Article Table Of Contents
You've seen these lists before: Best places to live in North Dakota, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them focus on major cities and towns in the Peace Garden State and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that's all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in North Dakota based on numbers--not opinions or hearsay.
We'll dive right into our methodology in the next section; but first, we thought you might just want to know which places in North Dakota ranked the based--you know, based on science.
Before we get to the top 15, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in North Dakota for 2022.
The 10 Best Small Towns To Live In North Dakota For 2022
- Thompson
- Horace
- Lincoln
- Washburn
- Rugby
- Carrington
- Beulah
- Mapleton
- Oakes
- Burlington
What's the best small town in North Dakota? Thompson is the best small town in North Dakota based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Thompson, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you--keep reading and we'll get to just why these small towns made our list.
For more reading on the Peace Garden State check out:
- Best Places To Live In North Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Dakota
- Most Dangerous Cities In North Dakota
The 15 Best Small Towns In North Dakota For 2022
/10
Population: 1,143
Median Income: $100,500 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $222,000 (4th Best)
More on Thompson: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,847
Median Income: $145,208 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $381,500 (1st Best)
More on Horace: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,140
Median Income: $91,667 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $230,800 (2nd Best)
More on Lincoln: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,361
Median Income: $76,797 (9th Best)
Median Home Value: $183,700 (9th Best)
More on Washburn: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,583
Median Income: $49,405 (32nd Best)
Median Home Value: $140,600 (15th Best)
More on Rugby: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,977
Median Income: $49,036 (33rd Best)
Median Home Value: $128,500 (22nd Best)
More on Carrington: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,201
Median Income: $82,341 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $189,200 (7th Best)
More on Beulah: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
8. Mapleton
/10
Population: 1,221
Median Income: $88,667 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $188,800 (8th Best)
More on Mapleton: | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,036
Median Income: $75,848 (10th Best)
Median Home Value: $128,100 (23rd Best)
More on Oakes: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,455
Median Income: $80,291 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $196,900 (6th Best)
More on Burlington: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,738
Median Income: $54,570 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $219,800 (5th Best)
More on Casselton: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,592
Median Income: $65,893 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $160,100 (12th Best)
More on Bowman: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,256
Median Income: $60,208 (17th Best)
Median Home Value: $157,300 (13th Best)
More on Velva: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,061
Median Income: $65,469 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $230,300 (3rd Best)
More on Surrey: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,054
Median Income: $58,417 (21st Best)
Median Home Value: $108,500 (29th Best)
More on Gwinner: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In North Dakota
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which, there were a lot - 43 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 43, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in North Dakota. Top of that list -- Thompson. You can download the data here.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 15 best small towns in North Dakota.
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once and we'll say it again -- this list: it's just science. We did the research, we crunched the numbers, and it turns out, these 15 small towns in North Dakota are the best, in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
If you're curious, here are the worst small towns in North Dakota:
- Shell Valley
- Belcourt
- Parshall
For more North Dakota reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Dakota
- Safest Places In North Dakota
- Worst Places To Live In North Dakota
Detailed List Of The Best Small Towns In North Dakota
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Thompson, ND | 1,143 |
2 | Horace, ND | 2,847 |
3 | Lincoln, ND | 4,140 |
4 | Washburn, ND | 1,361 |
5 | Rugby, ND | 2,583 |
6 | Carrington, ND | 1,977 |
7 | Beulah, ND | 3,201 |
8 | Mapleton, ND | 1,221 |
9 | Oakes, ND | 2,036 |
10 | Burlington, ND | 1,455 |
11 | Casselton, ND | 2,738 |
12 | Bowman, ND | 1,592 |
13 | Velva, ND | 1,256 |
14 | Surrey, ND | 1,061 |
15 | Gwinner, ND | 1,054 |
16 | Larimore, ND | 1,298 |
17 | Bottineau, ND | 2,017 |
18 | Hazen, ND | 2,448 |
19 | Cooperstown, ND | 1,042 |
20 | Stanley, ND | 2,697 |
21 | Hillsboro, ND | 1,627 |
22 | Mayville, ND | 1,892 |
23 | Hettinger, ND | 1,027 |
24 | Langdon, ND | 1,936 |
25 | Cavalier, ND | 1,328 |
26 | New Salem, ND | 1,019 |
27 | Crosby, ND | 1,244 |
28 | Beach, ND | 1,027 |
29 | New Rockford, ND | 1,428 |
30 | Garrison, ND | 1,708 |
31 | New Town, ND | 2,693 |
32 | Grafton, ND | 4,139 |
33 | Cando, ND | 1,206 |
34 | Lisbon, ND | 1,788 |
35 | Harvey, ND | 1,625 |
36 | Linton, ND | 1,010 |
37 | Ellendale, ND | 1,054 |
38 | Park River, ND | 1,478 |
39 | Rolla, ND | 1,409 |
40 | Enderlin, ND | 1,011 |
41 | Parshall, ND | 1,364 |
42 | Belcourt, ND | 2,132 |
43 | Shell Valley, ND | 1,541 |