Living in Grand Forks, North Dakota: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 13.3% below the U.S. average in the Grand Forks metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.9 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Grand Forks itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town17 public schools: 10 elementary, 3 middle, 3 high schools and 1 other.
A hospital close byAltru Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityMinneapolis is about 273 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Grand Forks meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 1 in 5 residents is a college student, with University of North Dakota in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $249,900U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 14%Grand Forks County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $980 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $63,627U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 46%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,167 a yearNorth Dakota: $2,468
Homes built before 1940: 9%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 19%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 86.7U.S. average = 100 (the Grand Forks metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 14% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Grand Forks metro area, not Grand Forks alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 60,3652020: 59,155
Median age: 29.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 14%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 19%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 40%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 15%U.S.: 6%
College students: 20%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (34%); retail (13%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (10%)
Unemployment rate: 2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 15 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 7%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 16%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Altru Hospital, Grand Forks, ND, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

17 public schools in Grand Forks, run by Grand Forks 1 and Nd Vision Services/school for the Blind.

Colleges in or next to town: University of North Dakota (10,000 to 19,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on North Dakota's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 76%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 87%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: -1°F
July average high: 80°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 7 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 179 a year
Rain and melted snow: 22.8 inches a year
Snow: 49 inches a year
Elevation: 833 feet

Weather station: Grand Forks Univ (nws) (less than a mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Fargo, NDCity of 136,00074

Minneapolis, MNMetro of 3.8 million273

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Fargo, Minneapolis.

Grand Forks County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

64 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Baukol Historic District, the Downtown Grand Forks Historic District, the Grand Forks Near Southside Historic District and the Grand Forks Riverside Neighborhood Historic District.

Campus life. Check University of North Dakota's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Grand Forks's history on Wikipedia.

Know Grand Forks?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

East Grand Forks, MN8,900 people, 3 miles
Thompson, ND1,100 people, 10 miles
Warren, MN1,600 people, 24 miles
Crookston, MN7,400 people, 24 miles
Larimore, ND1,400 people, 25 miles
Mayville, ND1,800 people, 31 miles

Smaller places

Manvel, ND368 people, 11 miles
Emerado, ND452 people, 13 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.