The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In North Dakota For 2022


We used science and data to determine which cities in North Dakota have the best set up for children: a lot to do, good schools, and no crime.

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What do 760,000 North Dakota residents know that we don't? Well, besides how lucky they are that they get to experience the four seasons in places like Devils Lake or that they have the World's Largest Buffalo Monument in Jamestown, North Dakotans know that the Peace Garden State has some of the most family friendly places to live in America.

Not surprising, considering North Dakota is one of the best states in the country to raise a family. And, folks, this is most evident in North Dakota's best places to raise a family for 2022. We suggest you take a look below at HomeSnacks' list of North Dakota's top ten most family friendly places: we've taken the guessing out of the equation.

How did we do it? We consulted the US Census on places in The Roughrider State with more than 1,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 20 family friendly cities. We discovered that North Dakota is the 19th largest in area, but the fourth smallest in population. That's all the more reason to raise your family in this midwestern state: there's plenty of room for your kids to run and there's plenty of opportunity to make a difference.

Not surprising, all of this family friendly goodness has made the North Dakota the fastest growing state in the country. And we definitely think it's because of the state's Blue Ribbon elementary schools, gold star high schools, prestigious Universities, competitive jobs and salaries, and strong economy: all of the factors that one should consider when choosing a place to raise a family. So, if you're looking for safe family friendly North Dakota cities and neighborhoods, take a look at our list below.

The 10 Best Cities To Raise A Family In North Dakota For 2022

  1. Oakes
  2. Lisbon
  3. Carrington
  4. Stanley
  5. Hazen
  6. Wahpeton
  7. Beulah
  8. Rugby
  9. West Fargo
  10. Lincoln

Want your family to safely wake up to big, beautiful open spaces in their backyard, great schools down the street, and endless, healthy activities at their disposal? HomeSnacks suggests that you look no further than North Dakota's number one best place to raise a family, Oakes.

If you want to see how North Dakota's other amazing best places to raise a family faired, take a look at the list below. And if you don't see your favorite there, head to the bottom.

Check out some more reading about North Dakota and the best places for families in the country:

The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In North Dakota For 2022

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 2,036
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 35
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 38.8%
More on Oakes: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Oakes, ND

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,788
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 53
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 25.9%
More on Lisbon: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Lisbon, ND

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 1,977
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 43
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 20.5%
More on Carrington: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Carrington, ND

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,697
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 35
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 35.3%
More on Stanley: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Stanley, ND

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 2,448
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 61
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 26.4%
More on Hazen: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Hazen, ND

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,772
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 62
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 23.9%
More on Wahpeton: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Wahpeton, ND

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 3,201
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 47
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 24.5%
More on Beulah: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Beulah, ND

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 2,583
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 60
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 22.1%
More on Rugby: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Rugby, ND

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 36,406
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 40
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 34.0%
More on West Fargo: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

West Fargo, ND

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 4,140
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 39
Closest Major City: Minneapolis
Households with kids: 51.2%
More on Lincoln: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Lincoln, ND

Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in North Dakota anyways?

To give you the places in North Dakota which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what's family-friendly and what isn't.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Peace Garden State

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of North Dakota, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

  • Crime (Both violent and property)
  • Quality of local schools
  • Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
  • % of households with children
  • Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)

We then gave each city a Family Score.

The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 1,000 people. For North Dakota, that meant a total of 20 cities. You can download the data here.

Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In North Dakota

If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in North Dakota ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.

Here's a look at the best cities for singles North Dakota according to the data:

  1. Mandan
  2. Fargo
  3. Williston

For more North Dakota reading, check out:

Where Are The Best Places For Families In North Dakota?

Rank City Population Amenities Score
1 Oakes, ND 2,036 41
2 Lisbon, ND 1,788 36
3 Carrington, ND 1,977 36
4 Stanley, ND 2,697 54
5 Hazen, ND 2,448 41
6 Wahpeton, ND 7,772 44
7 Beulah, ND 3,201 52
8 Rugby, ND 2,583 60
9 West Fargo, ND 36,406 55
10 Lincoln, ND 4,140 31

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best cities for families in North Dakota.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.