Official Federal Data
Steele County, North Dakota
FIPS 38091 · Population 1,804
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$77,500 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.1%
Unemployment
4% national
$213M ▼
GDP
28.9% ▼
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 1,804 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$77,500 ▲
Per Capita
$43,071 ▲
Mean Household
$96,112 ▲
Poverty Rate
12.9% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Steele County$77,500
North Dakota$76,657
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.8%
18-34 · 15.1%
35-54 · 21.1%
55-64 · 12%
65+ · 30%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
95.4%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +5.8 pts
28.9%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 6.8 pts
3.2%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 10.9 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
1,804
Population
826
Labor Force
Employed
799
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.1%
Mean Commute 8 min below national avg
18.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.3%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 6.8 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 47 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Construction employs 84 workers (31.6% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $85,213.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $213M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Construction averages $85,213 while Other Services (except Public Administration) averages $33,488, a 2.5x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
182
Cluster Employment
2.36x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
2.36x 182
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
1.95x 17
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: concentrates at 2.36x the national norm.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$130,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$738 ▲
Rent/Mo
77.8% ▼
Owner-Occ
28% ▼
Vacancy
1.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$697/mo
1 Bedroom
$702/mo
2 Bedroom
$873/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,214/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,464/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,938/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 1.7x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 77.8% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 28% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,938/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
870 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 8 min below national avg
18.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.3%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
90.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
28.9% ▼
HS Diploma+
95.4% ▼
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
10,038/yr
3,449/yr
3,143/yr
1,150/yr
1,078/yr
649/yr
569/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
24.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
48.3%
Service
5.8%
Sales & Office
17.9%
Construction / Maint.
11.9%
Production / Transport
16.1%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 799 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 24.9% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Low participation: 58.5% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
- Short commutes: 18.2-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 7,742 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Steele County shows emerging potential for attraction, with a 2.36x concentration and 182 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 24.9% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Steele County, North Dakota, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Steele County, North Dakota?
1,804 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Steele County, North Dakota?
$77,500 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Steele County, North Dakota?
3.1% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Steele County, North Dakota?
$213M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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