[h=1]These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In North Dakota[/h]
[h=6]We used science and data to determine which cities in NoDak are the real pits.
[/h]
Sure, we get it. You live in North Dakota for a reason, and it’s not necessarily to ‘get ahead’ in life. You’re happy with the simple things, most likely. And boring to most Americans would be ‘fun’ to you.
So calling a place ‘the worst’ in North Dakota might not resonate as much as it does in other states. But we’re sure you’re curious, so we included you guys in our rankings. After all, the other 49 states we ranked all got tons of attention. You’re welcome!
Just like every other state, North Dakota has its least desirable spots. The purpose of this post is to use science and data to determine which places are the worst you could possibly live in if you make North Dakota your home.
After analyzing 51 of the state’s most populous cities (over 1,000 people), we came up with this list as the 10 worst places to live in the state of North Dakota:
However, according to data (which doesn’t measure things like beauty and friendly people), there are far better options in North Dakota for making a place home. Perhaps these places are ‘not so bad’ as you guys like to put it.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and see how your city fared. Fargo, Grand Forks and Bismarck are somewhere in the middle.
The best place to live in North Dakota? That would be the tiny town of Lincoln. More on that later.
[h=2]How do you decide if a place has some real issues or not?[/h]In order to rank the worst places to live in North Dakota, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn’t a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, great weather, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, asked for the opposite of those, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
[h=2]How we crunched the numbers[/h]We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data, the government census, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Sperling’s Best Places, this is the criteria we used:
Note: Several of the towns and areas that would have ranked at the top of the list were on Native American Reservations. As you can imagine, the crime and poverty levels here outpace all cities in North Dakota. We didn’t think it fair that we include them in this analysis.
[h=2]1. Shell Valley[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,227
When you’re looking at science and data, the unincorporated area of Shell Valley is the worst place you can live in the state of North Dakota. Let’s see why.
Shell Valley isn’t on a reservation, but it’s very near the Turtle Mountain Reservation. As you can imagine, the people here are really poor. The unemployment rate here is 11.6%, and the average family brings in $32,000 a year in income. Not a happy place to be.
Crime is the highest in the state here as well. Most of the time, crime on or near reservations is abnormally high, so that’s no surprise either.
There’s basically nothing to do here for hours, either.
These factors alone make it the worst place to live in the state.
[h=2]2. New Rockford[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,304
Located on Route 281 near the Spirit Lake Reservation is New Rockford, where you have a few more options for some sort of entertainment, but not much.
The main issues here are economic and education. The schools in New Rockford get the least amount of funding per student in North Dakota. Additionally, the unemployment rate is also sky high here (7%), and homes are the 5th cheapest in the state ($58,000).
Say what you want about ‘cheap living’, the fact is, homes are priced by demand, and there’s absolutely no demand to live in New Rockford.
[h=2]3. Rolla[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,242
Rolla is just off reservation land in the northern part of the state. The unemployment rate here is 11.6%, and households bring in a combined $30,000 a year in income. That’s not too far from the poverty line, even though money goes a lot further in the boonies of North Dakota.
Crime is the 4th highest in the state in Rolla as well. Just not a very desirable place at all to make home.
[h=2]4. Harvey[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,862
Things in Harvey look much better than they do in the areas we mentioned above. However, the economic factors here make it an undesirable place to live. Income levels hover near $30,000 for the entire home, and more than 6% of the people here don’t have jobs.
In fact, it might be hard for people in Harvey to find work unless they work at Little Mart or at the Medical Center in town. There’s really nothing around for a long drive, especially when you’re snow stayed.
Harvey is on Route 52 far, far south of Minot.
[h=2]5. Devils Lake[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 7,129
Devils Lake is the largest city to make this list. It’s just across Devil’s Lake from a reservation in the northern half of the state.
There’s a lot of crime here. In fact, it’s the 2nd most dangerous place in North Dakota. You have a 1 in 22 chance of being the victim of a property crime when you’re within the city limits every year. That’s a lot of stolen Vikings (or Packers) jerseys, and a lot of missing slush burgers and bunny lunches.
[h=2]6. Park River[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,491
Park River isn’t a very long drive from Grand Forks, so at least there are things to do to relieve the boredom.
However, people might have a hard time finding a way to get down there. The unemployment rate is 4.9%, and income levels are below the state average. At least the crime isn’t so bad.
[h=2]7. Grafton[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 4,307
Not too far from Park River is the mid-sized town of Grafton. Here, school spending per student is the 3rd lowest in the state, homes are some of the cheapest in North Dakota, and crime is far above state average.
[h=2]8. Lisbon[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 2,199
Lisbon is a long drive southwest of Fargo where you have the worst spending on students, and frankly one of the worst places you could live if you value some good 1-on-1 attention for your kids.
Plus, the crime is far above the state average.
[h=2]9. Mayville[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,678
Mayville, home to Mayville State University, has some low income levels and above average crime. It’s not too far away from Grand Forks and Fargo, so at least there’s stuff to do.
