Ward County, ND jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Ward County’s unemployment rate is 1.7%. No layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 19 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Ward County economy

1.7%
unemployment, Sep 2026
2.2% the month before
36,423
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
69,232
people in Ward County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$79,273
median household income
Source: Census ACS
37%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Ward County ranks

Where Ward County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.

November 2026

#8Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Midwest1.7% · of 100
#12Counties with the lowest unemployment1.7% · of 100

Ward County outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

Private-sector jobs up 1.6% from 2022 to 2025
Population down 2.4% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 1.7%, down 0.5 points from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+381 jobs)

Learn and get funded in Ward County

Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Ward County layoffs

No layoff notices naming Ward County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Ward County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

EquipmentShare.com2 open roles
Advisory Excellence1 open role
Builders FirstSource1 open role
Civic Solutions Group1 open role
Conservice1 open role
Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology1 open role
Farm Service Agency1 open role
FedEx Freight Holding Company1 open role
Industrial Plus1 open role
Maximus1 open role

Colleges in Ward County

Colleges in Ward County
College	City	Type	Students
Minot State University	Minot	Public 4-year	1,000–4,999

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Ward County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in North Dakota? How to file for unemployment in North Dakota (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

North Dakota Workforce Development Council
Serves all of North Dakota

Job Service North Dakota - Minot
Minot · Comprehensive · 701-857-7500
8 am – 5 pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday, 9 am – 5 pm Thursday.

Cities in Ward County

Other North Dakota counties

All of North Dakota

Laid off or looking for work in Ward County?

See what to do first and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from North Dakota’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. North Dakota unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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