Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Devils Lake gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $242K for a typical one, or 4 years of the county’s $61K median household income. It grades C overall, 21st of 23 graded towns in North Dakota. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 78% of the state's, and the median household income is $43K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. 53% of working residents work locally in Devils Lake, above both North Dakota’s towns (38%) and U.S. towns (8%). Devils Lake has 13 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them US Post Office and Courthouse and St. Mary's Academy. Of the 20 North Dakota towns we compare, none has a lower rent at the middle of the market than Devils Lake.
Where Devils Lake beats most towns.
Census counts: 846 in 1890, 7,192 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 2 maps from 1931 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far Devils Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Devils Lake, 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 Devils Lake.
Devils Lake is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has colder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has poverty well above the North Dakota rate.
Of its 9 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. Public schools: the Devils Lake 1 school district. The 4 public schools in Devils Lake teach 714 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 536 | C |
| Devils Lake High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 552 | D |
| Sweetwater Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 1–2 | Grades 1–2 | 269 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
Devils Lake’s FEMA risk score comes in at 23 of 100. It has had 38 paid flood insurance claims since 1996. Expected losses in Devils Lake break down as 38% from cold waves and 20% from inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Devils Lake after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2011.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average -2.1°, colder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 79.6°.
Expect cold winters and pleasant summers locally, with very little rain. Devils Lake’s January low stands at -2°F.
| Devils Lake | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | -2°F | 2°F | 22°F |
| July high | 80°F | 83°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 3,401 U.S. towns with household incomes like Devils Lake’s, it is healthier than 85%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Devils Lake, 42% have obesity. Only 2 of the 23 North Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Devils Lake. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Devils Lake is ahead of North Dakota on 2 and behind on 17.
| Devils Lake | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 22% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 8.9% | 12% |
| What stands out | Devils Lake | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 17.6% | 21.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.2% | 76.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.2% | 10.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For half of commuters, work is under 2 miles away. In Devils Lake, the average trip to work is 12 minutes. The top destinations are Fargo (5%), Grand Forks (4%) and Bismarck (4%).
| Devils Lake | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 12 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Devils Lake, nearly two in five households live in a home they own. Values rose 7.4% in the 12 months to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among 17 North Dakota towns, just one has a higher property offense rate than Devils Lake. Devils Lake's reported crime rate is well above North Dakota's. Its level of violent crime comes in at 4.9 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Devils Lake | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 40.6 per 1,000 residents | 19.2 | 14.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.4 | 1.9 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 1.9 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Roosevelt Park, at 38 acres. Only one of the 23 North Dakota towns we compare has a lower trail network density than Devils Lake.
| Devils Lake | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 2.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Roosevelt Park | 0.4 mi | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Devils Lake
About 3 of every 100 Devils Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
13 places in Devils Lake on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Devils Lake.
City in North Dakota, United States
Devils Lake is a city in and the county seat of Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 7,192 as of the 2020 census and was estimated at 7,333 in 2025. It is named after the nearby lake called Devils Lake. The first house built by a Euro-American settler was in 1882. It was surveyed in 1883 and named Creelsburg and later Creel City, after the surveyor, Heber M. Creel. In 1884 it was renamed Devils Lake. The local paper is the Devils Lake Journal. Devils Lake Regional Airport serves the city. Devils Lake is home to Lake Region State College and the North Dakota School for the Deaf.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Devils Lake.
| Town | ND rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devils Lake | #21 | C | B+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Creel Township | — | — | B− | — | C− | C+ |
| North Creel Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Creel Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Devils Lake and Creel Township report no FBI crime data of their own. North Creel Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Devils Lake with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Devils Lake grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #21 of 23 in North Dakota. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
19 notable people were born here, including William L. Guy and Phyllis Frelich.
