These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In North Dakota For 2019

Where are the best places in the state of North Dakota?

To the untrained eye they are the places that have awesome economies. They’re the places in Peace Garden State where people have the best jobs, residents are all above average, and the sun shines the most.

However, here at HomeSnacks, we don’t trust the untrained eye and instead look to data to understand the best places to call home in North Dakota.

There might be some surprises on this list, but when you look at the unbiased data, it’s hard to argue against.

After analyzing 22 places in North Dakota, we came up with this list of the best places:

1. Lincoln (Photos | Homes For Sale)
2. West Fargo (Photos | Homes For Sale)
3. Stanley (Photos | Homes For Sale)
4. Hazen (Photos | Homes For Sale)
5. Horace (Photos | Homes For Sale)
6. Williston (Photos | Homes For Sale)
7. Lisbon (Photos | Homes For Sale)
8. Dickinson (Photos | Homes For Sale)
9. Bismarck (Photos | Homes For Sale)
10. Minot (Photos | Homes For Sale)

Well, it looks like you should check out Lincoln if you’re thinking of moving to North Dakota — it’s the best the Peace Garden State has to offer according to the data.

Follow along as we provide more insight into how we reached our overall best places to live in North Dakota.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.

For more North Dakota reading, check out:

• These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In North Dakota
• 10 Cheapest Places To Live In North Dakota
• 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In North Dakota

Mapping The Best And Worst Places To Live in North Dakota

The Pressing Question: Size

Before we even started to collect data, we had to answer a tough question: Is it fair to pit Bismarck with a population of 68,981 against places with a population of 18?

We firmly decided no, that just isn’t fair.

So to create our ranking, we broke places to live into three tiers:

• Cities — Populations over 2,000
• Towns — Populations between 1,000 and 2,000
• Small Towns — Populations below 1,000

This left us with 22 cities, 27 towns, and 261 small towns.

We then decided, no matter how much anyone loves their town, the best places have more of everything and therefore you need to have over 2,000 people to truly be ‘the best’.

Now we also realize that city living might not be your cup of tea, so we ran the following analysis on towns and then again for small towns.

You can see those two top tens at the bottom of the post.

How We Calculated The Best Cities To Live In North Dakota

Now that we had our set of cities, it was time to rank them.

We ranked each place in North Dakota across a number of criteria from one to 22, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Place To Live In North Dakota”.

The criteria we looked at were:

• Median Home Values
• Median Income
• Population Density (Higher better)
• Unemployment Rate
• Commute Time
• Crime
• Education Levels
• Health Insurance Coverage
• Poverty rates

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data and FBI Crime Data.

After the dust settled, what was the best place to live in North Dakota? That would be Lincoln.

If your city or town isn’t among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart of the best places in North Dakota.

Otherwise, buckle up for a ride down good living lane with Lincoln at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Well, I guess technically 2.7% of Lincoln residents who want to have a job can’t find one, so not everyone has a job, but it’s the 14th closest of any city in North Dakota.

You can tell they take business seriously as they have by far the coolest Chamber of Commerce website we came across in our research.

In addition to its incredibly low unemployment rate, Lincoln also ranked well for crime (2nd) and median income ($74,048).

West Fargo is just about as close to a perfect area as you can get. Residents here are gainfully employed, and the schools are some of the best in the state. It’s safe, and residents get to enjoy the benefits of quality at home living.

It’s quite a gem tucked away in North Dakota.

The tiny town of Stanley may not remain tiny forever. The word has been out for a long, long time about how special this place is.

The residents are heavily involved in making their community even more awesome, and as many North Dakota residents know, Stanley is a great central spot for making the most of life.

Hazen has a long and illustrious history and its ranking in the top ten of our best places to live is just another notch in its belt.\n\Hazen had the 3rd highest household median income adjusted for cost of living at $77,275.

Not to mention that its residents have plenty to do on the weekends.

In Horace, everyone loves to call Horace home! The median home value is the 1st highest in North Dakota.

Additionally, the unemployment rate is the 5th lowest in the state. and the crime rates are some of the lowest in Peace Garden State.

Williston is by far one of the best places to live in North Dakota: the math proves it! This city has the 10th lowest unemployment rate and the 2nd highest median income in all of North Dakota.

Plus, the median home values are the 3rd highest in the state. And if all of that isn’t enough to convince you, then check this out: their crime rate is the 14th lowest in the state, making Williston a safe and great place to live.

At an unemployment rate of 0.7%, everyone who wants a job can get one in Lisbon. And the residents command high salaries ($55,136 a year combined income), and live in big fancy homes ($106,700 each).

We’re not saying money is why these cities are the ‘best’ in North Dakota. What we’re implying is that money means safety and peace of mind. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

In Dickinson, everyone loves to call Dickinson home! The median home value is the 2nd highest in North Dakota.

Additionally, the unemployment rate is the 16th lowest in the state. and the crime rates are some of the lowest in Peace Garden State.

Dickinson should consider renaming to Paradise Valley in our humble opinion.

Bismarck has been called one of the best small towns in America. If you live here, you’re most likely already aware of how great it is to live there.

Just about everyone who wants a job in Bismarck has one; the unemployment rate is hovering at about 1.9% and lowering. And the Bismarck police department is doing a solid job, as crime is the 20th lowest in the state here.

Who wouldn’t want to live in a place like this?

Minot takes 10th place on our list of best places in North Dakota for 2019 thanks to a strong showing in unemployment rate (10th overall) and things to do.

Minot is no stranger to top ten lists, being named one of the best places to live in the country by multiple outlets over the past ten years. And that tends to happen when home prices hit $201,900 at the median.

Next 10 Cities

Wrapping Up The Best Places When It Comes To Living In North Dakota

If you’re looking at areas in North Dakota with the best economic situations, where there’s lower than average crime, and a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

Lincoln made a strong showing to take in the overall number one spot for the best place to live in North Dakota for 2019.

Best Towns To Live In North Dakota

1. Thompson (Pop. 1,196)
2. Surrey (Pop. 1,079)
3. Langdon (Pop. 1,929)
4. Hettinger (Pop. 1,140)
5. Burlington (Pop. 1,235)
6. Washburn (Pop. 1,464)
7. Carrington (Pop. 1,980)
8. Bowman (Pop. 1,717)
9. Hillsboro (Pop. 1,643)
10. Crosby (Pop. 1,000)

Best Small Towns To Live In North Dakota

1. Reile’s Acres (Pop. 514)
2. Briarwood (Pop. 54)
3. Prairie Rose (Pop. 84)
4. North River (Pop. 60)
5. Newburg (Pop. 147)
6. Frontier (Pop. 192)
7. Oxbow (Pop. 395)
8. Pembina (Pop. 502)
9. Harwood (Pop. 767)
10. Buchanan (Pop. 63)

If you’re curious enough, here are the worst places to live in North Dakota according to the data:

1. Jamestown (Pop. 15,441)
2. Grafton (Pop. 4,287)
3. Devils Lake (Pop. 7,299)

For more North Dakota reading, check out:

• These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In North Dakota For 2018
• These Are The 10 Richest Cities In North Dakota
• 10 Safest Places In North Dakota
• 10 Worst Places To Live In North Dakota

Detailed List Of The Best Places To Live In North Dakota

Rank	City	Population	Unemployment Rate	Home Value
1	Lincoln	3,311	2.7%	$186,800
2	West Fargo	31,557	1.2%	$190,400
3	Stanley	2,328	5.7%	$182,400
4	Hazen	2,653	1.0%	$146,700
5	Horace	2,559	1.5%	$237,400
6	Williston	23,902	2.2%	$223,800
7	Lisbon	2,091	0.7%	$106,700
8	Dickinson	21,985	3.5%	$224,800
9	Bismarck	68,981	1.9%	$205,500
10	Minot	47,338	2.2%	$201,900
11	Oakes	2,043	2.6%	$110,300
12	Casselton	2,500	2.7%	$168,100
13	Wahpeton	7,844	4.0%	$103,400
14	Beulah	3,328	3.0%	$157,500
15	Mandan	20,613	2.0%	$175,400
16	Grand Forks	55,831	3.7%	$172,700
17	Fargo	115,950	3.6%	$178,300
18	Bottineau	2,340	4.3%	$128,900
19	Rugby	3,092	0.0%	$96,400
20	Jamestown	15,441	2.4%	$120,100
21	Grafton	4,287	5.2%	$83,100
22	Devils Lake	7,299	1.6%	$92,800