County · North Dakota

Bowman County, North Dakota

Bowman County, North Dakota. Bowman County had 2,762 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 7.5% since 2020, while North Dakota grew 2.6%. It holds 28 places (4 cities, villages and boroughs and 24 towns and townships) and 2 census tracts. GEOID 38011.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

2,762

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 2,993 · ACS 2020-2024: 2,906

Median household income

$72,109

±$13,626 (90% margin)
North Dakota: $76,657

Median home value

$164,900

±$11,927 (90% margin)
North Dakota: $249,900

Median gross rent

$765

±$65 (90% margin)
North Dakota: $954

How many people live in Bowman County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 2,993 residents in Bowman County. The Census Bureau estimates 2,762 for July 1, 2025, down 7.5% since 2020, while North Dakota grew 2.6%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 2,906 over 1,162 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −80 (2,893)
2021→2022 −10 (2,883)
2022→2023 −29 (2,854)
2023→2024 −14 (2,840)
2024→2025 −78 (2,762)

Bowman County in North Dakota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Bowman County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	2,906	784,841	−242
Households	1,291±76	331,063	no clear change
Average household size	2.21±0.13	2.28	no clear change
Housing units	1,635±15	377,281	−140

Bowman County's population since 2000

From 3,242 in 2000 to 2,762 in 2025: down 14.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 3,242
2005 (estimate) 3,046
2010 Census 3,151
2015 (estimate) 3,276
2020 Census 2,993
2025 (estimate) 2,762

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Bowman County?

Bowman County holds 28 places: 4 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 24 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government). The largest is Bowman with 1,357 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Bowman County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Bowman	city	1,470	1,499±136	$62,786	$174,800	15.5%	100%
Bowman TownshipGEOID 3801108740	township	291	193±94	$96,250	$401,900	0.0%	100%
Scranton	city	258	387±101	$79,750	$117,500	16.8%	100%
RhameGEOID 3866300	city	158	184±69	$61,429	$120,800	11.4%	100%
Talbot TownshipGEOID 3801177900	township	83	90±59	not published	$10,000 or less	0.0%	100%
Scranton TownshipGEOID 3801171540	township	76	66±39	$112,500	not published	13.6%	100%
Whiting TownshipGEOID 3801185780	township	48	52±41	$250,000 or more	not published	0.0%	100%
Star TownshipGEOID 3801175460	township	45	26±34	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Stillwater TownshipGEOID 3801176140	township	39	35±26	$112,778	not published	17.1%	100%
Grainbelt TownshipGEOID 3801131940	township	34	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Rhame TownshipGEOID 3801166340	township	33	4±7	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Goldfield TownshipGEOID 3801131300	township	31	19±18	not published	not published	52.6%	100%
Gascoyne TownshipGEOID 3801129580	township	30	48±43	$195,278	not published	14.6%	100%
Adelaide TownshipGEOID 3801100540	township	30	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Nebo TownshipGEOID 3801155580	township	29	72±57	$85,625	$102,500	0.0%	100%
Gem TownshipGEOID 3801129740	township	29	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Haley TownshipGEOID 3801134260	township	27	11±10	not published	not published	36.4%	100%
Amor TownshipGEOID 3801102140	township	27	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Buena Vista TownshipGEOID 3801110380	township	23	33±22	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
GascoyneGEOID 3829540	city	21	28±19	$153,750	not published	14.3%	100%
Minnehaha TownshipGEOID 3801153140	township	21	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Fischbein TownshipGEOID 3801126540	township	19	17±15	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Langberg TownshipGEOID 3801144740	township	14	20±23	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Boyesen TownshipGEOID 3801108820	township	12	51±26	$14,267	not published	56.9%	100%
Grand River TownshipGEOID 3801132460	township	11	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Marion TownshipGEOID 3801150740	township	10	8±10	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Sunny Slope TownshipGEOID 3801177060	township	7	10±9	not published	not published	50.0%	100%
Ladd TownshipGEOID 3801143700	township	6	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Bowman County?

