Best places to live in North Dakota (2026)

All 4 ranked places in North Dakota, by all-round score.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Fargo, NDSmall city · 3-bed $293k · moderate crime50
2. 2Bismarck, NDSmall city · 3-bed $342k · safe47
3. 3Grand Forks, NDSmall city · 3-bed $277k · safe45
4. 4Minot, NDSmall city · 3-bed $274k · safe42

Cheapest places to live in North Dakota

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Minot, NDSmall city · rent $1,620/mo · cost of living 87$274k
2. 2Grand Forks, NDSmall city · rent $1,520/mo · cost of living 87$277k
3. 3Fargo, NDSmall city · rent $1,550/mo · cost of living 91$293k
4. 4Bismarck, NDSmall city · rent $1,630/mo · cost of living 91$342k

Safest places to live in North Dakota

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Minot, NDSmall city · violent crime 0.7× the US rate270 per 100k
2. 2Grand Forks, NDSmall city · violent crime 0.8× the US rate289 per 100k
3. 3Bismarck, NDSmall city · violent crime 0.8× the US rate305 per 100k
4. 4Fargo, NDSmall city · violent crime 1.2× the US rate450 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in North Dakota

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Grand Forks, ND17 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes70
2. 2Fargo, ND14 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes65
3. 3Minot, ND11 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly cold waves, flooding60
4. 4Bismarck, ND6 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, cold waves55

Best places to live for families in North Dakota

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Grand Forks, NDSmall city · kids below average · safety good · 3-bed $277k58
2. 2Fargo, NDSmall city · kids below average · safety average · 3-bed $293k56
3. 3Bismarck, NDSmall city · kids below average · safety good · 3-bed $342k54
4. 4Minot, NDSmall city · kids poor · safety good · 3-bed $274k48

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.