Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is North Dakota a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in North Dakota.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Peace Garden State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of North Dakota, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 53 counties in the state.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Peace Garden State for 2021.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In North Dakota For 2021
Renville County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in North Dakota. And you might want to avoid Sioux County if you can — at least according to the data.
So if you’re thinking of making the move North Dakota, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in North Dakota and the cheapest places to live in North Dakota.
The Best Counties To Live In North Dakota For 2021
1. Renville County
Biggest Place: Mohall
Population: 2,442
Median Income: $73,182 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $134,700.0 (23rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.2% (24th best)
More on Renville County: Photos | Data
2. Burke County
Biggest Place: Bowbells
Population: 2,182
Median Income: $77,232 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $114,400.0 (3best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4% (27th best)
More on Burke County: Data
3. Mclean County
Biggest Place: Garrison
Population: 9,584
Median Income: $68,529 (15th best)
Median Home Price: $174,400.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.2% (10th best)
More on Mclean County: Photos | Data
4. Foster County
Biggest Place: Carrington
Population: 3,260
Median Income: $61,425 (27th best)
Median Home Price: $143,500.0 (2best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.5% (3rd best)
More on Foster County: Photos | Data
5. Ransom County
Biggest Place: Lisbon
Population: 5,314
Median Income: $63,903 (22nd best)
Median Home Price: $121,700.0 (26th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.3% (14th best)
More on Ransom County: Photos | Data
6. Burleigh County
Biggest Place: Bismarck
Population: 94,793
Median Income: $71,524 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $263,600.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1% (22nd best)
More on Burleigh County: Photos | Data
7. Billings County
Biggest Place: Medora
Population: 922
Median Income: $75,208 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $199,400.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (47th best)
More on Billings County: Photos | Data
8. Sargent County
Biggest Place: Gwinner
Population: 3,872
Median Income: $63,073 (24th best)
Median Home Price: $110,200.0 (34th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.3% (13th best)
More on Sargent County: Data
9. Dickey County
Biggest Place: Oakes
Population: 4,938
Median Income: $65,492 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $118,100.0 (28th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.5% (30th best)
More on Dickey County: Photos | Data
10. Morton County
Biggest Place: Mandan
Population: 30,868
Median Income: $70,556 (13th best)
Median Home Price: $208,600.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1% (2best)
More on Morton County: Photos | Data
How do you determine which North Dakota county is the best?
To give you the best county in North Dakota, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in North Dakota across each of the criteria from one to 53, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In North Dakota”.
The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Peace Garden State.
Read on to see why Renville County is the best county, while Sioux County is probably in contention for being the worst county in North Dakota.
There You Have It – The Best Counties In North Dakota To Call Home For 2018
It turns out living in North Dakota can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in North Dakota according to the data:
- Sioux County
- Benson County
- Towner County
For more North Dakota reading, check out:
- Best Places To Retire In North Dakota
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Dakota
- Richest Cities In North Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Dakota
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In North Dakota
| County | Rank |
|---|---|
| Renville County | 1 |
| Burke County | 2 |
| Mclean County | 3 |
| Foster County | 4 |
| Ransom County | 5 |
| Burleigh County | 6 |
| Billings County | 7 |
| Sargent County | 8 |
| Dickey County | 9 |
| Morton County | 10 |
| Mercer County | 11 |
| Logan County | 12 |
| Traill County | 13 |
| Williams County | 14 |
| Pierce County | 15 |
| Slope County | 16 |
| Ward County | 17 |
| Oliver County | 18 |
| Stark County | 19 |
| Steele County | 20 |
| Divide County | 21 |
| Dunn County | 22 |
| Cass County | 23 |
| Mchenry County | 24 |
| Bowman County | 25 |
| Mountrail County | 26 |
| Cavalier County | 27 |
| Ramsey County | 28 |
| Adams County | 29 |
| Wells County | 30 |
| Bottineau County | 31 |
| Pembina County | 32 |
| Barnes County | 33 |
| Richland County | 34 |
| Griggs County | 35 |
| Kidder County | 36 |
| Grand Forks County | 37 |
| Mckenzie County | 38 |
| Golden Valley County | 39 |
| Lamoure County | 40 |
| Walsh County | 41 |
| Mcintosh County | 42 |
| Emmons County | 43 |
| Stutsman County | 44 |
| Eddy County | 45 |
| Hettinger County | 46 |
| Nelson County | 47 |
| Rolette County | 48 |
| Grant County | 49 |
| Sheridan County | 50 |
| Towner County | 51 |
| Benson County | 52 |
| Sioux County | 53 |
