Most Americans have never been to small town North Dakota. However, as the North Dakotan who live there know, small town North Dakota is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, North Dakota has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Peace Garden State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After analyzing more than 42 of North Dakota’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in North Dakota where you’d never want to live:
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what is the worst small town to call home in North Dakota for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Shell Valley is the worst small town to live in North Dakota.
While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Shell Valley home. Everyone
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in North Dakota or the worst places to live in North Dakota.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
The 10 Worst Small Towns In North Dakota For 2024
1. Shell Valley
/10
Population: 1,183
Median Home Value: $63,917
Median Income: $42,029
Unemployment Rate: 10.0%
2. Fort Totten
/10
Population: 1,042
Median Home Value: $39,084
Median Income: $30,234
Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
3. Belcourt
/10
Population: 1,772
Median Home Value: $103,110
Median Income: $61,250
Unemployment Rate: 8.0%
4. Rolla
/10
Population: 1,190
Median Home Value: $111,747
Median Income: $58,036
Unemployment Rate: 9.3%
5. Parshall
/10
Population: 1,217
Median Home Value: $158,822
Median Income: $44,904
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
6. New Town
/10
Population: 2,714
Median Home Value: $195,855
Median Income: $56,176
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
7. Cando
/10
Population: 1,218
Median Home Value: $102,977
Median Income: $53,400
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
8. Enderlin
/10
Population: 1,030
Median Home Value: $128,994
Median Income: $58,403
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
9. New Rockford
/10
Population: 1,421
Median Home Value: $88,764
Median Income: $38,393
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
10. Grafton
/10
Population: 4,161
Median Home Value: $126,820
Median Income: $59,696
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in North Dakota is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in North Dakota, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower, the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 42 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in North Dakota.
There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In North Dakota
If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Peace Garden State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
The worst small towns in North Dakota are Shell Valley, Fort Totten, Belcourt, Rolla, Parshall, New Town, Cando, Enderlin, New Rockford, and Grafton.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in North Dakota, according to science:
- Horace (Pop. 3,464)
- Lincoln (Pop. 4,209)
- Thompson (Pop. 1,052)
For more North Dakota reading, check out:
Worst Small Towns In North Dakota
| Rank | Town | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shell Valley | 1,183 | 10.0% | $63,917 | $42,029 |
| 2 | Fort Totten | 1,042 | 6.2% | $39,084 | $30,234 |
| 3 | Belcourt | 1,772 | 8.0% | $103,110 | $61,250 |
| 4 | Rolla | 1,190 | 9.3% | $111,747 | $58,036 |
| 5 | Parshall | 1,217 | 2.5% | $158,822 | $44,904 |
| 6 | New Town | 2,714 | 3.9% | $195,855 | $56,176 |
| 7 | Cando | 1,218 | 2.4% | $102,977 | $53,400 |
| 8 | Enderlin | 1,030 | 4.4% | $128,994 | $58,403 |
| 9 | New Rockford | 1,421 | 3.0% | $88,764 | $38,393 |
| 10 | Grafton | 4,161 | 3.3% | $126,820 | $59,696 |
| 11 | Tioga | 1,376 | 4.9% | $220,052 | $63,920 |
| 12 | Mayville | 2,102 | 3.6% | $171,646 | $67,813 |
| 13 | Bowman | 1,646 | 4.4% | $183,155 | $73,309 |
| 14 | Cavalier | 1,360 | 10.4% | $137,265 | $55,387 |
| 15 | Harvey | 1,767 | 2.0% | $134,961 | $43,864 |
| 16 | Oakes | 2,125 | 4.0% | $135,535 | $64,931 |
| 17 | Lisbon | 2,159 | 4.5% | $151,840 | $61,250 |
| 18 | Crosby | 1,105 | 3.7% | $129,994 | $82,656 |
| 19 | Park River | 1,556 | 1.0% | $138,387 | $70,764 |
| 20 | Hazen | 2,569 | 4.1% | $180,243 | $79,231 |
| 21 | Hettinger | 1,096 | 1.3% | $118,300 | $55,192 |
| 22 | Langdon | 1,717 | 0.0% | $144,156 | $58,939 |
| 23 | Bottineau | 2,104 | 6.7% | $218,355 | $67,723 |
| 24 | Stanley | 2,189 | 3.3% | $222,891 | $101,351 |
| 25 | Grand Forks Afb | 2,113 | 2.1% | $0 | $70,500 |
| 26 | Rugby | 2,654 | 0.6% | $166,273 | $54,852 |
| 27 | Kenmare | 1,016 | 2.0% | $210,901 | $59,063 |
| 28 | Minot Afb | 4,943 | 3.7% | $0 | $72,237 |
| 29 | Beulah | 3,063 | 0.6% | $197,523 | $90,655 |
| 30 | Larimore | 1,343 | 1.5% | $178,310 | $70,568 |
| 31 | Velva | 1,050 | 2.4% | $188,480 | $75,147 |
| 32 | Garrison | 1,524 | 0.9% | $205,109 | $70,813 |
| 33 | Carrington | 2,161 | 0.0% | $164,183 | $62,240 |
| 34 | Casselton | 2,496 | 1.4% | $280,193 | $61,861 |
| 35 | Washburn | 1,463 | 0.0% | $222,400 | $70,268 |
| 36 | Burlington | 1,308 | 5.2% | $271,906 | $87,417 |
| 37 | Mapleton | 1,151 | 1.7% | $295,252 | $108,375 |
| 38 | Hillsboro | 1,655 | 1.6% | $200,947 | $76,076 |
| 39 | Surrey | 1,583 | 3.8% | $278,740 | $100,104 |
| 40 | Horace | 3,464 | 0.6% | $397,324 | $146,184 |
| 41 | Lincoln | 4,209 | 2.5% | $270,030 | $83,947 |
| 42 | Thompson | 1,052 | 0.2% | $309,449 | $108,333 |
I’m not trying to be mean or anything, or am saying that you’re 100% wrong, but I can personally say that Tappen should NOT be on that list. I’ve lived near Tappen my entire life, and while some things might not be perfect, it certainly is far from being a bad town. The people that live there are friendly. If anything happens to someone we know, the whole community comes together to support them. From the school to the gas station, things in Tappen are good!
My Family is from Tappen and I don’t think it should be on this list. Just because it is small does not mean it is bad. We do lots of fun things like harvest fest and lots of others. So take Tappen of this list. And Medina
It’s worth noting that the appearance of a town on this list only means that it is within the population parameters. There are 179 such towns. Of those 179, these are the worst 100 by the standards they used to rank these towns.