Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in North Dakota

Written by:
April 15, 2021
Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in North Dakota

In certain corners of the U.S., the only way you’ll ever be considered a local is if you were born there. Elsewhere, particularly in major metropolitan centers, the constant influx of new businesses, college students, and families can transform neighborhoods every few years and certainly decade over decade.

Americans change their addresses at higher rates than most other countries, but that “move, move, move” mentality may be shifting. In 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that only 11.2% of respondents had moved within the last year. Additionally, 72% of Americans reported living in or close to the city they grew up in. To learn more about where people are staying put, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in North Dakota using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents that were born in the state as of 2019.

Keep reading to discover which counties in your state have the most born-and-bred residents.

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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#30. Walsh County

- Population: 10,751
- Born in North Dakota: 7,723 (71.8% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 2,554 (23.8% of population)
--- Midwest (9.6%), Northeast (1.2%), South (7.5%), West (5.3%)
- Born in another country: 415 (3.9% of population)
--- Africa (0.2%), Asia (0.4%), Europe (0.1%), Latin America (2.6%), North America (0.6%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Acroterion // Wikimedia Commons

#29. Stutsman County

- Population: 20,965
- Born in North Dakota: 15,140 (72.2% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 5,389 (25.7% of population)
--- Midwest (14.3%), Northeast (1.1%), South (2.3%), West (7.6%)
- Born in another country: 393 (1.9% of population)
--- Africa (0.7%), Asia (0.4%), Europe (0.3%), Latin America (0.1%), North America (0.3%), Oceania (0.1%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#28. Mercer County

- Population: 8,462
- Born in North Dakota: 6,150 (72.7% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 2,177 (25.7% of population)
--- Midwest (10.9%), Northeast (0.9%), South (5.6%), West (8.3%)
- Born in another country: 99 (1.2% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.2%), Europe (0.1%), Latin America (0.4%), North America (0.4%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Bob Pool // Shutterstock

#27. Morton County

- Population: 30,868
- Born in North Dakota: 22,486 (72.8% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 7,723 (25.0% of population)
--- Midwest (12.4%), Northeast (1.1%), South (2.6%), West (8.0%)
- Born in another country: 562 (1.8% of population)
--- Africa (0.1%), Asia (0.5%), Europe (0.1%), Latin America (0.7%), North America (0.4%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#26. Renville County

- Population: 2,442
- Born in North Dakota: 1,785 (73.1% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 567 (23.2% of population)
--- Midwest (8.9%), Northeast (1.3%), South (3.7%), West (9.3%)
- Born in another country: 79 (3.2% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.2%), Europe (0.6%), Latin America (1.8%), North America (0.6%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#25. Burke County

- Population: 2,182
- Born in North Dakota: 1,595 (73.1% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 512 (23.5% of population)
--- Midwest (8.3%), Northeast (1.1%), South (5.5%), West (8.6%)
- Born in another country: 50 (2.3% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.2%), Europe (0.7%), Latin America (0.4%), North America (1.0%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Publichall // Wikimedia Commons

#24. McHenry County

- Population: 5,878
- Born in North Dakota: 4,363 (74.2% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 1,422 (24.2% of population)
--- Midwest (9.7%), Northeast (2.7%), South (3.4%), West (8.4%)
- Born in another country: 72 (1.2% of population)
--- Africa (0.1%), Asia (0.7%), Europe (0.1%), Latin America (0.2%), North America (0.2%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Randall Runtsch // Shutterstock

#23. Billings County

- Population: 922
- Born in North Dakota: 687 (74.5% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 218 (23.6% of population)
--- Midwest (11.4%), Northeast (0.2%), South (3.1%), West (8.9%)
- Born in another country: 14 (1.5% of population)
--- Africa (0.8%), Asia (0.4%), Europe (0.3%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.0%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Bjr97543 // Wikimedia Commons

#22. Slope County

- Population: 742
- Born in North Dakota: 556 (74.9% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 184 (24.8% of population)
--- Midwest (6.7%), Northeast (0.0%), South (1.2%), West (16.8%)
- Born in another country: 2 (0.3% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.0%), Europe (0.3%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.0%), Oceania (0.0%)
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JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD // Wikimedia Commons

