Best PlacesNorth Dakota Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in North Dakota, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime read low across the board, which puts the choice down to which part suits you. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
North Dakota ranks 11th of 50 U.S. states on the BestNeighborhood index. It earns the spot by being affordable and steady rather than flashy: everyday costs run well below the national average, and crime is low. The trade is tree cover: the nearest large city and its jobs, flights, and culture are a drive away.
The best neighborhoods in North Dakota
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.
The best areas in North Dakota
The counties of North Dakota, grouped by direction and ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood in each. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the state.
Burleigh County & Morton County
Fewer homes sit empty, local pay stretches further, and crime runs lower.
Cass County
Biking is better and big-city amenities are closer.
Ward County & Williams County
More households have young kids and disaster risk is lower.
Grand Forks County
More adults hold degrees, though it is noisier.
Stark County
Schools score higher.
Walsh County & Pembina County
Homes cost less and prices have run up less.
McKenzie County & Mercer County
Streets are more car-dependent and commutes are longer.
Stutsman County & McLean County
Health outcomes score lower and incomes run lower.
Rolette County, Ramsey County & Bottineau County
North Dakota shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 4% of the country and others in the top 1%. Pick the area first, then the home.
North Dakota's strengths and weaknesses
North Dakota ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. A stable housing market is the standout, in the top 1% of states. Short commutes and the weather follow.
The drawbacks are real but narrow. Tree cover, distance from a big city, and empty homes hold the score down. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where North Dakota ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of states
- Short commute17.9 minutes each way, better than 97% of states
- Nice weatherabout 131 pleasant days a year, better than 85% of states
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 83% of states
- Heat safetyBetter than 82% of states
Where North Dakota ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of states
- Big-city accessBetter than only 7% of states
- Low vacancyBetter than only 19% of states
- TransitBetter than only 23% of states
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 29% of states
What it costs to buy a home in North Dakota
A household needs to earn about $71,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Dakota home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $84,113, 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 North Dakota's effective rate of 0.94%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North Dakota
North Dakota runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North Dakota.
Who works in North Dakota, and how
Work in North Dakota centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in North Dakota
North Dakota has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most states and more parkland per resident than 69% of states. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of North Dakota and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North Dakota, month by month
North Dakota sees roughly 131 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 22, with lows near 3. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 12° | 3° |
| April | 54° | 41° | 30° |
| July | 85° | 73° | 59° |
| October | 60° | 46° | 35° |
The best schools in and around North Dakota
Schools across North Dakota average a B−, better than 63% of states.
Top elementary schools
- Sweet Briar SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Kensal Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Fort Ransom Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
Top middle schools
- Tongue River Middle SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Memorial Middle SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Discovery Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
Top high schools
- Munich High SchoolA · 75% proficient
- Bowbells High SchoolA · 75% proficient
- Griggs County Central High SchoolA · 75% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Dakota school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Dakota 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 North Dakota against the other 49 states.
Who North Dakota suits
Retirees
The weather beats 85% of states, health care access beats 81%, and it is quieter than 71%.
Common questions about living in North Dakota
Is North Dakota a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Dakota ranks 11th of 50 states. It scores highest on a stable housing market, short commutes, and the weather, and lowest on tree cover 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 North Dakota expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $267,222. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $84,113 median income, cost of living beats 67% of states.
Is North Dakota safe?
Yes, North Dakota is safer than 79% of states. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $371 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in North Dakota?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 22 with lows near 3. That works out to about 131 pleasant days a year, more than 85% of states.
What are the best areas in North Dakota?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Burleigh County & Morton County, Cass County, and Ward County & Williams County. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is North Dakota good for families?
Schools beat 63% of states, crime safety beats 79%, and childcare runs $955 a month.
Is North Dakota good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 67% of states, though advertised internet speeds beat only 32% of states. About 9% of workers already work from home.
Compare North Dakota with other states
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Dakota. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Dakota 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.
North Dakota detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Dakota: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Dakota: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Dakota: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Dakota: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Dakota 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.
- 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.