Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 392, settled in 1896.
17% of the land in Finley is conserved, above both North Dakota’s towns (2.8%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Steele County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Finley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 516 in 1910, a peak of 809 in 1970, 401 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1976 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Finley, 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 Finley.
People 65 and older are 35% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (25% statewide). Among 24 North Dakota towns, just one has a lower share of children under 18 than Finley. This North Dakota town is shrinking: down 2% since 2020, to 392 residents (2025 estimate). College graduates make up just over a third of adults 25 and older, against 33% across North Dakota.
| Finley | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.6 years | 33.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 16% | 26% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 30% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.2 points. Across North Dakota, 48.8% of residents are women.
| Finley | ND | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.2% | 13% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.3% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.6% | 11.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.8% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14% | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.3% | 11.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.7% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 28.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.6% | 25.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.5% | 14% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.6% | 23% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 2.7% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points
The public schools here belong to the Finley-Sharon 19 school district. Its two schools are below. 2 public schools serve Finley, with 101 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finley-Sharon Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 66 | A |
| Finley-Sharon High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 35 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Finley’s trail density comes in at 0.3 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Finley has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to -2° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Finley, the typical journey to work is 13 minutes. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 15% of working residents work locally. Jobs based here fell to 183 in 2023, 70 fewer than in 2013. 16% of residents live below the poverty line here.
| Finley | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 39% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 9.8% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A tenth of Finley adults worry about having enough food. The town beats the North Dakota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. Only one of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Finley. Two figures for adults here: 28% feel lonely, 14% report frequent mental distress.
| Finley | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Finley | ND |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.4% | 76.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.8% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On expected storm and flood damage, Finley sits below 52% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Finley households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2009. Expected losses in Finley break down as 34% from strong winds and 22% from cold waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Finley; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Finley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
City in North Dakota, United States
Finley is a city in Steele County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Steele County. The population was 401 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 391 in 2024. Finley was founded in 1897.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Finley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.