36 cities
| City | Rank | 2025 Pop. ↓ | 2020 Pop. | Change | Density | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakota | 1 | 688 | 680 | 0.29% | 689 | 1 | City |
| McVille | 2 | 372 | 389 | -0.8% | 259 | 1.44 | City |
| Michigan City | 3 | 258 | 260 | 0% | 513 | 0.50 | City |
| Aneta | 4 | 237 | 236 | 0% | 238 | 0.99 | City |
| Petersburg | 5 | 158 | 160 | 0% | 154 | 1.03 | City |
| Tolna | 6 | 130 | 132 | 0% | 173 | 0.75 | City |
| Michigan township | 7 | 112 | 115 | 0% | 3 | 36.15 | Township |
| Dayton township | 8 | 79 | 78 | 0% | 2 | 34.51 | Township |
| Pekin | 9 | 72 | 71 | 0% | 285 | 0.25 | City |
| Hamlin township | 10 | 57 | 56 | 0% | 2 | 34.65 | Township |
| Dahlen township | 11 | 54 | 59 | -3.57% | 2 | 35.72 | Township |
| Lakota township | 12 | 51 | 50 | 0% | 1 | 34.22 | Township |
| Ora township | 13 | 47 | 46 | 0% | 1 | 34.41 | Township |
| Sarnia township | 14 | 45 | 45 | 0% | 1 | 34.76 | Township |
| Petersburg township | 15 | 44 | 44 | 0% | 1 | 46.26 | Township |
| Lee township | 16 | 42 | 42 | 0% | 1 | 35.79 | Township |
| Leval township | 17 | 41 | 41 | 0% | 1 | 31.78 | Township |
| Nash township | 18 | 41 | 41 | 0% | 1 | 35.80 | Township |
| Bergen township | 19 | 40 | 40 | 0% | 1 | 35.33 | Township |
| Dodds township | 20 | 40 | 40 | 0% | 1 | 35.93 | Township |
| Melvin township | 21 | 40 | 40 | 0% | 1 | 34.74 | Township |
| Osago township | 22 | 40 | 40 | 0% | 1 | 35.40 | Township |
| Michigan township | 23 | 39 | 39 | 0% | 1 | 57.47 | Township |
| Wamduska township | 24 | 39 | 39 | 0% | 1 | 31.09 | Township |
| Forde township | 25 | 36 | 36 | 0% | 1 | 35.38 | Township |
| Dahlen | 26 | 35 | 11 | 6.06% | 250 | 0.14 | CDP |
| Nesheim township | 27 | 34 | 34 | 0% | 1 | 35.75 | Township |
| Williams township | 28 | 34 | 34 | 0% | 1 | 35.67 | Township |
| Illinois township | 29 | 32 | 32 | 0% | 1 | 35.03 | Township |
| Central township | 30 | 31 | 31 | 0% | 1 | 34.83 | Township |
| Field township | 31 | 31 | 31 | 0% | 1 | 35.87 | Township |
| Clara township | 32 | 30 | 30 | 0% | 1 | 34.62 | Township |
| Enterprise township | 33 | 26 | 26 | 0% | 1 | 35.17 | Township |
| Rubin township | 34 | 26 | 26 | 0% | 1 | 34.04 | Township |
| Rugh township | 35 | 26 | 26 | 0% | 1 | 35.80 | Township |
| Adler township | 36 | 20 | 20 | 0% | 1 | 35.84 | Township |
Lakota is the largest city in Nelson County, with a population of 688.
Adler township is the smallest city in Nelson County.
There are 36 cities in Nelson County, North Dakota.