County · North Dakota

Burke County, North Dakota

Burke County, North Dakota. Burke County had 2,132 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 2.8% since 2020, while North Dakota grew 2.6%. It holds 35 places (6 cities, villages and boroughs, 28 towns and townships and 1 census-designated) and 1 census tract. GEOID 38013.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

2,132

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 2,201 · ACS 2020-2024: 2,156

Median household income

$91,591

±$10,106 (90% margin)
North Dakota: $76,657

Median home value

$158,100

±$45,739 (90% margin)
North Dakota: $249,900

Median gross rent

$684

±$19 (90% margin)
North Dakota: $954

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

The 2020 Census counted 2,201 residents in Burke County. The Census Bureau estimates 2,132 for July 1, 2025, down 2.8% since 2020, while North Dakota grew 2.6%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 2,156 over 1,104 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −40 (2,151)
2021→2022 −18 (2,133)
2022→2023 +8 (2,141)
2023→2024 −7 (2,134)
2024→2025 −2 (2,132)

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

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Burke County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	2,156	784,841	−26
Households	904±68	331,063	no clear change
Average household size	2.38±0.18	2.28	no clear change
Housing units	1,362±62	377,281	no clear change

Burke County's population since 2000

From 2,242 in 2000 to 2,132 in 2025: down 4.9%. 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 2,242
2005 (estimate) 2,042
2010 Census 1,968
2015 (estimate) 2,346
2020 Census 2,201
2025 (estimate) 2,132

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 Burke County?

Burke County holds 35 places: 6 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 28 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Powers Lake with 372 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 Burke County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Powers Lake	city	385	301±76	$79,397	$232,100	5.3%	100%
Bowbells	city	301	355±81	$66,250	$104,200	14.4%	100%
Lignite	city	141	167±50	$77,083	$93,000	4.8%	100%
ColumbusGEOID 3815460	city	139	67±34	$88,750	$67,900	9.0%	100%
PortalGEOID 3863740	city	125	129±48	$115,642	$87,200	14.7%	100%
Battleview TownshipGEOID 3801305380	township	112	83±45	$250,000 or more	$345,700	0.0%	100%
Colville TownshipGEOID 3801315500	township	83	113±60	$98,125	$327,800	0.0%	100%
Vale TownshipGEOID 3801381020	township	64	84±37	$87,031	not published	0.0%	100%
Bowbells TownshipGEOID 3801308540	township	61	38±19	not published	$275,000	5.3%	100%
FlaxtonGEOID 3826700	city	60	16±19	$23,500	$46,700	25.0%	100%
North Star TownshipGEOID 3801358140	township	58	34±28	$225,781	$267,500	11.8%	100%
Garness TownshipGEOID 3801329380	township	49	98±47	$228,243	$66,200	0.0%	100%
Foothills TownshipGEOID 3801326940	township	48	6±6	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Ward TownshipGEOID 3801383420	township	44	15±13	$105,625	not published	0.0%	100%
Thorson TownshipGEOID 3801378780	township	43	18±12	$71,875	$287,500	11.1%	100%
Keller TownshipGEOID 3801341660	township	39	25±18	not published	not published	40.0%	100%
Kandiyohi TownshipGEOID 3801341280	township	35	51±35	$101,389	$186,100	0.0%	100%
Dale TownshipGEOID 3801317740	township	34	2±3	not published	not published	50.0%	100%
Richland TownshipGEOID 3801366580	township	32	45±34	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Lucy TownshipGEOID 3801348420	township	30	143±115	not published	$195,800	0.0%	100%
Forthun TownshipGEOID 3801327460	township	30	6±9	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Cleary TownshipGEOID 3801314500	township	29	31±21	$124,375	not published	0.0%	100%
Short Creek TownshipGEOID 3801372740	township	29	24±19	not published	$67,900	0.0%	100%
Fay TownshipGEOID 3801325940	township	29	8±9	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Clayton TownshipGEOID 3801314300	township	28	29±28	$178,750	not published	0.0%	100%
Roseland TownshipGEOID 3801368340	township	27	26±23	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Vanville TownshipGEOID 3801381500	township	25	42±27	$81,607	not published	0.0%	100%
Minnesota TownshipGEOID 3801353180	township	21	51±44	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Soo TownshipGEOID 3801373900	township	21	35±37	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Portal TownshipGEOID 3801363780	township	17	49±29	$127,500	$275,000	0.0%	100%
Dimond TownshipGEOID 3801319660	township	16	2±3	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Lakeview TownshipGEOID 3801344020	township	15	4±5	not published	not published	100.0%	100%
Leaf Mountain TownshipGEOID 3801345420	township	15	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Harmonious TownshipGEOID 3801335540	township	10	52±64	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
LarsonGEOID 3845220	CDP	9	10±11	not published	not published	100.0%	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 Burke County?

