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 counties 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 using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
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.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 Best Counties To Live In North Dakota For 2026
Oliver County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in North Dakota. And you should avoid Sioux County if you can — at least according to the data.
Now you know exactly where to move in North Dakota. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in North Dakota and the cheapest places to live in North Dakota.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Best Counties To Live In North Dakota For 2026
1. Oliver County
Biggest Place: Center
Population: 1,839
Median Income: $77,240 (2best)
Median Home Price: $251,890 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.0% (5th best)
More on Oliver County: Data
2. Burleigh County
Biggest Place: Bismarck
Population: 100,600
Median Income: $86,851 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $362,350 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.3% (26th best)
More on Burleigh County: Data
3. Traill County
Biggest Place: Mayville
Population: 7,970
Median Income: $87,004 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $211,640 (19th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.2% (24th best)
More on Traill County: Data
4. Morton County
Biggest Place: Mandan
Population: 33,777
Median Income: $79,382 (17th best)
Median Home Price: $318,880 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.5% (16th best)
More on Morton County: Data
5. Mclean County
Biggest Place: Washburn
Population: 9,823
Median Income: $83,583 (12th best)
Median Home Price: $212,099 (18th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.4% (13th best)
More on Mclean County: Data
6. Foster County
Biggest Place: Carrington
Population: 3,358
Median Income: $87,831 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $184,310 (27th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.0% (4th best)
More on Foster County: Data
7. Billings County
Biggest Place: Medora
Population: 1,024
Median Income: $86,806 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $376,266 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1% (22nd best)
More on Billings County: Data
8. Sargent County
Biggest Place: Gwinner
Population: 3,804
Median Income: $77,946 (19th best)
Median Home Price: $175,718 (29th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.8% (2nd best)
More on Sargent County: Data
9. Renville County
Biggest Place: Mohall
Population: 2,304
Median Income: $74,301 (25th best)
Median Home Price: $186,735 (25th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.0% (3rd best)
More on Renville County: Data
10. Burke County
Biggest Place: Bowbells
Population: 2,156
Median Income: $91,591 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $140,161 (39th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (45th best)
More on Burke County: Data
Methodology: 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 made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent 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, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Peace Garden State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in North Dakota.
Read on to see why Oliver County is the best county, while Sioux County is probably in contention for being the worst county in North Dakota.
Summary: The Best Counties In North Dakota To Call Home For 2026
Living in North Dakota can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in North Dakota are Oliver County, Burleigh County, Traill County, Morton County, McLean County, Foster County, Billings County, Sargent County, Renville County, and Burke County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in North Dakota according to the data:
- Sioux County
- Rolette County
- Benson County
For more North Dakota reading, check out:
- Best Places To Buy A House In North Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Dakota
- Safest Places In North Dakota
- Best Counties To Live In North Dakota
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In North Dakota
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oliver County | 1,839 | $77,240 | $251,890 |
| 2 | Burleigh County | 100,600 | $86,851 | $362,350 |
| 3 | Traill County | 7,970 | $87,004 | $211,640 |
| 4 | Morton County | 33,777 | $79,382 | $318,880 |
| 5 | Mclean County | 9,823 | $83,583 | $212,099 |
| 6 | Foster County | 3,358 | $87,831 | $184,310 |
| 7 | Billings County | 1,024 | $86,806 | $376,266 |
| 8 | Sargent County | 3,804 | $77,946 | $175,718 |
| 9 | Renville County | 2,304 | $74,301 | $186,735 |
| 10 | Burke County | 2,156 | $91,591 | $140,161 |
| 11 | Nelson County | 3,016 | $67,193 | $151,638 |
| 12 | Slope County | 766 | $71,250 | $193,248 |
| 13 | Cavalier County | 3,633 | $69,531 | $163,327 |
| 14 | Dunn County | 4,040 | $97,689 | $384,083 |
| 15 | Bottineau County | 6,378 | $85,000 | $210,385 |
| 16 | Richland County | 16,584 | $75,432 | $222,822 |
| 17 | Grand Forks County | 72,923 | $68,075 | $284,894 |
| 18 | Cass County | 193,400 | $75,555 | $328,967 |
| 19 | Ward County | 68,973 | $78,238 | $277,617 |
| 20 | Ransom County | 5,643 | $75,736 | $193,954 |
| 21 | Kidder County | 2,377 | $65,610 | $213,803 |
| 22 | Divide County | 2,167 | $91,852 | $190,520 |
| 23 | Mckenzie County | 14,321 | $93,404 | $367,243 |
| 24 | Stark County | 33,302 | $84,449 | $310,354 |
| 25 | Williams County | 39,555 | $85,595 | $343,435 |
| 26 | Towner County | 2,079 | $67,350 | $131,821 |
| 27 | Golden Valley County | 1,653 | $68,021 | $184,551 |
| 28 | Lamoure County | 4,118 | $80,664 | $133,227 |
| 29 | Mercer County | 8,337 | $80,946 | $231,337 |
| 30 | Wells County | 3,890 | $66,114 | $132,761 |
| 31 | Barnes County | 10,773 | $68,038 | $193,628 |
| 32 | Steele County | 1,804 | $77,500 | $148,574 |
| 33 | Mountrail County | 9,507 | $80,717 | $236,830 |
| 34 | Pierce County | 3,928 | $59,365 | $167,444 |
| 35 | Hettinger County | 2,432 | $73,026 | $135,967 |
| 36 | Griggs County | 2,245 | $61,711 | $128,849 |
| 37 | Logan County | 1,819 | $62,750 | $115,949 |
| 38 | Sheridan County | 1,303 | $62,639 | $128,477 |
| 39 | Emmons County | 3,254 | $66,538 | $145,399 |
| 40 | Stutsman County | 21,549 | $61,856 | $224,539 |
| 41 | Ramsey County | 11,556 | $61,006 | $222,689 |
| 42 | Walsh County | 10,396 | $71,944 | $157,408 |
| 43 | Pembina County | 6,727 | $68,393 | $132,946 |
| 44 | Mchenry County | 5,207 | $80,733 | $153,383 |
| 45 | Bowman County | 2,906 | $72,109 | $183,491 |
| 46 | Adams County | 2,145 | $62,500 | $136,450 |
| 47 | Eddy County | 2,307 | $50,850 | $116,781 |
| 48 | Dickey County | 4,935 | $68,654 | $168,744 |
| 49 | Mcintosh County | 2,497 | $64,419 | $95,714 |
| 50 | Grant County | 2,269 | $57,875 | $105,945 |
| 51 | Benson County | 5,808 | $64,033 | $147,236 |
| 52 | Rolette County | 11,924 | $59,517 | $117,995 |
| 53 | Sioux County | 3,740 | $42,083 | $97,079 |