Foster County, North Dakota

ND · FIPS 38031 Republican

Located in North Dakota, Foster County has a population of 3,358 residents and a median age of 43.4 years, making it the #3,012 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 8.8%. The median home value is $167,500, and the median household income is $87,831, which is 17% above the national median.

3,358
Population
#3,012 of 3,222
$87,831
Median Income
+16.9% #353 of 3,222
43.4 years
Median Age
+11.6% #1,097 of 3,222
8.8%
Poverty Rate
-30.4% #527 of 3,222

Demographics

Foster County has a population of 3,358, making it the #3,012 most populous county in the US. The median age is 43.4 years, which is 11.6% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

98.0%
Native Born
2.0%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Foster County is $87,831, ranking #353 out of 3,222 counties — 16.9% above the national median. The poverty rate is 8.8% and unemployment stands at 1.0%.

Income#353
$87,831
+16.9%
vs nation
89th percentile
Per Capita#315
$46,993
+13.9%
vs nation
90th percentile
Poverty#527
8.8%
-30.4%
vs nation
84th percentile
Unemployment#91
1.0%
-81.7%
vs nation
97th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Foster County is $167,500 (-40.6% vs national). Renters pay a median of $780/mo and the homeownership rate is 79.7%.

Home Value#1,861
$167,500
-40.6%
vs nation
42th percentile
Rent#2,268
$780
-32.9%
vs nation
29th percentile
Homeownership#681
79.7%
+23.7%
vs nation
79th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Foster County, 28.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 15.5% below the national average, ranking #884 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
28.5% −15.5% vs nation
Rank #884 of 3,222
73th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Foster County is 77.2 years. 14.3% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.9% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#861
77.2
+2.7%
vs nation
72th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#374
14.3%
-26.9%
vs nation
88th percentile
Diabetes#243
8.3%
-25.4%
vs nation
92th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#500
32.9%
-11.8%
vs nation
84th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#46
4.3
-23.1%
vs nation
99th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#191
3.5
-21.5%
vs nation
94th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,164
7.9%
-24.6%
vs nation
63th percentile
Physical Inactivity#869
23.1%
-12.4%
vs nation
72th percentile
Food Insecurity#25
7.1%
-50.7%
vs nation
99th percentile

Substance Use

16.4% of adults in Foster County smoke , 39.9% are obese , and 24.2% report excessive drinking.

Adult Smoking#1,097
16.4%
-8.7%
vs nation
65th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,039
39.9%
+5.3%
vs nation
35th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,882
24.2%
+21.6%
vs nation
8th percentile

Safety

.

Families & Children

10.0% of children in Foster County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 13.8 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#780
13.8
-36.9%
vs nation
74th percentile
Child Poverty#333
10.0%
-47.3%
vs nation
89th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Foster County is 70.8%. The mean commute time is 15.0 min, which is 45.7% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
70.8% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
15.0 min −45.7% vs nation
Rank #3,159 of 3,222
2th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Foster County voted Republican with a margin of 58.6%. The vote was 19.8% Dem / 78.4% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 3.0 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +58.6%
19.8% 78.4%
Dem 1,692 votes Rep
2020 REP +55.6%
21% 76.6%
Dem 1,778 votes Rep
2016 REP +52.4%
20.4% 72.8%
Dem 1,699 votes Rep
2012 REP +25.3%
36.1% 61.4%
Dem 1,674 votes Rep
2008 REP +13.8%
41.6% 55.4%
Dem 1,651 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Foster County, North Dakota

Foster County, North Dakota has a total population of 3,358, making it the 3,012th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Foster County is 43.4 years, which is 11.6% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Foster County is $87,831, which ranks #353 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 16.9% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 8.8%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 1.0%.

The median home value in Foster County is $167,500, 40.6% below the national median. Renters in Foster County pay a median gross rent of $780 per month. The homeownership rate is 79.7%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Foster County, 28.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 15.5% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 95.1% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 15.0 min.

Foster County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 93.1% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (2.5%) and Asian (non-Hispanic) (1.8%).

All data for Foster County, North Dakota comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.