#21. McLean County

- Population: 9,584
- Born in North Dakota: 7,196 (75.1% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 2,210 (23.1% of population)
--- Midwest (11.2%), Northeast (0.8%), South (2.5%), West (8.6%)
- Born in another country: 119 (1.2% of population)
--- Africa (0.4%), Asia (0.0%), Europe (0.2%), Latin America (0.5%), North America (0.2%), Oceania (0.0%)
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USFWS Mountain-Prairie // Wikimedia Common

#20. Bottineau County

- Population: 6,502
- Born in North Dakota: 4,885 (75.1% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 1,469 (22.6% of population)
--- Midwest (8.9%), Northeast (1.8%), South (3.8%), West (8.0%)
- Born in another country: 136 (2.1% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.1%), Europe (0.4%), Latin America (0.6%), North America (1.0%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#19. LaMoure County

- Population: 4,125
- Born in North Dakota: 3,105 (75.3% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 955 (23.2% of population)
--- Midwest (15.2%), Northeast (1.3%), South (2.4%), West (4.1%)
- Born in another country: 65 (1.6% of population)
--- Africa (0.1%), Asia (0.2%), Europe (0.4%), Latin America (0.8%), North America (0.0%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#18. Towner County

- Population: 2,224
- Born in North Dakota: 1,705 (76.7% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 402 (18.1% of population)
--- Midwest (14.3%), Northeast (0.8%), South (0.8%), West (2.2%)
- Born in another country: 113 (5.1% of population)
--- Africa (0.2%), Asia (0.2%), Europe (0.8%), Latin America (3.4%), North America (0.3%), Oceania (0.2%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#17. Nelson County

- Population: 2,894
- Born in North Dakota: 2,233 (77.2% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 571 (19.7% of population)
--- Midwest (8.7%), Northeast (0.5%), South (2.8%), West (7.6%)
- Born in another country: 83 (2.9% of population)
--- Africa (0.5%), Asia (0.0%), Europe (0.4%), Latin America (1.8%), North America (0.1%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#16. Grant County

- Population: 2,353
- Born in North Dakota: 1,834 (77.9% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 476 (20.2% of population)
--- Midwest (11.1%), Northeast (0.6%), South (2.4%), West (6.1%)
- Born in another country: 33 (1.4% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.9%), Europe (0.3%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.1%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#15. Sioux County

- Population: 4,373
- Born in North Dakota: 3,445 (78.8% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 914 (20.9% of population)
--- Midwest (13.2%), Northeast (0.0%), South (1.6%), West (6.1%)
- Born in another country: 7 (0.2% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.0%), Europe (0.0%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.1%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Jerry Huddleston // Wikimedia Commons

#14. Logan County

- Population: 1,872
- Born in North Dakota: 1,479 (79.0% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 370 (19.8% of population)
--- Midwest (12.7%), Northeast (0.5%), South (1.9%), West (4.7%)
- Born in another country: 19 (1.0% of population)
--- Africa (0.4%), Asia (0.2%), Europe (0.4%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.0%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#13. Sheridan County

- Population: 1,409
- Born in North Dakota: 1,121 (79.6% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 264 (18.7% of population)
--- Midwest (10.3%), Northeast (1.3%), South (2.4%), West (4.8%)
- Born in another country: 9 (0.6% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.0%), Europe (0.1%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.5%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Matt // Wikimedia Commons

#12. Foster County

- Population: 3,260
- Born in North Dakota: 2,601 (79.8% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 628 (19.3% of population)
--- Midwest (13.6%), Northeast (0.6%), South (0.7%), West (4.4%)
- Born in another country: 27 (0.8% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.0%), Europe (0.8%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.0%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#11. Cavalier County

- Population: 3,803
- Born in North Dakota: 3,055 (80.3% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 670 (17.6% of population)
--- Midwest (9.0%), Northeast (0.3%), South (2.2%), West (4.5%)
- Born in another country: 56 (1.5% of population)
--- Africa (0.4%), Asia (0.1%), Europe (0.2%), Latin America (0.2%), North America (0.7%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#10. Eddy County

