Grand Forks County, ND

County Profile

72,923 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Grand Forks County, ND.

Several figures AreaProfile publishes are measured by county and nowhere finer — death rates by intent among them. On this page those describe the geography they are printed on, which is not true of the city and ZIP pages that inherit them.

72out of 100
Area Score
Top 14% of 1,225 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 4% of 1,255 counties measured84
GrowthTop 18% of 1,226 counties measured67
Housing affordability654th of 1,255 counties measured92
Climate1247th of 1,254 counties measured45
Physical resilienceTop 31% of 1,255 counties measured74
Access1143rd of 1,255 counties measured49
Economic stabilityTop 30% of 1,255 counties measured75
The quick read

Grand Forks County ranks in the top 4% of published profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 2.2% and median household income of $68,075.

Rent takes 17% of median household income here, below the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 3.7 times that income.

A typical July reaches 81°F and a typical January falls to -3°F, on thirty-year normals.

At a glance

Population
72,923
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$68,075
Top 41% nationally
Density
51/sq mi
1436.2 sq mi of land
Median age
30.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Grand Forks County
North Dakota
Metro area
Grand Forks, ND-MN
Nearest major airport
FAR
76 mi · Hector Intl
Median home value
$252,700
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 2.2% is lower than 99% of the 1,255 measured US locations.

Employment grew 0.7% over the past year, to 40,243 employed residents.

38% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 89% of measured US locations.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$4,321$68,075Top 41%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,329$40,347Top 24%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Per-capita personal income$64,623Top 27%of 1,2062023
Poverty rate13.2%Bottom 49%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute16.9 minBottom 5%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher38.0%Top 11%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Employment40,243Bottom 49%of 1,255June 2026
Employment change (3 years)4.0%Top 13%of 1,255June 2026
Employment change (year over year)0.7%Top 19%of 1,255June 2026
Labor force41,143Bottom 48%of 1,255June 2026
Labor force participation71.1%Top 2%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.4%Bottom 23%of 1,255June 2026
Unemployment rate2.2%Bottom 1%of 1,255June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/063.51.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 2.2% in June 2026. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.
Median household income, successive ACS releases
202120222023202468k57k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $68,075 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.
Largest occupations — Grand Forks, ND-MN
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Retail Salespersons1,620$34,440
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,490$29,540
Home Health and Personal Care Aides1,350$41,080
Registered Nurses1,280$79,070
Cashiers1,280$30,980
General and Operations Managers1,220$85,420

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

41% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 48% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 10.9 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
29
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
10.9
across all schools here
Math proficiency
41.3%
Reading proficiency
48.1%
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
RED RIVER HIGH SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 11,19014.0
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 11,11513.6
SCHROEDER MIDDLE SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 15697.547%62%
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 156717.747%59%
SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 15496.237%52%
VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 15089.617%42%
CENTURY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 149312.040%40%
J NELSON KELLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 148213.053%56%
LAKE AGASSIZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 146412.928%33%
THOMPSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLTHOMPSON 6139915.348%44%
BEN FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 136712.251%46%
VIKING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLGRAND FORKS 13288.045%38%

31.0% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with rather than how the schools perform, which is why AreaProfile shows it and does not score it.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Schools are placed by ZIP code, so this is which schools are in this place rather than which one a particular address is zoned for — district boundaries do not follow municipal ones, and enrollment zones change. Fully virtual schools are excluded: they enroll students from across the state while reporting one administrative address, and counting them here would describe a school population this place does not have. The assessment covers grades 3 through 8, so a high school shows no proficiency figure — a dash in those columns means the test was not given at that school, not that it performed badly. Proficiency is measured against North Dakota’s own standard, so it compares cleanly within the state and only broadly against other states; AreaProfile therefore ranks it within state. The directory is current, while the proficiency figures are from the last school year with national coverage before the pandemic interrupted testing.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $992 takes 17% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.7 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
17.5%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.7×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$992
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$252,700
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income3.71Top 26%of 3,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate51.8%Bottom 2%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±4633,891Top 24%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$35$992Top 32%of 3,2162024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$8,223$252,700Top 27%of 3,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income17.5%Top 44%of 3,2162024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate7.7%Bottom 17%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
67/ 100
Top 18% of 1,226 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing — 2 consecutive years, measured from 2022 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 73,771 in 2024.

Population is still rising, but more slowly than in the preceding year.

At 3.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US locations.

Units permitted
229
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.1
Top 47% nationally
Year over year
+37%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
31.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
2020202120222023202474k72k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.
Housing units permitted per year
2022202320242025160106
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2022 (+33%).

Weather & climate

4 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 81°F and January a low of -3°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 21.7 inches, including 48.4 inches of snow.

-10°10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station GRAND FORKS INTL AP, 12.4 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND3.8"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation21.7"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall48.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low-3°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high81°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months41991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing62°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

74 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are cold wave, tornado and hail.

Winter weatherElevated
Ice stormElevated
HailElevated
Strong windElevated
Cold waveHigh
TornadoHigh
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, wildfire, lightning, landslide, drought, earthquake.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA National Risk Index county record. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offences — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Grand Forks County records 2.4 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 12.9 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, because nationally most firearm deaths are suicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 8.1 per 100,000 residents in Grand Forks County.

Homicide
2.4
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Firearm deaths, all intents
12.9
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Drug overdose
8.1
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Suicide
13.8
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides. The two columns overlap and should not be added.

Age-adjusted rates from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC for Grand Forks County as a whole — these rates are not published below county level. A county can hold both a dense city centre and a suburb whose experience of it is nothing alike, so this describes the county around Grand Forks County rather than Grand Forks County itself. That is why AreaProfile shows these figures and does not put them in the Area Score. Where fewer than ten deaths were recorded the count is suppressed at source, and a rate built on single figures moves sharply between releases. What this measure has that reported crime does not: a death certificate is filed whether or not the local police agency submitted a return that year, so the figures stay comparable between places and over time.

What this profile does not cover

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offences reported to police are published by department rather than by town, and only where a department reported every month of the year. No municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — so there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Taxes
Taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Cost of living now is — the index above is the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parity for this area — but it is a price level for all consumption rather than a budget for a household, its spread is driven mostly by housing, and it excludes taxes. Housing affordability is computed separately from rent, price and income, because that answers a narrower and more actionable question. Nothing here is individualised tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house. School attendance zones, insurance pricing and the character of a neighbourhood all vary within the places measured here.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest 76 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Hector IntlFAR76 mi9,001 ft
Duluth IntlDLH257 mi10,591 ft
Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-ChamberlainMSP291 mi11,006 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
72
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
IncomeU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023Annually, each December
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)
safetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
April, 2025 to March, 2026Quarterly, with a rolling twelve-month window alongside complete calendar years
schoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2019-20 school year; 2024-25 school yearDirectory annually; assessment results as EDFacts releases them

Profile recalculated August 30, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

Cities in Grand Forks County, ND