HomeNorth DakotaSargent County
Sargent County, North Dakota: commercial real estate data.
Sargent County, North Dakota had an estimated 3,710 residents on July 1, 2024, down 4.0 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,866, across 859 square miles. County output reached $1.78 bn in 2024, 122 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 2 7(a) approvals worth $513,400 since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Sargent County
How many people live in Sargent County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,804
- Households1,751
- Average household size2.17
- Median household income$77,946
- Median age44.9
- Median gross rent$816 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$163,200
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income12.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher18.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,794
- Population under 18776
- Share under 1820.4 percent
- Population 65 and over908
- Share 65 and over23.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 642,120
- Civilian labor force2,068
- Unemployment rate0.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over68.3 percent
- Rank by population among North Dakota counties29th of 53
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2978th of 3,222
Sargent County is the 29th largest of 53 North Dakota counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.9 percent against 20.4 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sargent County
Is Sargent County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20243,710
- Census 2020 base population3,866
- Population change since the 2020 census base-4.04 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-84
- Births, 202436
- Deaths, 202444
- Natural change, 2024-8
- Net domestic migration, 2024-76
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 2024-76
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-116
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2900th of 3,144
The county has lost 4.04 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Sargent County
Where are people moving to Sargent County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving98
- People arriving, from those returns137
- Tax returns filed by households leaving114
- Net household movement-16
- Adjusted gross income arriving$5.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$28,000
- Average income of an arriving household$58,735
- Average income of a leaving household$50,246
- Largest single originCass County (28 households)
- Largest single destinationCass County (28 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 28 | 42 | $1.3 m |
Households arriving report $8,489 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Cass County, 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.
Sargent County
What is the Sargent County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$1.78 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.91 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-6.7 percent
- GDP change over five years73.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among the North Dakota areas BEA publishes12th of 53
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1372nd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$468,853
Output grew -6.7 percent in the latest year and 73.4 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.
Sargent County
Employment by industry in Sargent County
- Covered employment, annual average2,762
- Establishments reporting191
- Average annual pay$63,818
- Average weekly wage$1,227
- Wholesale trade, employment141
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$63,275
- Retail trade, employment131
- Retail trade, average annual pay$37,682
- Construction, employment118
- Construction, average annual pay$66,951
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment91
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, average annual pay$50,983
- Other services, except public administration, employment75
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment32
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale trade | 141 | 22 | $63,275 |
| Retail trade | 131 | 14 | $37,682 |
| Construction | 118 | 12 | $66,951 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 91 | 27 | $50,983 |
| Other services, except public administration | 75 | 6 | $30,103 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 32 | 8 | $61,107 |
| Information | 5 | 3 | $131,110 |
Wholesale trade is the largest private sector at 141 jobs, 5.1 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Sargent County
How many businesses are in Sargent County?
- Establishments, all industries122
- Employment at those establishments2,504
- Annual payroll$178.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents32.1
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Sargent County
Building permits in Sargent County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20243
- Declared construction value permitted$880,000
- Single family units authorized3
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$293,333
- Units authorized per 1,000 households1.7
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Sargent County
SBA loans in Sargent County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded2
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$513,400
- Average 7(a) approval$256,700
- Median 7(a) approval$256,700
- Largest single approval$300,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)0
- Jobs per approval0.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals2
- Median 7(a) term165 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer50.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- 504 approvals recorded4
- 504 gross approval dollars$6.4 m
- Average 504 approval$1,589,750
- Median 504 approval$517,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval2.8
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved1.7
- Most active CDCLake Agassiz Certified Development Company (4)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$6.9 m
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.
Sargent County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Sargent County
Do SBA loans in Sargent County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sargent County
SBA lending by place in Sargent County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending2
- Gwinner, approvals1
- Milnor, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Gwinner | 1 | $300,000 |
| Milnor | 1 | $213,400 |
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sargent County
How large is Sargent County?
- Land area859 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Dakota counties48th of 53
- Width, east to west37.5 mi
- Height, north to south24 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land4
- Establishments per square mile0.14
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.
Sargent County
Flood risk in Sargent County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Sargent County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 380295
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Sargent County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Sargent County (community 380295), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Sargent County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Sargent 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 Sargent County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,804
- Households1,751
- Average household size2.17
- Median household income$77,946
- Median age44.9
Common questions
Sargent County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Sargent County, North Dakota?
The Census Bureau estimates 3,710 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 3,804, in 1,751 households, ranking 29th of 53 North Dakota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Sargent County's population growing?
The population has fallen 4.04 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,866, to 3,710 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 36 births against 44 deaths, with net migration of -76. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Sargent County?
$77,946. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $163,200, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $816 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Sargent County?
122 establishments, employing 2,504 people with an annual payroll of $178.6 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Sargent County?
Wholesale trade is the largest private sector at 141 jobs, 5.1 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 2,762 jobs at an average annual pay of $63,818, or $1,227 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Sargent County?
2 7(a) approvals totaling $513,400 since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $256,700, plus 4 504 approvals worth $6.4 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Sargent County?
3 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $880,000. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Sargent 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 Sargent County come from?
The largest single origin is Cass County, with 28 households. Arriving households report an average income of $58,735 against $50,246 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Sargent 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 Sargent County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Sargent County
Cities and places in Sargent.
8 Census places lie wholly or partly in Sargent County. All 8 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwinner | city | 859 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Milnor | city | 648 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Forman | city | 617 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cogswell | city | 110 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Rutland | city | 103 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Havana | city | 86 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cayuga | city | 30 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| De Lamere | CDP | 10 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |