Everyone wants a bit of a blissful breeze or a scoop of sunny sanctuary when looking for a place to live in North Dakota.
The more sun, the more you can go outside. The more you go outside, the more you’ll feel at peace. The more you’ll feel at peace, the more you’ll enjoy where you live.
So it makes sense to try and find the places with the best weather in North Dakota. We used Saturday Night Science to compare the number of sunny days, total precipitation, and the deviation from the ideal 70-degree weather for 9 places in North Dakota over 15,000 people.
Grab your shades and put away your raincoat as we look at the cities with the best weather in North Dakota.
326.5 sunny days · 55.1 degree average high
Located in
Stark County, North Dakota
Dickinson is a city in Stark County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Stark County. The population was 17,787 at the 2010 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2015 population is 23,765.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
329.2 sunny days · 54.7 degree average high
Located in
Williams County, North Dakota
Williston is a city in and the county seat of Williams County, North Dakota, United States. The 2010 census gave its population as 14,716, and the Census Bureau gave the 2015 estimated population as 26,977, making Williston the sixth largest city in North Dakota. The North Dakota oil boom is largely responsible for the sharp increase in population.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
324.8 sunny days · 55.0 degree average high
Located in
Morton County, North Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
325.3 sunny days · 54.8 degree average high
Located in
Burleigh County, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second-most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city’s population was estimated in 2016 at 72,417, while its metropolitan population was 131,635. In 2015, Forbes magazine ranked Bismarck as the seventh fastest-growing small city in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
321.9 sunny days · 52.7 degree average high
Located in
Stutsman County, North Dakota
Jamestown is a city in Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Stutsman County. The population was 15,427 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth largest city in North Dakota. Jamestown was founded in 1872.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
324.6 sunny days · 51.7 degree average high
Located in
Ward County, North Dakota
Minot MY-not) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state’s north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state and a trading center for a large portion of northern North Dakota, southwestern Manitoba, and southeastern Saskatchewan. Founded in 1886 during the construction of the Great Northern Railway, Minot is also known as “Magic City”, commemorating its remarkable growth in size over a short time.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
318.8 sunny days · 50.8 degree average high
Located in
Grand Forks County, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the State of North Dakota and is the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city’s population was 52,838, while the total of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461. Grand Forks, along with its twin city of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, forms the center of the Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is often called Greater Grand Forks or The Grand Cities.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
316.4 sunny days · 52.6 degree average high
Located in
Cass County, North Dakota
West Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is, as of the 2016 Census Estimates, the fifth largest city in the state of North Dakota with a population estimated at 34,858, and it is one of the state’s fastest growing cities. West Fargo was founded in 1926. The city is part of the Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
316.4 sunny days · 52.6 degree average high
Located in
Cass County, North Dakota
Fargo is the most populous city in the state of North Dakota, accounting for nearly 16% of the state population. Fargo is also the county seat of Cass County. According to the 2016 United States Census estimates, its population was 120,762, making it the 229th-most populous city in the United States. Fargo, along with its twin city of Moorhead, Minnesota, as well as the adjacent cities of West Fargo, North Dakota and Dilworth, Minnesota, form the core of the Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2016 contained a population of 238,124. In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Fargo as the fourth fastest-growing small city in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is North Dakota’s statewide median.
On the map
Where North Dakota’s best weather is
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Cities In North Dakota With The Best Weather
To rank the most fair weather cities in North Dakota, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Peace Garden State get the best weather.
We used the following criteria to find the best weather:
- Number of sunny days
- Highest average low
- Average high deviation from 70 degrees
- Least amount of rain
- Least amount of snow
We ranked each city of over 15,000 people in North Dakota from best to worst on each criterion. We then averaged each ranking into a weather quality index. The city with the best index, Dickinson, was anointed the city with the best weather in North Dakota.
Before we get too far, here are the annual precipitation rates for major cities: Fargo (23.8 inches), Bismarck (17.9 inches), and Grand Forks (21.5 inches).
The cities with the best weather in North Dakota are Dickinson, Williston, Mandan, Bismarck, Jamestown, Minot, Grand Forks, West Fargo, Fargo.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
The full plate
Detailed List Of Places With The Best Weather In North Dakota
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Sunny Days | Avg. High | Precipitation (Inches) | Snow (Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dickinson | 21,097 | 326.5 | 55.1 | 16.3 | 34.9 |
| 2 | Williston | 22,051 | 329.2 | 54.7 | 14.4 | 44.6 |
| 3 | Mandan | 19,962 | 324.8 | 55.0 | 17.6 | 48.7 |
| 4 | Bismarck | 66,980 | 325.3 | 54.8 | 17.9 | 50.1 |
| 5 | Jamestown | 15,418 | 321.9 | 52.7 | 19.5 | 40.6 |
| 6 | Minot | 46,194 | 324.6 | 51.7 | 17.5 | 47.5 |
| 7 | Grand Forks | 54,944 | 318.8 | 50.8 | 21.5 | 43.3 |
| 8 | West Fargo | 29,892 | 316.4 | 52.6 | 23.5 | 50.7 |
| 9 | Fargo | 113,464 | 316.4 | 52.6 | 23.8 | 52.1 |
Source: NOAA climate data. 9 North Dakota cities with more than 15,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Cities With The Best Weather In North Dakota For 2026
If you’re looking for the North Dakota cities with the most sunny days, the least rain and snow, and highs closest to a perfect 70 degrees, this is an accurate list.
The cities with the best weather in North Dakota are Dickinson, Williston, Mandan, Bismarck, Jamestown, Minot, Grand Forks, West Fargo, Fargo.
