Minot, North Dakota

Area Profile

47,791 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Minot, in Ward County.

68out of 100
Area Score
Top 19% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 16 sources
OpportunityTop 10% of 4,199 cities measured79
GrowthTop 43% of 4,224 cities measured53
Housing affordabilityTop 5% of 4,218 cities measured86
Climate4,158th of 4,225 cities measured52
Physical resilienceTop 13% of 4,226 cities measured88
Access4,205th of 4,226 cities measured0
Economic stability2,335th of 4,226 cities measured55
The quick read

Minot ranks in the top 10% of cities measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 1.9% and median household income of $73,219.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most cities measured: rent takes 24% of renter income and the median home is 2.7 times what its owners earn.

The nearest major airport, Hector Intl, is 227 miles away — farther than 99% of measured US cities.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
47,791
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$73,219
Top 41% nationally
Density
1,725/sq mi
27.7 sq mi of land
Median age
33.5
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
North Dakota
Metro area
Nearest major airport
FAR
227 mi · Hector Intl
Median home value
$257,100
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 1.9%, lower than in 99% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment grew 0.8% over the past year, to 26,911 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsWard County, ND’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$49,7187th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftWard County, ND’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$61,45926th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$3,8222024 ACS 5-Year$73,219Top 41%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,7432024 ACS 5-Year$43,757Top 25%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year9.9%Top 46%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year20.4 minTop 19%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year29.7%Top 31%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year77.2%50th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202626,911Bottom 32%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+1.2%Top 27%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+0.8%Top 21%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202627,42731st percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year83.7%Top 29%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageMinot, ND Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$60,600Bottom 17%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageMinot, ND Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$48,940Bottom 32%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year0.5%79th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.3%Top 37%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20261.9%Top 1%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year5.3%38th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/073.01.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 1.9% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. 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

202120222023202477k69k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $73,219 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 — Minot, ND

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Retail Salespersons1,420$35,290
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,400$30,080
General and Operations Managers950$93,120
Home Health and Personal Care Aides880$36,860
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers880$61,030
Cashiers850$30,570

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

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.

42% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 46% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.7 students for every full-time teacher across 17 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
17
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.7
across all schools here
Math proficiency
41.9%
Reading proficiency
45.6%
The 12 largest of 17 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Minot High SchoolMINOT 11,08614.3——
Erik Ramstad Middle SchoolMINOT 158414.250%46%
Jim Hill Middle SchoolMINOT 150514.049%46%
John Hoeven Elementary SchoolMINOT 150417.452%47%
Edison Elementary SchoolMINOT 146113.246%52%
Longfellow Elementary SchoolMINOT 143514.037%37%
Lewis and Clark Elementary SchoolMINOT 141813.542%42%
South Prairie Elementary SchoolSOUTH PRAIRIE 7041116.447%62%
Perkett Elementary SchoolMINOT 139415.232%37%
Washington Elementary SchoolMINOT 133612.937%37%
Sunnyside Elementary SchoolMINOT 130712.832%37%
Nedrose High SchoolNEDROSE 42929.725%45%

34.1% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against North Dakota’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 11% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 88.7, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Minot, ND Metro Area is up 34% over five years, and up 6.7% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $3,054 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.19% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,165, some 20% above the $973 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,165 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $46,600 a year, about 64% of the median household income here of $73,219.

The typical renter household here spends 24% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $973 a month.

A median home at $257,100 costs 2.7 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $96,753, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Cost of living
88.7

Prices here run about 11% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Minot, ND Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
24.3%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.7×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,165
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$973
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$257,100
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Minot’s median household income of $73,219, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Minot, ND Metro Area’s figure202388.7Top 3%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Minot, ND Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+6.7%96th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Minot, ND Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+33.9%24th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Minot, ND Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+41.3%1st percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year2.7Bottom 44%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year56.7%16th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3122024 ACS 5-Year23,95698th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$960Top 19%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,620Top 24%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,165Top 18%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$552024 ACS 5-Year$973Top 50%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$12,3202024 ACS 5-Year$257,10066th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1992024 ACS 5-Year$3,05473rd percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$4,8652024 ACS 5-Year$96,753Top 30%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.10%2024 ACS 5-Year1.19%63rd percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year24.3%Top 30%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1532024 ACS 5-Year24895th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year1.0%62nd percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year10.5%65th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±5092024 ACS 5-Year2,75498th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

53/ 100
Top 43% of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been rising for the last 2 years of a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

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 fallen 2% since 2020, to 47,440 in 2024.

Federal tax returns show Ward County, which contains Minot, lost about 1.2% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $49,718, below the $61,459 of households that moved out.

At 2.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
126
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.6
Top 50% nationally
Year over year
+66%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
28.6%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202448k47k
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. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−1.2%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
74%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$49,718
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$61,459
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. McHenry County, ND 115 people · 2.9% of arrivals
  2. Williams County, ND 106 people · 2.7% of arrivals
  3. Cass County, ND 99 people · 2.5% of arrivals
  4. Mountrail County, ND 91 people · 2.3% of arrivals
  5. Clark County, NV 81 people · 2.1% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Cass County, ND 169 people · 3.6% of departures
  2. Burleigh County, ND 148 people · 3.2% of departures
  3. Bexar County, TX 116 people · 2.5% of departures
  4. Williams County, ND 92 people · 2.0% of departures
  5. Mountrail County, ND 89 people · 1.9% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Ward County, ND. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

20202021202220232024202514590
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2020 (−24%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 84°F and January a low of 4°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 16.7 inches, including 45.1 inches of snow.

Air quality measures a median index of 37, in the Good band, and about 9 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

-10°10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station MINOT INTL AP, 1.3 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND3.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year592024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals16.7"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals45.1"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals4°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals84°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year92024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year372024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals57°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
37
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
59
90th percentile index
Days above 100
9
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

88 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are cold wave, inland flooding and tornado, with cold wave alone responsible for 50% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 87% of measured US cities.

Winter weatherElevated
Cold waveModerate
Ice stormModerate
HailModerate
WildfireModerate
TornadoModerate
Strong windModerate
LightningModerate

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, inland flooding, drought, heat wave, earthquake, avalanche, coastal flooding, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
294
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
1,193
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Minot's police department reported 294 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,193.

Ward County has a modeled homicide rate of about 3.5 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 17.6 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 14.6 per 100,000 residents in Ward County.

Homicide
3.5
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
17.6
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
14.6
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
26.3
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Minot’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Minot (Ward County) rather than Minot itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

No airport meeting the AreaProfile major-airport definition lies within 100 miles; the nearest is 227 miles away.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year89.4%Bottom 48%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle227 miBottom 1%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle0Bottom 1%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year5.4%Top 39%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Hector IntlFAR227 mi9,001 ft
Rapid City RgnlRAP302 mi8,701 ft
Sheridan CountySHR362 mi8,301 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
68
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 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 every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Minot

2 ZIP areas

Every ZIP area in Minot with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Minot closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
5870133,086$73,269$277,800—
5870322,139$82,728$263,20069