The data says it’s just generally lousy here, overall.
[h=2]10. Linton[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,678
A 40-minute drive (in good weather) from Bismarck is the small town of Linton. Here, you have the lowest income levels in the entire state. At $26,000, many of the people are having trouble making ends meet, and the unemployment rate is 6.3%. Additionally, 16% of the population lives below the poverty line.
The cost of a home here is bottom barrell at $60,000.
At least the crime is very minimal here.
There You Have It
If you’re looking at areas in North Dakota with the worst economic situations, where there’s higher than average crime and low-rated schools, this is an accurate list.
Mobile users: Here’s a link to the complete data chart.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best places to live in North Dakota, according to science.
Disclaimer: This article is an opinion based on data. It should not be taken as fact.
[h=6]We used science and data to determine which cities in NoDak are the real pits.
[/h]
Sure, we get it. You live in North Dakota for a reason, and it’s not necessarily to ‘get ahead’ in life. You’re happy with the simple things, most likely. And boring to most Americans would be ‘fun’ to you.
So calling a place ‘the worst’ in North Dakota might not resonate as much as it does in other states. But we’re sure you’re curious, so we included you guys in our rankings. After all, the other 49 states we ranked all got tons of attention. You’re welcome!
Just like every other state, North Dakota has its least desirable spots. The purpose of this post is to use science and data to determine which places are the worst you could possibly live in if you make North Dakota your home.
After analyzing 51 of the state’s most populous cities (over 1,000 people), we came up with this list as the 10 worst places to live in the state of North Dakota:
- Shell Valley
- New Rockford
- Rolla
- Harvey
- Devils Lake
- Park River
- Grafton
- Lisbon
- Mayville
- Linton
However, according to data (which doesn’t measure things like beauty and friendly people), there are far better options in North Dakota for making a place home. Perhaps these places are ‘not so bad’ as you guys like to put it.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and see how your city fared. Fargo, Grand Forks and Bismarck are somewhere in the middle.
The best place to live in North Dakota? That would be the tiny town of Lincoln. More on that later.
[h=2]How do you decide if a place has some real issues or not?[/h]In order to rank the worst places to live in North Dakota, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn’t a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, great weather, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, asked for the opposite of those, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
[h=2]How we crunched the numbers[/h]We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data, the government census, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Sperling’s Best Places, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower the worse – meaning there’s less to do for indoor entertainment)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- High Housing Vacancy Rate
- Education (Low expenditures per student and high Student Teacher Ratio)
- High Crime
Note: Several of the towns and areas that would have ranked at the top of the list were on Native American Reservations. As you can imagine, the crime and poverty levels here outpace all cities in North Dakota. We didn’t think it fair that we include them in this analysis.
[h=2]1. Shell Valley[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,227
When you’re looking at science and data, the unincorporated area of Shell Valley is the worst place you can live in the state of North Dakota. Let’s see why.
Shell Valley isn’t on a reservation, but it’s very near the Turtle Mountain Reservation. As you can imagine, the people here are really poor. The unemployment rate here is 11.6%, and the average family brings in $32,000 a year in income. Not a happy place to be.
Crime is the highest in the state here as well. Most of the time, crime on or near reservations is abnormally high, so that’s no surprise either.
There’s basically nothing to do here for hours, either.
These factors alone make it the worst place to live in the state.
[h=2]2. New Rockford[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,304
Located on Route 281 near the Spirit Lake Reservation is New Rockford, where you have a few more options for some sort of entertainment, but not much.
The main issues here are economic and education. The schools in New Rockford get the least amount of funding per student in North Dakota. Additionally, the unemployment rate is also sky high here (7%), and homes are the 5th cheapest in the state ($58,000).
Say what you want about ‘cheap living’, the fact is, homes are priced by demand, and there’s absolutely no demand to live in New Rockford.
[h=2]3. Rolla[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,242
Rolla is just off reservation land in the northern part of the state. The unemployment rate here is 11.6%, and households bring in a combined $30,000 a year in income. That’s not too far from the poverty line, even though money goes a lot further in the boonies of North Dakota.
Crime is the 4th highest in the state in Rolla as well. Just not a very desirable place at all to make home.
[h=2]4. Harvey[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,862
Things in Harvey look much better than they do in the areas we mentioned above. However, the economic factors here make it an undesirable place to live. Income levels hover near $30,000 for the entire home, and more than 6% of the people here don’t have jobs.
In fact, it might be hard for people in Harvey to find work unless they work at Little Mart or at the Medical Center in town. There’s really nothing around for a long drive, especially when you’re snow stayed.
Harvey is on Route 52 far, far south of Minot.
[h=2]5. Devils Lake[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 7,129
Devils Lake is the largest city to make this list. It’s just across Devil’s Lake from a reservation in the northern half of the state.
There’s a lot of crime here. In fact, it’s the 2nd most dangerous place in North Dakota. You have a 1 in 22 chance of being the victim of a property crime when you’re within the city limits every year. That’s a lot of stolen Vikings (or Packers) jerseys, and a lot of missing slush burgers and bunny lunches.
