Dirk Wierenga // Shutterstock
1 / 20#20. Nelson County and Walsh County
- Nelson County population: 2,991
- Walsh County population: 10,305
- Social connectedness index: 4,514,789
Most socially connected counties in North Dakota
In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in North Dakota using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
2 / 20#19. Stutsman County and Barnes County
- Stutsman County population: 21,392
- Barnes County population: 10,726
- Social connectedness index: 5,092,878
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
3 / 20#18. Morton County and Burleigh County
- Morton County population: 33,895
- Burleigh County population: 100,012
- Social connectedness index: 5,144,941
Cammie Czuchnicki // Shutterstock
4 / 20#17. Emmons County and Kidder County
- Emmons County population: 3,224
- Kidder County population: 2,342
- Social connectedness index: 8,378,911
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
5 / 20#16. Rolette County and Towner County
- Rolette County population: 11,728
- Towner County population: 2,030
- Social connectedness index: 9,923,402
Cavan-Images // Shutterstock
6 / 20#15. Stark County and Billings County
- Stark County population: 33,001
- Billings County population: 1,034
- Social connectedness index: 10,535,616
Dirk Wierenga // Shutterstock
7 / 20#14. McHenry County and Pierce County
- McHenry County population: 5,131
- Pierce County population: 3,902
- Social connectedness index: 16,183,961
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
8 / 20#13. Pembina County and Cavalier County
- Pembina County population: 6,661
- Cavalier County population: 3,596
- Social connectedness index: 16,748,320
northlight // Shutterstock
9 / 20#12. Oliver County and Mercer County
- Oliver County population: 1,879
- Mercer County population: 8,309
- Social connectedness index: 17,145,263
northlight // Shutterstock
10 / 20#11. Hettinger County and Grant County
- Hettinger County population: 2,415
- Grant County population: 2,215
- Social connectedness index: 21,779,615
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
11 / 20#10. Benson County and Ramsey County
- Benson County population: 5,745
- Ramsey County population: 11,463
- Social connectedness index: 23,002,228
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
12 / 20#9. Dickey County and LaMoure County
- Dickey County population: 4,900
- LaMoure County population: 4,096
- Social connectedness index: 24,851,411
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
13 / 20#8. Wells County and Sheridan County
- Wells County population: 3,876
- Sheridan County population: 1,266
- Social connectedness index: 26,335,536
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
14 / 20#7. Renville County and Bottineau County
- Renville County population: 2,279
- Bottineau County population: 6,349
- Social connectedness index: 26,532,481
Danita Delimont // Shutterstock
15 / 20#6. Sargent County and Ransom County
- Sargent County population: 3,776
- Ransom County population: 5,603
- Social connectedness index: 29,641,217
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
16 / 20#5. Divide County and Burke County
- Divide County population: 2,135
- Burke County population: 2,134
- Social connectedness index: 31,242,942
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
17 / 20#4. Steele County and Griggs County
- Steele County population: 1,782
- Griggs County population: 2,248
- Social connectedness index: 39,050,942
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
18 / 20#3. Foster County and Eddy County
- Foster County population: 3,309
- Eddy County population: 2,263
- Social connectedness index: 40,567,225
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
19 / 20#2. Logan County and McIntosh County
- Logan County population: 1,869
- McIntosh County population: 2,488
- Social connectedness index: 53,388,149
Jeffrey M. Frank // Shutterstock
20 / 20#1. Slope County and Bowman County
- Slope County population: 674
- Bowman County population: 2,867
- Social connectedness index: 77,899,434
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.
