County · North Dakota

Ransom County, North Dakota

Ransom County, North Dakota. Ransom County had 5,617 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.6% since 2020, while North Dakota grew 2.6%. It holds 31 places (5 cities, villages and boroughs, 24 towns and townships and 2 census-designated) and 3 census tracts. GEOID 38073.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

5,617

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 5,703 · ACS 2020-2024: 5,643

Median household income

$75,736

±$5,220 (90% margin)
North Dakota: $76,657

Median home value

$193,000

±$19,079 (90% margin)
North Dakota: $249,900

Median gross rent

$691

±$119 (90% margin)
North Dakota: $954

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

The 2020 Census counted 5,703 residents in Ransom County. The Census Bureau estimates 5,617 for July 1, 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, while North Dakota grew 2.6%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 5,643 over 862 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −17 (5,683)
2021→2022 −30 (5,653)
2022→2023 −24 (5,629)
2023→2024 +7 (5,636)
2024→2025 −19 (5,617)

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

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Ransom County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	5,643	784,841	+329
Households	2,337±76	331,063	no clear change
Average household size	2.27±0.07	2.28	no clear change
Housing units	2,546±19	377,281	−135

Ransom County's population since 2000

From 5,890 in 2000 to 5,617 in 2025: down 4.6%. 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 5,890
2005 (estimate) 5,770
2010 Census 5,457
2015 (estimate) 5,455
2020 Census 5,703
2025 (estimate) 5,617

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 Ransom County?

Ransom County holds 31 places: 5 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 24 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 2 census-designated places. The largest is Lisbon with 2,184 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 Ransom County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Lisbon	city	2,204	2,259±206	$64,327	$192,100	15.4%	100%
Enderlin	city	881	985±143	$74,625	$148,600	12.5%	99%
Sydna TownshipGEOID 3807377540	township	397	76±12	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Island Park TownshipGEOID 3807340300	township	291	273±138	$163,824	$172,900	0.0%	100%
Big Bend Township, Ransom CountyGEOID 3807306820	township	175	265±110	$96,786	$341,300	0.0%	100%
Moore TownshipGEOID 3807354180	township	146	128±55	$135,592	$809,200	7.4%	100%
Tuller TownshipGEOID 3807379860	township	134	88±58	$71,607	not published	21.6%	100%
Greene TownshipGEOID 3807333180	township	110	28±20	$138,333	not published	0.0%	100%
Aliceton TownshipGEOID 3807301460	township	109	133±87	$83,906	$364,300	0.0%	100%
Shenford TownshipGEOID 3807372300	township	108	100±56	$146,250	$517,900	0.0%	100%
Liberty Township, Ransom CountyGEOID 3807346380	township	98	128±65	$118,750	$308,800	0.0%	100%
SheldonGEOID 3872180	city	95	89±33	$54,167	$57,500	1.1%	100%
Bale TownshipGEOID 3807304420	township	93	63±45	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Fort RansomGEOID 3827580	city	91	106±38	$71,250	$216,700	7.5%	100%
Casey TownshipGEOID 3807312580	township	78	157±99	$104,297	not published	0.0%	100%
Hanson TownshipGEOID 3807335180	township	75	11±16	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Preston TownshipGEOID 3807364500	township	71	60±28	$115,417	$329,400	0.0%	100%
Fort Ransom TownshipGEOID 3807327620	township	65	157±61	$86,042	$350,000	1.9%	100%
Alleghany TownshipGEOID 3807301540	township	57	31±34	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Northland TownshipGEOID 3807357900	township	56	45±35	$223,000	not published	8.9%	100%
Elliott TownshipGEOID 3807323380	township	55	57±54	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Springer TownshipGEOID 3807374940	township	54	105±61	$134,250	$302,900	0.0%	100%
Sandoun TownshipGEOID 3807370460	township	53	136±72	$70,781	not published	55.1%	100%
Isley TownshipGEOID 3807340340	township	49	35±49	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Coburn TownshipGEOID 3807315060	township	47	30±25	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Rosemeade TownshipGEOID 3807368380	township	38	70±48	$48,681	not published	0.0%	100%
EnglevaleGEOID 3824380	CDP	36	11±16	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Owego TownshipGEOID 3807360460	township	28	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Scoville TownshipGEOID 3807371460	township	27	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
ElliottGEOID 3823340	city	24	33±21	$66,250	$73,800	9.1%	100%
McLeodGEOID 3849540	CDP	22	129±72	$71,406	$95,600	58.1%	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 Ransom County?

The median resident of Ransom County is 43.1 years old; 21.6% are under 18 and 22.1% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 91.8%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 3.4%. 2.3% 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	Ransom County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	43.1±0.9	35.9	−3.5
Under 18 years	21.6%±0.8 pts	23.5%	–
65 years and over	22.1%±0.4 pts	16.5%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.7%	4.7%	–
White alone, not Hispanic	91.8%±0.7 pts	81.7%	−2.4 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.1%±0.5 pts	3.3%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.5 pts	1.6%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.4 pts	4.2%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.4 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	3.4%±1.0 pts	4.0%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.4 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	2.3%±1.1 pts	4.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	6.0%±1.4 pts	6.7%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	9.2%±1.8 pts	7.1%	–
With a disability	11.0%±1.8 pts	12.0%	–
No health insurance coverage	2.8%±1.2 pts	6.5%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	92.3%±1.7 pts	94.0%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	22.9%±2.9 pts	32.7%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	6.0%±1.6 pts	9.7%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.9%±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 Ransom County earn?

Half of Ransom County's 2,337 households earn less than $75,736 a year (±$5,220), against $76,657 in North Dakota. In 2015-2019 it was $78,645 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 10.4% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Ransom County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$75,736±$5,220	$76,657	no clear change
Mean household income	$92,444±$6,855	$101,793	–
Per capita income	$40,691±$3,265	$43,389	no clear change
People below the poverty line	10.4%±3.3 pts	10.8%	+4.0 pts
Children under 18 below the poverty line	19.0%±8.6 pts	11.1%	+13.6 pts
Households receiving SNAP	5.8%±2.2 pts	6.6%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	86.2%±3.1 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 Ransom County?

Owners occupy 74.7% of Ransom County's occupied homes and renters 25.3%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $193,000 by its owner (±$19,079). The median renter pays $691 a month including utilities, and 34.3% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Ransom County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$193,000±$19,079	$249,900	+$43,225
Median gross rent	$691±$119	$954	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	34.3%±10.2 pts	31.1%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,505±$97	$1,762	–
Owner-occupied homes	74.7%±3.7 pts	62.9%	no clear change
Housing units	2,546±19	377,281	−135
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.0%±1.4 pts	1.2%	–
Rental vacancy rate	7.8%±6.2 pts	8.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	75.7%±4.1 pts	56.7%	–
Mobile homes	6.9%±2.4 pts	6.6%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.7%±0.8 pts	1.8%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	28.7%±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 Ransom County building?

Builders took permits for 2 new housing units across Ransom County in 2025 (0 single-family), 0.4 per 1,000 residents.

2019 3 units
2020 5 units
2021 8 units
2022 2 units
2023 5 units
2024 3 units
2025 2 units

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

How do people in Ransom County get to work?

74.8% of Ransom County's workers drive alone and 10.2% work from home. The average trip to work takes 19.4 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 2.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Ransom County	North Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	62.0%±3.1 pts	68.6%	–
Unemployment rate	2.9%±1.5 pts	2.8%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	74.8%±4.7 pts	77.9%	–
Carpooled	11.2%±2.6 pts	8.8%	–
Public transportation	0.0%±0.9 pts	0.3%	–
Walked	3.8%±1.9 pts	3.2%	–
Worked from home	10.2%±4.2 pts	8.1%	+4.8 pts
Mean travel time to work	19.4 min±2.2	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 Ransom County's census tracts?

Ransom County is divided into 3 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $64,567 (Tract 9691) to $102,826 (Tract 9690).

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

Tract 968938073968900	Enderlin (20%)	1,821	1,610±153	$73,750	$158,900	$826	12.3%
Tract 969038073969000	Englevale (3%)	1,556	1,716±185	$102,826	$283,800	$1,056	2.7%
Tract 969138073969100	Lisbon (92%)	2,326	2,317±203	$64,567	$191,200	$655	15.0%

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

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

Ransom County's rank among North Dakota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	22nd of 53
Growth 2020-2025	28th of 53
Residents per square mile	16th of 53
Median household income	22nd of 53
Median home value	19th of 53
Median gross rent	36th of 53
Poverty rate	26th of 53
Bachelor's degree or higher	35th of 53
Median age	30th 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 Ransom 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.