The median resident of Bowman County is 42.8 years old; 24.7% are under 18 and 24.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 91.6%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 4.0%.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Bowman County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	42.8±1.3	35.9	+1.8
Under 18 years	24.7%	23.5%	–
65 years and over	24.5%±0.4 pts	16.5%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.7%±1.3 pts	4.7%	−2.8 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	91.6%±0.3 pts	81.7%	−1.1 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.9 pts	3.3%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.9 pts	1.6%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1.7%±1.4 pts	4.2%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.9 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.0%±1.9 pts	4.0%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.9 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	0.9%±0.6 pts	4.7%	–
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	2.9%±1.7 pts	6.7%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	5.2%±1.8 pts	7.1%	–
With a disability	11.1%±2.3 pts	12.0%	–
No health insurance coverage	7.2%±2.8 pts	6.5%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	91.4%±2.6 pts	94.0%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	27.0%±4.4 pts	32.7%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.1%±2.8 pts	9.7%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.8%±1.2 pts	4.2%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Bowman County earn?

Half of Bowman County's 1,291 households earn less than $72,109 a year (±$13,626), against $76,657 in North Dakota. In 2015-2019 it was $76,847 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 13.4% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Bowman County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$72,109±$13,626	$76,657	no clear change
Mean household income	$87,925±$5,296	$101,793	–
Per capita income	$40,193±$2,487	$43,389	no clear change
People below the poverty line	13.4%±3.7 pts	10.8%	+5.6 pts
Children under 18 below the poverty line	16.2%±7.1 pts	11.1%	–
Households receiving SNAP	5.1%±2.3 pts	6.6%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	89.0%±3.4 pts	88.7%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Bowman County?

Owners occupy 83.3% of Bowman County's occupied homes and renters 16.7%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $164,900 by its owner (±$11,927). The median renter pays $765 a month including utilities, and 18.6% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Bowman County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$164,900±$11,927	$249,900	no clear change
Median gross rent	$765±$65	$954	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	18.6%±11.4 pts	31.1%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,346±$117	$1,762	–
Owner-occupied homes	83.3%±4.4 pts	62.9%	+8.0 pts
Housing units	1,635±15	377,281	−140
Homeowner vacancy rate	3.2%±2.6 pts	1.2%	–
Rental vacancy rate	16.2%±12.3 pts	8.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	79.8%±4.6 pts	56.7%	–
Mobile homes	11.7%±3.5 pts	6.6%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.5%±0.6 pts	1.8%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	19.9%±3.9 pts	11.5%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Bowman County building?

Builders took permits for 8 new housing units across Bowman County in 2025 (6 single-family), 2.9 per 1,000 residents.

2019 2 units
2020 1 units
2021 4 units
2022 2 units
2023 2 units
2024 2 units
2025 8 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Bowman County get to work?

72.0% of Bowman County's workers drive alone and 9.0% work from home. The average trip to work takes 17.7 minutes.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Bowman County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	66.1%±3.6 pts	68.6%	–
Unemployment rate	3.1%±2.1 pts	2.8%	–
Drove alone to work	72.0%±5.8 pts	77.9%	–
Carpooled	8.9%±2.9 pts	8.8%	–
Public transportation	0.8%±0.7 pts	0.3%	–
Walked	7.2%±2.9 pts	3.2%	–
Worked from home	9.0%±3.3 pts	8.1%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	17.7 min±2.9	17.9 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Bowman County's census tracts?

Bowman County is divided into 2 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $63,321 (Tract 9652) to $86,016 (Tract 9653).

Census tracts of Bowman County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 965238011965200	Bowman (84%)	1,718	1,623±119	$63,321	$180,100	$713	14.2%
Tract 965338011965300	Scranton (5%)	1,275	1,283±119	$86,016	$121,900	$833	12.5%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Bowman County compare with North Dakota's other counties?

Bowman County's rank among North Dakota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	35th of 53
Growth 2020-2025	52nd of 53
Residents per square mile	37th of 53
Median household income	27th of 53
Median home value	26th of 53
Median gross rent	27th of 53
Poverty rate	10th of 53
Bachelor's degree or higher	18th of 53
Median age	33rd of 53

Every county in North Dakota

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Bowman County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.