Mandan makes North Dakota’s top 10 on 11 lists
Mandan is ranked on 34 lists against the 24 North Dakota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 11 and the top quarter on 3.
Mandan is on North Dakota’s podium 2 times
Each list ranks every ND town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Mandan marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for staying active
Lists where Mandan sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Mandan lands in the top half on 14 of 21 lists
Each dot is Mandan’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in ND, the right end is last. Areas where Mandan does best come first.
Hotter summers than 91% of North Dakota
Not better or worse, just Mandan’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Mandan lands in every ND ranking
34 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Outdoors
T Most conserved land#1 Tatman · 10.2% #9
Most trails#1 Minot AFB · 2.4 mi / sq mi
#2
Most walkable#1 Valley City · 78.7 / sq mi
#9 Health
H Healthiest#1 Hay Creek · 94 / 100 #12
Lowest obesity#1 Minot AFB · 31%
#16
H
Fewest smokers#1 Hay Creek · 10%
#10
Most active#1 Horace · 16%
#11
Fewest uninsured#1 Horace · 5%
#6
H
Lowest depression#1 Hay Creek · 18%
#7
Closest to a top hospital#1 Valley City · 0.6 mi
#7 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Watford City · 7.9%
#6
Most new homes#1 Horace · 64.4 per 1,000
#7
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Grafton · +57.4%
#8 People
H Most educated#1 Hay Creek · 50.8% #12
Youngest#1 Minot AFB · 22.6
#15
Oldest#1 Grafton · 43.2
#10
Most residents 65+#1 Valley City · 23.1%
#8
Most kids#1 New Town · 36.1%
#16 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Grafton · 1.9 yrs
#10
Cheapest rent#1 Devils Lake · $711/mo
#15
Lowest property tax#1 New Town · $1,307/yr
#14 Getting around
T Shortest commute#1 Tatman · 9.2 min #15
The number on the right is Mandan’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.