- Population: 2,301
- Born in North Dakota: 1,856 (80.7% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 438 (19.0% of population)
--- Midwest (10.0%), Northeast (0.8%), South (1.7%), West (6.6%)
- Born in another country: 7 (0.3% of population)
--- Africa (0.1%), Asia (0.1%), Europe (0.0%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.1%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#9. Pierce County

- Population: 4,126
- Born in North Dakota: 3,347 (81.1% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 742 (18.0% of population)
--- Midwest (8.1%), Northeast (2.7%), South (1.5%), West (5.6%)
- Born in another country: 25 (0.6% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.3%), Europe (0.0%), Latin America (0.1%), North America (0.2%), Oceania (0.0%)
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{{{1}}} // Wikimedia Commons

#8. Wells County

- Population: 3,976
- Born in North Dakota: 3,249 (81.7% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 712 (17.9% of population)
--- Midwest (9.6%), Northeast (1.3%), South (1.1%), West (5.9%)
- Born in another country: 13 (0.3% of population)
--- Africa (0.1%), Asia (0.2%), Europe (0.0%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.0%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Calvin Beale // Wikimedia Commons

#7. Steele County

- Population: 1,744
- Born in North Dakota: 1,427 (81.8% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 267 (15.3% of population)
--- Midwest (9.3%), Northeast (1.8%), South (1.8%), West (2.4%)
- Born in another country: 23 (1.3% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.2%), Europe (0.3%), Latin America (0.3%), North America (0.5%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#6. Ramsey County

- Population: 11,583
- Born in North Dakota: 9,497 (82.0% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 1,760 (15.2% of population)
--- Midwest (8.3%), Northeast (0.4%), South (2.0%), West (4.5%)
- Born in another country: 262 (2.3% of population)
--- Africa (0.1%), Asia (0.8%), Europe (0.3%), Latin America (0.8%), North America (0.2%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#5. Emmons County

- Population: 3,310
- Born in North Dakota: 2,721 (82.2% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 515 (15.6% of population)
--- Midwest (7.7%), Northeast (1.1%), South (1.4%), West (5.3%)
- Born in another country: 69 (2.1% of population)
--- Africa (0.1%), Asia (1.0%), Europe (0.7%), Latin America (0.2%), North America (0.1%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#4. Griggs County

- Population: 2,409
- Born in North Dakota: 2,000 (83.0% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 363 (15.1% of population)
--- Midwest (7.0%), Northeast (0.2%), South (2.2%), West (5.6%)
- Born in another country: 32 (1.3% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.6%), Europe (0.3%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.5%), Oceania (0.0%)
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David Becker // Wikimedia Commons

#3. Oliver County

- Population: 1,842
- Born in North Dakota: 1,558 (84.6% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 263 (14.3% of population)
--- Midwest (6.5%), Northeast (0.9%), South (1.3%), West (5.3%)
- Born in another country: 21 (1.1% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.7%), Europe (0.0%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.4%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#2. Benson County

- Population: 6,873
- Born in North Dakota: 6,184 (90.0% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 653 (9.5% of population)
--- Midwest (5.0%), Northeast (0.3%), South (1.4%), West (2.7%)
- Born in another country: 24 (0.3% of population)
--- Africa (0.0%), Asia (0.1%), Europe (0.0%), Latin America (0.1%), North America (0.1%), Oceania (0.0%)
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Andrew Filer // Wikimedia Commons

#1. Rolette County

- Population: 14,511
- Born in North Dakota: 13,110 (90.3% of population)
- Born in another U.S. state or territory: 1,324 (9.1% of population)
--- Midwest (4.5%), Northeast (0.0%), South (1.2%), West (3.4%)
- Born in another country: 56 (0.4% of population)
--- Africa (0.1%), Asia (0.1%), Europe (0.0%), Latin America (0.0%), North America (0.1%), Oceania (0.0%)

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