2009 · Tower City, North Dakota · Wikimedia Commons
Tower’s story
147 years in pictures
6 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives.
- 1879Tower is settled
- 2009Tower City, North Dakota
TowerND
A town of 96, settled in 1879. Public schools that outperform most of North Dakota.
Population
96
residents
Household income
$105K
median
Median age
50.6
years
Jobs based here
19
A commuter town
What makes Tower stand out
The thing Tower does most differently from other towns.
Small town
96 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
HillBuffaloTower CityBuffaloOriskaTower
Tower’s report card
Now in Tower
Be the first to start the conversation.
Residents weigh in
Live in Tower? Is an A for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in Tower’s Town Square.
Start a conversation
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Tower. Another town gets a different order.
Schools
Tower’s public schools outperform 87% of North Dakota districts
The public schools Tower’s kids attend outperform 87% of North Dakota’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
ASchool Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheatland Colony School | K–8 | 10 | Not graded |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state testsAll 1 schools →
Work & commute
Most working residents commute out of Tower
Most working residents leave Tower for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Fargo (32%), Tower City (7%) and Page (5%). Half commute less than 36 miles.
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Tower0%
Fargo32%
Tower City7%
Page5%
Enderlin5%
36 mi
median commute distance
19
jobs based in Tower
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Climate
Four seasons, pleasant summers
Tower has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to -1°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
37″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter3–22°
Spring30–53°
Summer56–80°
Fall33–55°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Natural hazards
Low risk, with strong wind at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 34% of U.S. communities.
34risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Strong windHailCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Health
How healthy Tower is
Tower beats the North Dakota average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
32 measures vs. North Dakota
12 better15 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Tower | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.5% | 10.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.2% | 5.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.2% |
Chi Mercy Health
18.3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Outdoors
5.9% of Tower is conserved land
16 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves.
5.9%conserved
5.9%
conserved · 1,288 of 21,989 acres
16 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Tower for work
Where Tower’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
19jobs based in Tower
0%of working residents work in town
36 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Tower
City in North Dakota, United States
Tower City is a city in Barnes and Cass counties in the State of North Dakota. The population was 268 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1879
- Population
- 268
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,171 ft
- ZIP code
- 58071
- Area code
- 701