HomeNorth DakotaCass County
Cass County, North Dakota: commercial real estate data.
Cass County, North Dakota has a population of 193,400 across 1,765 square miles, up 8.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $19.10 bn in 2024, 5,988 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 392 7(a) approvals worth $137.1 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Cass County
How many people live in Cass County
- Population193,400
- Households83,945
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$75,555
- Median age32.8
- Median gross rent$958 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$298,000
- Home value to household income3.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher42.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over121,988
- Population under 1842,900
- Share under 1822.2 percent
- Population 65 and over25,154
- Share 65 and over13.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64125,346
- Civilian labor force115,503
- Unemployment rate3.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over76.7 percent
- Rank by population among North Dakota counties1st of 53
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents361st
Cass County is the 1st largest of 53 North Dakota counties by population. A median home costs 3.9 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.2 percent against 13.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cass County
Is Cass County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base8.89 percent
- Census 2020 base population184,531
- Births, 20242,359
- Deaths, 20241,208
- Natural change, 20241,151
- Net domestic migration, 2024-551
- Net international migration, 20242,190
- Total net migration, 20241,639
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20245,941
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents190th
The county has grown 8.89 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Cass County
Where people moving to Cass County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving6,087
- People arriving, from those returns9,556
- Adjusted gross income arriving$358.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$58,911
- Largest single originCass County Non-migrants (74,392 households)
- Largest single destination (74,392 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County Non-migrants | 74,392 | 145,114 | $9.63 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 2,057 | 3,416 | $120.0 m |
| Clay County | 939 | 1,477 | $50.3 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 888 | 1,380 | $50.9 m |
| Other flows - West | 497 | 835 | $33.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 488 | 869 | $26.1 m |
| Grand Forks County | 339 | 479 | $19.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 237 | 361 | $16.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Cass County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Cass County
What the Cass County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$19.10 bn
- County GDP, 2023$18.13 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.4 percent
- GDP change over five years37.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Dakota counties1st
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents271st
- GDP per resident$98,784
Output grew 5.4 percent in the latest year and 37.7 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Cass County
Who employs people in Cass County
- Covered employment, annual average128,033
- Establishments reporting9,494
- Average annual pay$66,805
- Average weekly wage$1,285
- Sector 62, employment22,662
- Sector 62, average annual pay$71,551
- Sector 44-45, employment12,676
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$40,332
- Sector 31-33, employment10,956
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$72,039
- Sector 72, employment10,521
- Sector 72, average annual pay$25,918
- Sector 23, employment9,394
- Sector 42, employment7,956
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 22,662 | 957 | $71,551 |
| Sector 44-45 | 12,676 | 743 | $40,332 |
| Sector 31-33 | 10,956 | 286 | $72,039 |
| Sector 72 | 10,521 | 524 | $25,918 |
| Sector 23 | 9,394 | 984 | $78,159 |
| Sector 42 | 7,956 | 912 | $94,389 |
| Sector 52 | 7,281 | 630 | $95,173 |
| Sector 48-49 | 6,754 | 322 | $55,530 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 22,662 jobs, 17.7 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Cass County
What businesses operate in Cass County
- Establishments, all industries5,988
- Employment at those establishments113,306
- Annual payroll$7.14 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents31.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cass County
What is being built in Cass County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,223
- Declared construction value permitted$351.3 m
- Single family units authorised728
- Multifamily units authorised495
- Multifamily share of units40.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$287,262
- Units authorised per 1,000 households14.6
Multifamily is 40.5 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Cass County
How much SBA lending happens in Cass County
- 7(a) approvals recorded392
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$137.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$349,684
- Median 7(a) approval$174,200
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$770,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)4,246
- Jobs per approval10.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active56
- Distinct industries receiving approvals153
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer6.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms24
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter346
- Franchise loans34
- Franchise share of approvals8.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLandscaping Services (17)
- Most active lenderBravera Bank (65)
- 504 approvals recorded345
- 504 gross approval dollars$254.6 m
- Average 504 approval$737,832
- Median 504 approval$484,000
- Distinct CDCs active7
- 504 jobs per approval9.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.9
- Most active CDCDakota Business Lending (197)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals53.2 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$391.6 m
The average approval of $349,684 sits well above the median of $174,200, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 6.1 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cass County
Do SBA loans in Cass County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded140
- Paid in full138
- Charged off2
- Charge off rate on resolved loans1.4 percent
- Status: Paid in full138
- Status: Cancelled31
- Status: Exempt from disclosure202
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed19
Of the 140 loans that have reached a final outcome, 1.4 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cass County
Which parts of Cass County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending13
- FARGO, approvals292
- WEST FARGO, approvals66
- HORACE, approvals12
- Harwood, approvals6
- MAPLETON, approvals4
- CASSELTON, approvals4
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| FARGO | 292 | $105,817,000 |
| WEST FARGO | 66 | $18,351,500 |
| HORACE | 12 | $3,230,200 |
| Harwood | 6 | $1,202,800 |
| MAPLETON | 4 | $244,800 |
| CASSELTON | 4 | $5,767,500 |
| Moorhead | 2 | $374,200 |
| GRANDIN | 1 | $191,900 |
FARGO accounts for 292 approvals against 66 in WEST FARGO. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cass County
How big is Cass County
- Land area1,765 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Dakota counties10th of 53
- Width, east to west44.3 mi
- Height, north to south42.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land110
- Establishments per square mile3.39
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Cass County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Cass County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population193,400
- Households83,945
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$75,555
- Median age32.8
Common questions
Cass County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cass County, North Dakota?
193,400, in 83,945 households, ranking 1st of 53 North Dakota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cass County growing?
The population has grown 8.89 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 2,359 births against 1,208 deaths, with net migration of 1,639. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cass County?
$75,555. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $298,000, which is 3.9 times income, and median gross rent is $958 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Cass County?
5,988 establishments, employing 113,306 people with an annual payroll of $7.14 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Cass County?
Average annual pay is $66,805, or $1,285 a week, across 128,033 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Cass County?
392 7(a) approvals totalling $137.1 m since FY2020, across 56 lenders, with a median approval of $174,200, plus 345 504 approvals worth $254.6 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Cass County get paid back?
Of the 140 loans that have reached a final outcome, 138 were paid in full and 2 charged off, a charge off rate of 1.4 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Cass County?
1,223 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $351.3 m. Multifamily was 40.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cass County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Cass County come from?
The largest single origin is Cass County Non-migrants, with 74,392 households. Arriving households report an average income of $58,911 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Cass County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Cass County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.