Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,350, settled in 1883. 22% more nonprofits per person than the typical North Dakota town.
The best of Burlington’s subject grades are an A for health and civic life; the weakest is a D for walkability. 0.4% of working residents work locally in Burlington, against 39% in North Dakota’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 4 of North Dakota’s 68 towns do worse. Burlington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Burlington beats most towns.
1,060 counted in 2010 and 1,291 in 2020; an estimated 1,350 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far Burlington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 300 in 1920, a low of 200 in 1940, 1,291 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Burlington, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Jul 30, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Burlington.
Burlington beats the North Dakota average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 24% of adults binge drink in Burlington, above both the North Dakota town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (16%). 40% of Burlington adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Burlington | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 73% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.8% | 8.9% | 12% |
| What stands out | Burlington | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.3% | 6.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8% | 10.8% |
| More adults sleeping under 7 hours | 40.1% | 32.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the United 7 school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington-Des Lacs Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 415 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 22 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Burlington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Burlington for work: only 0% work in town. 3% of residents live below the poverty line in Burlington. Only 2 of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare have a higher average trip to work than Burlington.
| Burlington | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 9.8% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Burlington has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. The July high in Burlington is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Burlington's reported crime rate is well below North Dakota's. Burlington’s property crime rate is 3.9 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Burlington | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 18.7 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.8 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
| Burlington | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Burlington home is worth about $290,000, up 4% in a year, close to the North Dakota typical home.
| Burlington | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 57% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,144 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Burlington
About 5 of every 100 Burlington residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
City in North Dakota, United States
Burlington is a city in Ward County, North Dakota, United States. It was founded in 1883, the third in a series that included two earlier settlements. Despite this, Burlington is still the oldest city in Ward County, as well as north-western and north central North Dakota. On February 28, 1884, as it was the only city in the then-newly formed Imperial Ward County (now split into Ward, Renville, Mountrail, and Burke counties), it was made the county seat, a position it held until 1888. The population was 1,291 at the 2020 census. Burlington is part of the Minot metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
22% more nonprofits per person than the typical North Dakota town.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.