Dunseith, 2009
Dunseith’s story
144 years in pictures
Census counts: 473 in 1910, a peak of 1,017 in 1960, 632 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 2 maps from 1939 on.
- 1882Dunseith is platted
DunseithND
A town of 606, platted in 1882.
Photo: In memoriam afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
606
2025 Census estimate · −4.9% since 2020
Household income
$51K
median
Median age
36.4
years
Jobs based here
394
A job hub
Is Dunseith a good place to live?
Dunseith has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Dunseith stand out
Where Dunseith beats most towns.
Small town
606 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Dunseith: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dunseith, and how to reach them.
PowerOtter Tail Power11.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Dunseith water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Dunseith’s trash rules yet
Register to voteNot requiredNorth Dakota has no voter registration: you show ID at the polls.vote.govWho runs elections hereRolette County AuditorRolette County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code5832958329 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Jul 30, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Dunseith.
Work & commute
With 2.3 jobs for every working resident, Dunseith draws in 369 commuters
Dunseith’s average commute is 20 minutes, against 16 minutes in North Dakota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Most people who work leave Dunseith to do it: just 14% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 66, to 394. The median household income here is $51,000.
14%work in town
| Dunseith | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 39% | 8% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.8% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Dunseith14%
Belcourt31%
Rolla9%
Grand Forks3%
Bismarck2%
15 mi
median commute distance
394
jobs based in Dunseith
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Dunseith’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Dunseith 1 school district. The 2 public schools in Dunseith teach 514 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunseith Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 236 | D− |
| Dunseith High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 278 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Dunseith is wildfire, at a low overall level
Federal aid has come to Dunseith households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2009. On expected storm and flood damage, Dunseith sits below nearly three quarters of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Dunseith break down as 35% from wildfires and 33% from cold waves.
26risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
WildfireCold wavesInland flooding
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Dunseith stands out in North Dakota and nationally: a typical July afternoon there is cooler
The seasons in Dunseith: cold, snowy winters, pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to -4° and about 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
50″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter-1–19°
Spring26–49°
Summer52–77°
Fall29–51°
Sep 25
typical first frost
May 15
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Crime reported in Dunseith
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown. 17 crimes were reported in Dunseith in 2023: 14 property and 3 violent.
Dunseith is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
3
violent crimes reported in 2023
14
property crimes reported in 2023
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Health
Compared with most of North Dakota and the rest of the country, more of Dunseith’s adults report frequent physical distress
Dunseith: just over two in five adults have high blood pressure. No town among the 24 in North Dakota we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Dunseith. Two figures for adults here: 27% smoke cigarettes, 51% have obesity. Among 24 North Dakota towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Dunseith.
| Dunseith | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 16% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 8.9% | 12% |
32 measures vs. North Dakota
2 better6 too close to call24 worse
| What stands out | Dunseith | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 17.2% | 21.3% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 8.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 32.2% | 10.8% |
P H S Indian Hospital at Belcourt-Quentin N Burdick
13 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 636 acres
1.8 mi
of trails · 1.8 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Dunseith
19pages on Dunseith
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dunseith
About 2 of every 100 Dunseith residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
A job hub
Every workday, about 369 people come to Dunseith for work
Where Dunseith’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
394jobs based in Dunseith
14%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Dunseith
City in North Dakota, United States
Dunseith ( dun-SEETH) is a city in Rolette County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 632 at the 2020 census. Dunseith is best known for its proximity to the International Peace Garden. The port of entry at the Peace Garden is one of three 24-hour ports in North Dakota (the others being Portal and Pembina). Dunseith is also the home of the world's largest turtle sculpture, the "W'eel Turtle", made of more than 2,000 wheels painted green.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1884
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,706 ft
- ZIP code
- 58329
- Area code
- 701
Questions about Dunseith
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dunseith, ND a good place to live?
Dunseith has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.