The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In North Dakota For 2024


The fastest-growing cities in North Dakota are Watford City and Williston for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Is being in an area of North Dakota that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?

Depends on who you ask.

Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Fargo and Bismarck, while others want peace and quiet like in Watford City and Valley City, thank you very much.

But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in North Dakota have grown the fastest.

After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Peace Garden State that have people climbing over each other to get in.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In North Dakota For 2024

  1. Watford City
  2. Williston
  3. West Fargo
  4. Dickinson
  5. Mandan
  6. Fargo
  7. Minot
  8. Bismarck
  9. Grand Forks
  10. Jamestown

Fastest Growing Cities In North Dakota Map

What’s the fastest growing city in North Dakota for 2024? Based on the most recent ACS data, Watford City ranks as the fastest-growing city in North Dakota. If you happen to be a resident of Watford City, you’re probably not surprised to find it on our list.

If you’re surprised — and you’re wondering why these places are a big deal — keep reading. We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in North Dakota grow like weeds.

For more North Dakota state reading:

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In North Dakota For 2024

1. Watford City

Watford City, ND

Source: Wikipedia User Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 5,900
Population 2010: 1,746
Percent Growth 237.9%
Absolute Growth: 4,154
More on Watford City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

2. Williston

Williston, ND

Source: Wikipedia User Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 27,783
Population 2010: 13,852
Percent Growth 100.6%
Absolute Growth: 13,931
More on Williston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

3. West Fargo

West Fargo, ND

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 38,653
Population 2010: 23,868
Percent Growth 61.9%
Absolute Growth: 14,785
More on West Fargo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

4. Dickinson

Dickinson, ND

Source: Wikipedia User Hans Andersen (talk) (Uploads) | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 25,116
Population 2010: 17,168
Percent Growth 46.3%
Absolute Growth: 7,948
More on Dickinson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

5. Mandan

Mandan, ND

Source: Wikipedia User afiler | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 24,049
Population 2010: 17,813
Percent Growth 35.0%
Absolute Growth: 6,236
More on Mandan: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

6. Fargo

Fargo, ND

Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 127,319
Population 2010: 102,527
Percent Growth 24.2%
Absolute Growth: 24,792
More on Fargo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

7. Minot

Minot, ND

Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha’Eri | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 48,038
Population 2010: 39,054
Percent Growth 23.0%
Absolute Growth: 8,984
More on Minot: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

8. Bismarck

Bismarck, ND

Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha’Eri | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 73,694
Population 2010: 59,988
Percent Growth 22.8%
Absolute Growth: 13,706
More on Bismarck: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

9. Grand Forks

Grand Forks, ND

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 58,935
Population 2010: 52,294
Percent Growth 12.7%
Absolute Growth: 6,641
More on Grand Forks: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

10. Jamestown

Jamestown, ND

Source: Wikipedia User LinkTiger | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 15,850
Population 2010: 15,292
Percent Growth 3.6%
Absolute Growth: 558
More on Jamestown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Peace Garden State for 2024

To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:

  • Current Population
  • Population in 2010
  • Growth rate from 2010 to Current (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2022)

We ranked all 13 North Dakota cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.

The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Peace Garden State.

And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:

[Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010]

The data has been updated for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the fastest growing cities in North Dakota.

Here’s a graph of the cities in North Dakota with the most significant percent increase in population:
Fastest Growing Cities in North Dakota Graph For 2024

Click to enlarge

Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In North Dakota, You Know?

So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in North Dakota are led by Watford City which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.

The fastest-growing cities in North Dakota are Watford City, Williston, West Fargo, Dickinson, Mandan, Fargo, Minot, Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Jamestown.

It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!

These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):

  1. Valley City
  2. Wahpeton
  3. Devils Lake

For more North Dakota reading, check out:

Fastest Growing Places In North Dakota For 2024

Rank City Population Population 2010 Growth Absolute Growth
1 Watford City 5,900 1,746 237.9% 4,154
2 Williston 27,783 13,852 100.6% 13,931
3 West Fargo 38,653 23,868 61.9% 14,785
4 Dickinson 25,116 17,168 46.3% 7,948
5 Mandan 24,049 17,813 35.0% 6,236
6 Fargo 127,319 102,527 24.2% 24,792
7 Minot 48,038 39,054 23.0% 8,984
8 Bismarck 73,694 59,988 22.8% 13,706
9 Grand Forks 58,935 52,294 12.7% 6,641
10 Jamestown 15,850 15,292 3.6% 558
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.