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 4.323144104803493%.
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.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In North Dakota For 2026
For more on how we calculated the top ten, read on or skip to the end for the full list of the richest cities in North Dakota.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about North Dakota:
The 10 Richest Cities In North Dakota For 2026
1. Horace
/10
Population: 4,588
Median Income: $138,578
Median Home Values: $392,382
More on Horace: Data | Movers
2. Watford City
/10
Population: 6,039
Median Income: $102,260
Median Home Values: $378,061
More on Watford City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
3. West Fargo
/10
Population: 40,094
Median Income: $90,665
Median Home Values: $348,750
More on West Fargo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Bismarck
/10
Population: 75,556
Median Income: $78,387
Median Home Values: $369,558
More on Bismarck: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
5. Williston
/10
Population: 28,056
Median Income: $79,381
Median Home Values: $365,978
More on Williston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
6. Dickinson
/10
Population: 25,357
Median Income: $82,696
Median Home Values: $319,458
More on Dickinson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Lincoln
/10
8. Stanley
/10
9. Mandan
/10
Population: 24,522
Median Income: $71,780
Median Home Values: $341,688
More on Mandan: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
10. Casselton
/10
Population: 2,953
Median Income: $73,259
Median Home Values: $308,545
More on Casselton: Data | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In North Dakota For 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 25 places with more than 2,000 people in North Dakota, we ranked each place from 1 to 25 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Horace, crowned the “Richest City In North Dakota For 2026.”
The data has been updated for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the wealthiest cities in North Dakota.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 25 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In North Dakota For 2026
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in North Dakota, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in North Dakota.
The richest cities in North Dakota are Horace, Watford City, West Fargo, Bismarck, Williston, Dickinson, Lincoln, Stanley, Mandan, and Casselton.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in North Dakota, according to data:
Poorest: Grafton
2nd Poorest: Rugby
3rd Poorest: Valley City
For more North Dakota reading, check out:
- Worst Places To Live In North Dakota
- Best Places To Live In North Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Dakota
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In North Dakota
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horace | 1.0 | $138,578 | $392,382 |
| 2 | Watford City | 2.5 | $102,260 | $378,061 |
| 3 | West Fargo | 4.5 | $90,665 | $348,750 |
| 4 | Bismarck | 6.0 | $78,387 | $369,558 |
| 5 | Williston | 6.0 | $79,381 | $365,978 |
| 6 | Dickinson | 6.5 | $82,696 | $319,458 |
| 7 | Lincoln | 7.5 | $87,652 | $307,383 |
| 8 | Stanley | 9.5 | $109,573 | $233,785 |
| 9 | Mandan | 10.0 | $71,780 | $341,688 |
| 10 | Casselton | 10.5 | $73,259 | $308,545 |
| 11 | Fargo | 11.5 | $66,998 | $314,972 |
| 12 | Beulah | 12.5 | $76,848 | $236,446 |
| 13 | Minot | 12.5 | $73,219 | $272,694 |
| 14 | Hazen | 13.0 | $79,609 | $212,691 |
| 15 | Grand Forks | 14.5 | $63,627 | $291,534 |
| 16 | Bottineau | 14.5 | $65,905 | $248,608 |
| 17 | Carrington | 16.0 | $77,171 | $195,799 |
| 18 | Wahpeton | 18.5 | $62,750 | $229,172 |
| 19 | New Town | 19.5 | $52,500 | $235,990 |
| 20 | Devils Lake | 20.0 | $43,220 | $236,272 |
| 21 | Lisbon | 20.5 | $64,327 | $167,421 |
| 22 | Jamestown | 21.0 | $56,554 | $208,863 |
| 23 | Valley City | 22.0 | $60,339 | $195,114 |
| 24 | Rugby | 22.5 | $50,365 | $201,610 |
| 25 | Grafton | 22.5 | $62,679 | $156,085 |