Devils Lake is #1 in North Dakota for cheap rent
Devils Lake is ranked on 32 lists against the 24 North Dakota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 7 and the top quarter on 4.
Devils Lake is on North Dakota’s podium 3 times
Each list ranks every ND town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Devils Lake marked.
Cooler summers than 100% of North Dakota
Not better or worse, just Devils Lake’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for short commutes
Lists where Devils Lake sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Devils Lake lands in the top half on 9 of 21 lists
Each dot is Devils Lake’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in ND, the right end is last. Areas where Devils Lake does best come first.
Every ND list, and where Devils Lake lands
34 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Grafton · 1.9 yrs
#3
Cheapest rent#1 Devils Lake · $711/mo
#1
Lowest property tax#1 New Town · $1,307/yr
#2 Getting around
T Shortest commute#1 Tatman · 9.2 min #4Outdoors
T Most conserved land#1 Tatman · 10.2% #6
Most trails#1 Minot AFB · 2.4 mi / sq mi
#21
Most walkable#1 Valley City · 78.7 / sq mi
#12 Health
H Healthiest#1 Hay Creek · 94 / 100 #23
Lowest obesity#1 Minot AFB · 31%
#23
H
Fewest smokers#1 Hay Creek · 10%
#23
Most active#1 Horace · 16%
#22
Fewest uninsured#1 Horace · 5%
#17
H
Lowest depression#1 Hay Creek · 18%
#7
Closest to a top hospital#1 Valley City · 0.6 mi
#17 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Watford City · 7.9%
#15
Most new homes#1 Horace · 64.4 per 1,000
#15
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Grafton · +57.4%
#6 
The number on the right is Devils Lake’s spot. All of North Dakota’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every ND list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.