Emmons county abuts the eastern shores of Lake Oahe in southern North Dakota and uses Linton as its county seat. The county population on July 1, 1999, was 4,302, a decrease of 528 over the 1990 census.
Natural features within the county include Goose Lake to the northeast, Big Beaver Creeek which flows from east to west and travels through Linton before emptying into the Oahe, Little Beaver Creek and Rice Lake, a pothole lake near the South Dakota border.