You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in North Dakota. Best sururbs in North Dakota. Best counties in North Dakota.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all 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 superb 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 want to know which places in North Dakota ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 15 Best Small Towns To Live In North Dakota For 2026
- Thompson
- Reile’s Acres
- Northwood
- Hillsboro
- Horace
- Lincoln
- Mapleton
- Cando
- Carrington
- Hazen
- Surrey
- Garrison
- Casselton
- Langdon
- Rugby
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 2026
1. Thompson
/10
Population: 1,138
Median Income: $118,281 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $365,622 (3rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.6%
2. Reile’s Acres
Population: 1,032
Median Income: $192,500 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $540,641 (1st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 8.2%
3. Northwood
Population: 1,046
Median Income: $78,571 (14th Best)
Median Home Value: $244,477 (11th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%
4. Hillsboro
/10
Population: 1,704
Median Income: $81,483 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $232,425 (18th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.7%
5. Horace
/10
Population: 4,588
Median Income: $138,578 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $392,382 (2nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.4%
6. Lincoln
/10
Population: 4,381
Median Income: $87,652 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $307,383 (7th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%
7. Mapleton
/10
Population: 1,352
Median Income: $119,432 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $333,872 (4th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.8%
8. Cando
/10
Population: 1,164
Median Income: $51,500 (37th Best)
Median Home Value: $126,745 (37th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.2%
9. Carrington
/10
Population: 2,168
Median Income: $77,171 (16th Best)
Median Home Value: $195,799 (23rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
10. Hazen
/10
Population: 2,453
Median Income: $79,609 (13th Best)
Median Home Value: $212,691 (19th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
11. Surrey
/10
Population: 1,721
Median Income: $106,438 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $330,046 (5th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
12. Garrison
/10
Population: 1,397
Median Income: $71,974 (21st Best)
Median Home Value: $240,294 (14th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%
13. Casselton
/10
Population: 2,953
Median Income: $73,259 (19th Best)
Median Home Value: $308,545 (6th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.9%
14. Langdon
/10
Population: 1,782
Median Income: $64,286 (27th Best)
Median Home Value: $169,623 (27th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.5%
15. Rugby
/10
Population: 2,481
Median Income: $50,365 (38th Best)
Median Home Value: $201,610 (22nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.5%
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In North Dakota
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in North Dakota possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, 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 many – 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.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live 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, 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?
The best small towns in North Dakota are Thompson, Reile’s Acres, Northwood, Hillsboro, Horace, Lincoln, Mapleton, Cando, Carrington, and Hazen.
If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in North Dakota:
- Shell Valley
- Fort Totten
- Rolla
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
Best Small Towns In North Dakota
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thompson, ND | 1,138 | $118,281 | 0.6% | |
| 2 | Reile’s Acres, ND | 1,032 | $192,500 | 8.2% | |
| 3 | Northwood, ND | 1,046 | $78,571 | 0.7% | |
| 4 | Hillsboro, ND | 1,704 | $81,483 | 1.7% | |
| 5 | Horace, ND | 4,588 | $138,578 | 0.4% | |
| 6 | Lincoln, ND | 4,381 | $87,652 | 1.1% | |
| 7 | Mapleton, ND | 1,352 | $119,432 | 0.8% | |
| 8 | Cando, ND | 1,164 | $51,500 | 0.2% | |
| 9 | Carrington, ND | 2,168 | $77,171 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Hazen, ND | 2,453 | $79,609 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | Surrey, ND | 1,721 | $106,438 | 3.4% | |
| 12 | Garrison, ND | 1,397 | $71,974 | 0.0% | |
| 13 | Casselton, ND | 2,953 | $73,259 | 0.9% | |
| 14 | Langdon, ND | 1,782 | $64,286 | 0.5% | |
| 15 | Rugby, ND | 2,481 | $50,365 | 0.5% | |
| 16 | Grand Forks Afb, ND | 1,987 | $72,782 | 3.9% | |
| 17 | Washburn, ND | 1,507 | $73,413 | 0.5% | |
| 18 | Minot Afb, ND | 4,878 | $62,500 | 6.1% | |
| 19 | Bottineau, ND | 2,205 | $65,905 | 1.7% | |
| 20 | Larimore, ND | 1,240 | $87,546 | 2.5% | |
| 21 | Crosby, ND | 1,065 | $82,500 | 2.3% | |
| 22 | Beulah, ND | 3,040 | $76,848 | 2.0% | |
| 23 | Kenmare, ND | 1,002 | $64,077 | 1.5% | |
| 24 | Harvey, ND | 1,679 | $42,697 | 1.4% | |
| 25 | Belcourt, ND | 1,547 | $90,568 | 0.0% | |
| 26 | Bowman, ND | 1,499 | $62,786 | 2.7% | |
| 27 | Cavalier, ND | 1,426 | $60,449 | 8.7% | |
| 28 | Burlington, ND | 1,067 | $77,708 | 4.8% | |
| 29 | Velva, ND | 1,083 | $83,060 | 1.6% | |
| 30 | Tioga, ND | 1,657 | $66,181 | 2.9% | |
| 31 | Stanley, ND | 2,097 | $109,573 | 1.3% | |
| 32 | Park River, ND | 1,458 | $69,408 | 1.6% | |
| 33 | Oakes, ND | 1,858 | $67,632 | 1.7% | |
| 34 | Hettinger, ND | 1,250 | $62,750 | 3.6% | |
| 35 | Ellendale, ND | 1,033 | $54,643 | 5.4% | |
| 36 | Lisbon, ND | 2,259 | $64,327 | 3.5% | |
| 37 | New Town, ND | 2,721 | $52,500 | 1.9% | |
| 38 | Grafton, ND | 4,102 | $62,679 | 0.8% | |
| 39 | New Rockford, ND | 1,260 | $43,600 | 3.7% | |
| 40 | Mayville, ND | 1,976 | $55,735 | 5.2% | |
| 41 | Rolla, ND | 1,039 | $49,219 | 2.8% | |
| 42 | Fort Totten, ND | 1,038 | $20,250 | 0.0% | |
| 43 | Shell Valley, ND | 1,243 | $46,786 | 9.8% |