The 10 Worst Small Towns In North Dakota For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in ND are the pits.

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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in North Dakota.

Most Americans have never been to North Dakota. However, as the people who live there know, North Dakota is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, North Dakota has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Peace Garden State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 45 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:

These are the worst small towns in North Dakota for 2022:

  1. Shell Valley
  2. Fort Totten
  3. Belcourt
  4. Rolla
  5. Ellendale
  6. Parshall
  7. Linton
  8. New Town
  9. New Rockford
  10. Park River

So what is the worst small town to call home in North Dakota for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Shell Valley is the worst small town to live in North Dakota.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since North Dakota has its stuff figured out.

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 2022

1. Shell Valley

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,541
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $59,400 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.1% (worst)
More on Shell Valley:  Data

2. Fort Totten

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,219
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $1,000 (1000th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.2% (4th worst)
More on Fort Totten:  Data

3. Belcourt

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,132
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $111,000 (17th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.9% (8th worst)
More on Belcourt:  Data

4. Rolla

Rolla, ND

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,409
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $97,900 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.4% (3rd worst)
More on Rolla:  Data | Photos

5. Ellendale

Ellendale, ND

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,054
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $72,100 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.1% (7th worst)
More on Ellendale:  Data | Photos

6. Parshall

Parshall, ND

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,364
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 10)
Median Home Value: $126,200 (20th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2% (11th worst)
More on Parshall:  Data

7. Linton

Linton, ND

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,010
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $77,500 (3rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (12th worst)
More on Linton:  Data | Photos

8. New Town

New Town, ND

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,693
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $133,900 (23rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (14th worst)
More on New Town:  Data | Photos

9. New Rockford

New Rockford, ND

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,428
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $86,300 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 1.4% (3worst)
More on New Rockford:  Data

10. Park River

Park River, ND

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,478
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $88,100 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 1.5% (30th worst)
More on Park River:  Data | Photos

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns 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, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in North Dakota for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 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 a lot - 45 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

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.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in North Dakota, according to science:

  1. Horace (Pop. 2,847)
  2. Lincoln (Pop. 4,140)
  3. Thompson (Pop. 1,143)

For more North Dakota reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In North Dakota

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Shell Valley 1,541 15.1% $59,400
2 Fort Totten 1,219 8.2% $1,000
3 Belcourt 2,132 6.9% $111,000
4 Rolla 1,409 8.4% $97,900
5 Ellendale 1,054 7.1% $72,100
6 Parshall 1,364 5.2% $126,200
7 Linton 1,010 4.7% $77,500
8 New Town 2,693 4.2% $133,900
9 New Rockford 1,428 1.4% $86,300
10 Park River 1,478 1.5% $88,100
11 Enderlin 1,011 3.0% $88,000
12 Grafton 4,139 3.2% $92,800
13 Harvey 1,625 2.9% $90,000
14 Cando 1,206 3.0% $101,300
15 Cavalier 1,328 12.5% $104,600
16 Crosby 1,244 2.4% $108,500
17 Langdon 1,936 1.8% $109,900
18 Cooperstown 1,042 2.5% $88,700
19 Lisbon 1,788 7.7% $126,200
20 Beach 1,027 3.8% $111,900
21 Mayville 1,892 3.1% $136,500
22 Garrison 1,708 1.0% $138,900
23 Hettinger 1,027 0.0% $102,000
24 Bowman 1,592 2.7% $160,100
25 Hillsboro 1,627 6.8% $139,900
26 Bottineau 2,017 7.7% $134,300
27 New Salem 1,019 1.8% $143,800
28 Stanley 2,697 4.6% $180,700
29 Carrington 1,977 0.0% $128,500
30 Gwinner 1,054 0.8% $108,500
31 Rugby 2,583 0.6% $140,600
32 Hazen 2,448 2.5% $168,400
33 Beulah 3,201 1.0% $189,200
34 Grand Forks Afb 2,785 3.1% $1,000
35 Larimore 1,298 0.3% $135,300
36 Surrey 1,061 2.5% $230,300
37 Velva 1,256 3.4% $157,300
38 Casselton 2,738 1.1% $219,800
39 Washburn 1,361 0.5% $183,700
40 Oakes 2,036 1.3% $128,100
41 Burlington 1,455 5.8% $196,900
42 Mapleton 1,221 0.7% $188,800
43 Horace 2,847 0.7% $381,500
44 Lincoln 4,140 0.0% $230,800
45 Thompson 1,143 0.1% $222,000

How Is The Area In ?

 Worst