Horace, Watford City, West Fargo: These cities aren’t just some of the best places to live in North Dakota. They are also home to some of the richest people in the Peace Garden State.
Horace in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $138,578 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 4.3%.
If you’re thinking of moving to one of these towns, you’ll probably need to start saving. The richest places in North Dakota share common characteristics such as having a genius level populous, sky high home prices, and a Pleasantville level of married couples.
How did we come up with these mega wealthy cities? We analyzed Census data from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey for the 25 places in North Dakota with more than 2,000 people.
$138,578 median income · 4.3% poverty · #1 income in North Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$102,260 median income · 7.8% poverty · #3 income in North Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$90,665 median income · 8.8% poverty · #4 income in North Dakota
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
$78,387 median income · 9.3% poverty · #9 income in North Dakota
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
$79,381 median income · 8.1% poverty · #8 income in North Dakota
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
$82,696 median income · 13.6% poverty · #6 income in North Dakota
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
$87,652 median income · 5.6% poverty · #5 income in North Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,573 median income · 8.4% poverty · #2 income in North Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$71,780 median income · 9.8% poverty · #14 income in North Dakota
Located in
Morton County, North Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$73,259 median income · 7.1% poverty · #12 income in North Dakota
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.
North Dakota statewide median: $76,657
North Dakota statewide median: $284,076
North Dakota statewide median: 10.8%
North Dakota statewide median: 2.8%
On the map
Where the money lives in North Dakota
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the richest places in North Dakota for 2026
The first thing most people reach for is personal income. After all, rich people have really high salaries. But one statistic doesn’t capture what it means to be one of the “richest places,” so we applied Saturday Night Science to two measures from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey:
- Median household income
- Median home value
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is, and home values are a measure of accumulated wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After collecting the data for all 25 places in North Dakota with more than 2,000 people, we ranked each place from 1 to 25 on both criteria, then averaged the two ranks into a “Rich Score.” The place with the lowest Rich Score, Horace, is crowned the richest city in North Dakota for 2026.
The full plate
All 25 richest cities in North Dakota, ranked
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Rich Score | Population | Median income | Median home value | Poverty | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horace | 1.00 | 4,588 | $138,578 | $392,383 | 4.3% | 0.4% |
| 2 | Watford City | 2.50 | 6,039 | $102,260 | $378,062 | 7.8% | 0.6% |
| 3 | West Fargo | 4.50 | 40,094 | $90,665 | $348,751 | 8.8% | 1.1% |
| 4 | Bismarck | 6.00 | 75,556 | $78,387 | $369,559 | 9.3% | 2.5% |
| 5 | Williston | 6.00 | 28,056 | $79,381 | $365,979 | 8.1% | 4.9% |
| 6 | Dickinson | 6.50 | 25,357 | $82,696 | $319,458 | 13.6% | 3.2% |
| 7 | Lincoln | 7.50 | 4,381 | $87,652 | $307,383 | 5.6% | 1.1% |
| 8 | Stanley | 9.50 | 2,097 | $109,573 | $233,786 | 8.4% | 1.3% |
| 9 | Mandan | 10.00 | 24,522 | $71,780 | $341,688 | 9.8% | 1.5% |
| 10 | Casselton | 10.50 | 2,953 | $73,259 | $308,545 | 7.1% | 0.9% |
| 11 | Fargo | 11.50 | 131,627 | $66,998 | $314,973 | 12.9% | 3.8% |
| 12 | Beulah | 12.50 | 3,040 | $76,848 | $236,446 | 11.2% | 2.0% |
| 13 | Minot | 12.50 | 47,791 | $73,219 | $272,695 | 11.1% | 3.4% |
| 14 | Hazen | 13.00 | 2,453 | $79,609 | $212,691 | 10.3% | 2.4% |
| 15 | Grand Forks | 14.50 | 59,042 | $63,627 | $291,535 | 15.5% | 2.4% |
| 16 | Bottineau | 14.50 | 2,205 | $65,905 | $248,609 | 12.0% | 1.7% |
| 17 | Carrington | 16.00 | 2,168 | $77,171 | $195,800 | 9.7% | 1.4% |
| 18 | Wahpeton | 18.50 | 8,010 | $62,750 | $229,172 | 15.6% | 1.7% |
| 19 | New Town | 19.50 | 2,721 | $52,500 | $235,991 | 24.0% | 1.9% |
| 20 | Devils Lake | 20.00 | 7,308 | $43,220 | $236,273 | 21.8% | 1.7% |
| 21 | Lisbon | 20.50 | 2,259 | $64,327 | $167,422 | 15.4% | 3.5% |
| 22 | Jamestown | 21.00 | 15,787 | $56,554 | $208,863 | 14.7% | 4.9% |
| 23 | Valley City | 22.00 | 6,541 | $60,339 | $195,115 | 16.7% | 4.9% |
| 24 | Rugby | 22.50 | 2,481 | $50,365 | $201,611 | 13.0% | 0.5% |
| 25 | Grafton | 22.50 | 4,102 | $62,679 | $156,085 | 14.4% | 0.8% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 25 cities with more than 2,000 residents.
Horace is the richest place in North Dakota for 2026
When we set out to identify the richest places in North Dakota, we weren’t sure what we’d find, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in the state. The richest cities in North Dakota are Horace, Watford City, and West Fargo, and when you look at the data they sit at the very top of the income ladder for everyone who lives there.
Breaking into the top ten takes a median household income of at least $71,780. If you’re curious about the other end of the ledger, the poorest places are listed to the right.
