (0.39% of 779,361 total state population), positioning the state at the 93rd percentile nationally among U.S. states for Icelander population concentrations.
- Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate North Dakota's Icelander population of 0.39% exceeds the national average of 0.016% by a factor of 24.6.
- Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show North Dakota hosts 3,030 Icelander residents, representing 5.8% of the nation's total Icelander population of 52,610, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
- Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates North Dakota's density of 0.044 Icelandic Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 0.015 per square mile by more than double, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for Icelander demographic communities.
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53 Counties in North Dakota Ranked by Icelander Population
American Community Survey data [1] show Icelander population in North Dakota distributed across multiple counties, led by Cass County, Grand Forks County, Pembina County, and Burleigh County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Icelandic 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*.
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 Icelander population, using the most recent ACS data available.
How the Census defines Icelander 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 Icelander 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 Icelander alone, while others identify as Icelander along with another race (such as Icelander and German).
- We’ve used the “Icelander alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Icelander population in each area.
How We Ranked the Data
This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Icelander alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
- % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Icelander .
- % of Total North Dakota Icelander Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Icelander 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 Icelander 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 Icelander 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 Icelander populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles 2023.