[h=2]6. Park River[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,491
Park River isn’t a very long drive from Grand Forks, so at least there are things to do to relieve the boredom.
However, people might have a hard time finding a way to get down there. The unemployment rate is 4.9%, and income levels are below the state average. At least the crime isn’t so bad.
[h=2]7. Grafton[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 4,307
Not too far from Park River is the mid-sized town of Grafton. Here, school spending per student is the 3rd lowest in the state, homes are some of the cheapest in North Dakota, and crime is far above state average.
[h=2]8. Lisbon[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 2,199
Lisbon is a long drive southwest of Fargo where you have the worst spending on students, and frankly one of the worst places you could live if you value some good 1-on-1 attention for your kids.
Plus, the crime is far above the state average.
[h=2]9. Mayville[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,678
Mayville, home to Mayville State University, has some low income levels and above average crime. It’s not too far away from Grand Forks and Fargo, so at least there’s stuff to do.
The data says it’s just generally lousy here, overall.
[h=2]10. Linton[/h]
Source: Google Maps
Population: 1,678
A 40-minute drive (in good weather) from Bismarck is the small town of Linton. Here, you have the lowest income levels in the entire state. At $26,000, many of the people are having trouble making ends meet, and the unemployment rate is 6.3%. Additionally, 16% of the population lives below the poverty line.
The cost of a home here is bottom barrell at $60,000.
At least the crime is very minimal here.
There You Have It
If you’re looking at areas in North Dakota with the worst economic situations, where there’s higher than average crime and low-rated schools, this is an accurate list.
Mobile users: Here’s a link to the complete data chart.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best places to live in North Dakota, according to science.
- Lincoln (Pop. 2,494)
- Stanley (Pop. 1,898)
- Williston (Pop. 15,553)
- Watford City (Pop. 2,088)
- Horace (Pop. 2,608)
Disclaimer: This article is an opinion based on data. It should not be taken as fact.
| City | Population | Worst Score | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shell Valley | 1,227 | 10.83 | 1 |
| New Rockford | 1,304 | 11.33 | 2 |
| Rolla | 1,240 | 11.83 | 3 |
| Harvey | 1,862 | 14.17 | 4 |
| Devils Lake | 7,129 | 14.42 | 5 |
| Park River | 1,491 | 16 | 6 |
| Grafton | 4,307 | 17.42 | 7 |
| Lisbon | 2,199 | 18.42 | 8 |
| Mayville | 1,678 | 19.08 | 9 |
| Linton | 1,035 | 19.58 | 10 |
| Hankinson | 1,091 | 19.58 | 10 |
| Walhalla | 1,191 | 20.58 | 12 |
| Carrington | 2,050 | 21 | 13 |
| Ellendale | 1,502 | 21.25 | 14 |
| Wahpeton | 7,769 | 22.83 | 15 |
| Hettinger | 1,208 | 23.33 | 16 |
| Oakes | 1,877 | 23.75 | 17 |
| Cooperstown | 1,040 | 24.17 | 18 |
| Cavalier | 1,385 | 24.33 | 19 |
| Jamestown | 15,333 | 24.33 | 19 |
| Velva | 1,091 | 24.42 | 21 |
| Garrison | 1,199 | 25.08 | 22 |
| Rugby | 2,873 | 25.25 | 23 |
| Fargo | 106,005 | 25.5 | 24 |
| Cando | 1,036 | 25.92 | 25 |
| Grand Forks | 52,773 | 26.17 | 26 |
| Kenmare | 1,132 | 26.33 | 27 |
| Hillsboro | 1,809 | 26.58 | 28 |
| Crosby | 1,053 | 27.25 | 29 |
| Beulah | 3,115 | 27.58 | 30 |
| New Town | 1,855 | 27.58 | 30 |
| Langdon | 1,817 | 27.75 | 32 |
| Washburn | 1,252 | 28.25 | 33 |
| Bottineau | 2,290 | 28.33 | 34 |
| Minot | 41,251 | 28.67 | 35 |
| Bismarck | 61,941 | 28.83 | 36 |
| Valley City | 6,585 | 29.08 | 37 |
| Dickinson | 18,140 | 29.5 | 38 |
| Bowman | 1,605 | 30.5 | 39 |
| West Fargo | 25,793 | 31.42 | 40 |
| Mandan | 18,365 | 31.5 | 41 |
| parshall | 1123 | 32.5 | 42 |
| hazen | 2412 | 33.17 | 43 |
| casselton | 2137 | 33.25 | 44 |
| burlington | 1060 | 33.58 | 45 |
| larimore | 1433 | 34.67 | 46 |
| horace | 2608 | 35.42 | 47 |
| watford_city | 2088 | 37.42 | 48 |
| williston | 15553 | 37.58 | 49 |
| stanley | 1898 | 37.67 | 50 |
| lincoln | 2494 | 40.42 | 51 |
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