The median resident of Burke County is 39.7 years old; 27.0% are under 18 and 21.0% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 86.5%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 5.1%. 3.4% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Burke County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	39.7±2.7	35.9	no clear change
Under 18 years	27.0%±3.1 pts	23.5%	–
65 years and over	21.0%±3.1 pts	16.5%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.5%±1.5 pts	4.7%	–
White alone, not Hispanic	86.5%±2.6 pts	81.7%	−9.3 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.7%±1.4 pts	3.3%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	2.1%±1.3 pts	1.6%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1.8%±1.4 pts	4.2%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±1.2 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5.1%±1.7 pts	4.0%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.4 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	3.4%±1.5 pts	4.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	3.9%±1.6 pts	6.7%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	4.7%±1.7 pts	7.1%	–
With a disability	15.3%±3.1 pts	12.0%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.4%±1.9 pts	6.5%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	93.6%±2.6 pts	94.0%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	22.8%±3.8 pts	32.7%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	3.2%±1.3 pts	9.7%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.5%±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 Burke County earn?

Half of Burke County's 904 households earn less than $91,591 a year (±$10,106), against $76,657 in North Dakota. In 2015-2019 it was $95,049 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 5.9% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Burke County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$91,591±$10,106	$76,657	no clear change
Mean household income	$123,008±$11,742	$101,793	–
Per capita income	$51,797±$5,763	$43,389	no clear change
People below the poverty line	5.9%±1.9 pts	10.8%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	4.8%±4.6 pts	11.1%	–
Households receiving SNAP	7.4%±3.7 pts	6.6%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	93.0%±2.6 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 Burke County?

Owners occupy 75.1% of Burke County's occupied homes and renters 24.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $158,100 by its owner (±$45,739). The median renter pays $684 a month including utilities, and 22.3% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Burke County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$158,100±$45,739	$249,900	no clear change
Median gross rent	$684±$19	$954	−$197
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	22.3%±13.8 pts	31.1%	–
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,327±$109	$1,762	–
Owner-occupied homes	75.1%±5.4 pts	62.9%	no clear change
Housing units	1,362±62	377,281	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.5%±1.6 pts	1.2%	–
Rental vacancy rate	21.0%±8.0 pts	8.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	77.2%±3.8 pts	56.7%	–
Mobile homes	7.9%±2.4 pts	6.6%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.3%±0.4 pts	1.8%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	25.3%±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 Burke County building?

Builders took permits for 6 new housing units across Burke County in 2025 (6 single-family), 2.8 per 1,000 residents.

2019 2 units
2020 2 units
2021 3 units
2022 4 units
2023 3 units
2024 0 units
2025 6 units

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

How do people in Burke County get to work?

71.1% of Burke County's workers drive alone and 10.3% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.3 minutes.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Burke County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	62.1%±4.1 pts	68.6%	–
Unemployment rate	3.7%±3.3 pts	2.8%	–
Drove alone to work	71.1%±5.4 pts	77.9%	–
Carpooled	10.7%±3.7 pts	8.8%	–
Public transportation	0.0%±2.6 pts	0.3%	–
Walked	7.5%±3.4 pts	3.2%	–
Worked from home	10.3%±3.6 pts	8.1%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	24.3 min±2.6	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 Burke County's census tracts?

Burke County is a single census tract.

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

Tract 953338013953300	Bowbells (6%)	2,201	2,156	$91,591	$158,100	$684	5.9%

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

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

Burke County's rank among North Dakota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	44th of 53
Growth 2020-2025	33rd of 53
Residents per square mile	45th of 53
Median household income	4th of 53
Median home value	29th of 53
Median gross rent	37th of 53
Poverty rate	51st of 53
Bachelor's degree or higher	36th of 53
Median age	39th 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 Burke 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.