Best Places58261, ND Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 58261, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
58261 ranks 12,614th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 58261
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
58261's strengths and weaknesses
Where 58261 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 58261 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 58261
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 58261 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $87,360, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 58261's effective rate of 0.67%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 58261
58261's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 58261.
Who works in 58261, and how
Work in 58261 centers on agriculture & forestry and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 58261
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 58261.
What the weather is like in 58261, month by month
58261 sees roughly 123 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 18, with lows near 2. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18° | 9° | 2° |
| April | 49° | 38° | 30° |
| July | 82° | 70° | 59° |
| October | 54° | 44° | 35° |
Flying in and out of 58261
The nearest airport, Grand Forks International, is about 24 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 305 miles away.
The best schools in and around 58261
Schools across 58261 average a C, better than 32% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Argyle ElementaryA · 72% proficient
- Manvel Elementary SchoolA− · 62% proficient
- Midway Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Stephen Senior HighC+ · 38% proficient
- Midway High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Minto High SchoolD− · 17% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 58261 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
58261 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 58261 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 58261
Is 58261 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 58261 ranks 12,614th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, clean air, and low taxes, and lowest on a weak job market and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 58261 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $126,209. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $87,360 median income, cost of living beats 82% of zip codes.
Is 58261 safe?
Yes, 58261 is safer than 67% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $333 per resident a year.
Compare 58261 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 58261. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 58261 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
58261 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 58261: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 58261: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 58261: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 58261: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
58261 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.