Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in North Dakota with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in North Dakota that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in North Dakota at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Valley City.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In North Dakota For 2024
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more North Dakota reading:
- Best Counties To Live In North Dakota
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Dakota
- Best Places To Retire In North Dakota
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In North Dakota For 2024
/10
Population: 6,558
Median Home Price: $167,019
Population Change: -0.4%
Home Price Change: -6.2%
More on Valley City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,900
Median Home Price: $307,622
Population Change: 3.1%
Home Price Change: -3.1%
More on Watford City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 7,192
Median Home Price: $215,052
Population Change: -0.1%
Home Price Change: -5.0%
More on Devils Lake: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 7,983
Median Home Price: $201,883
Population Change: 0.7%
Home Price Change: -0.4%
More on Wahpeton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 15,850
Median Home Price: $184,873
Population Change: 0.2%
Home Price Change: -3.5%
More on Jamestown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 24,049
Median Home Price: $308,053
Population Change: 1.1%
Home Price Change: 5.3%
More on Mandan: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 25,116
Median Home Price: $275,335
Population Change: 1.1%
Home Price Change: 1.9%
More on Dickinson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 27,783
Median Home Price: $317,700
Population Change: 1.5%
Home Price Change: -0.7%
More on Williston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 38,653
Median Home Price: $317,108
Population Change: 2.0%
Home Price Change: 2.2%
More on West Fargo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 48,038
Median Home Price: $239,901
Population Change: 0.1%
Home Price Change: 9.4%
More on Minot: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in North Dakota for 2024?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 9. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in North Dakota. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in North Dakota with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2018-2022 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for North Dakota with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in North Dakota, only 13 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 13 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Valley City is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Peace Garden State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In North Dakota for 2024
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in North Dakota. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in North Dakota are Valley City, Watford City, Devils Lake, Wahpeton, Jamestown, Mandan, Dickinson, Williston, West Fargo, and Minot.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more North Dakota reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In North Dakota
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valley City | 6,558 | $167,019 | -0.4% | -6.2% |
| 2 | Watford City | 5,900 | $307,622 | 3.1% | -3.1% |
| 3 | Devils Lake | 7,192 | $215,052 | -0.1% | -5.0% |
| 4 | Wahpeton | 7,983 | $201,883 | 0.7% | -0.4% |
| 5 | Jamestown | 15,850 | $184,873 | 0.2% | -3.5% |
| 6 | Mandan | 24,049 | $308,053 | 1.1% | 5.3% |
| 7 | Dickinson | 25,116 | $275,335 | 1.1% | 1.9% |
| 8 | Williston | 27,783 | $317,700 | 1.5% | -0.7% |
| 9 | West Fargo | 38,653 | $317,108 | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| 10 | Minot | 48,038 | $239,901 | 0.1% | 9.4% |
| 11 | Grand Forks | 58,935 | $253,634 | 0.1% | 0.9% |
| 12 | Bismarck | 73,694 | $339,338 | 0.5% | 4.1% |
| 13 | Fargo | 127,319 | $290,476 | 1.9% | 3.3% |