Forbes, 2009
Forbes’s story
121 years in pictures
Census counts: 221 in 1910, a peak of 293 in 1920, 36 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
- 1905Forbes is settled
ForbesND
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
36
2025 Census estimate · −2.7% since 2020
Household income
$102K
median
Median age
44.5
years
Land area
0 sq mi
Is Forbes a good place to live?
Forbes has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Forbes stand out
Where Forbes beats most towns.
Small town
36 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Lorraine TownshipForbes
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Forbes: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Forbes, and how to reach them.
PowerMontana-Dakota Utilities11.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSoutheast Wud (West) water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Forbes’ trash rules yet
Register to voteNot requiredNorth Dakota has no voter registration: you show ID at the polls.vote.govWho runs elections hereDickey County AuditorDickey County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2022
ZIP code5843958439 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 Forbes.
Natural hazards
Top of a low hazard risk in Forbes: cold waves
Forbes’ FEMA risk score is 32 of 100, against 40 of 100 in North Dakota’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. FEMA puts half of the town’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 16% to hail. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Forbes after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2009.
32risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesHailInland flooding
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Forbes, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Summer afternoons peak near 82° in July, and January nights bottom out around 3°; snowfall runs to about 39 inches a winter. The seasons in Forbes: cold, snowy winters, pleasant summers, with very little rain.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter6–24°
Spring31–53°
Summer56–80°
Fall33–56°
Oct 2
typical first frost
May 4
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Forbes is
Against the North Dakota average, Forbes comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 7. Among adults locally, 19% binge drink. 31% of Forbes adults sleep under 7 hours, where North Dakota’s towns sit at 33% and U.S. towns at 36%.
| Forbes | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. North Dakota
1 better24 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Forbes | ND |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 69.6% | 64.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.6% | 5.9% |
Ashley Medical Center
29.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Forbes
15pages on Forbes
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Forbes
About 0 of every 100 Forbes residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
About Forbes
City in North Dakota, United States
Forbes is a city in Dickey County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 36 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1905
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,562 ft
- ZIP code
- 58439
- Area code
- 701
Questions about Forbes
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Forbes, ND a good place to live?
Forbes has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.