Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Grand Forks grades C+ overall, 19th of 23 graded towns in North Dakota, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 76% of U.S. towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 79% of U.S. towns, including 211 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2024. 70% of working residents work locally in Grand Forks, above both the North Dakota town median (38%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Hariman Sanatorium and Oxford House. Only 6 of North Dakota’s 68 towns score lower on cost of living.
Where Grand Forks beats most towns.
Its 63 National Register listings are more than in any other North Dakota town with a listing.
Census counts: 1,705 in 1880, 59,166 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1934 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far Grand Forks is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grand Forks, 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 Grand Forks.
Grand Forks is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has colder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
24 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lincoln Drive Park, at 125 acres. Grand Forks’ trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Grand Forks | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 2.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | 1.9 mi | 71 |
| 2. Lincoln Drive Park | 0.5 mi | 125 |
| 3. Grand Forks Greenway | 0.4 mi | 67 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Grand Forks 1 school district. Three of its 21 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schroeder Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 569 | B |
| Red River High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,190 | B+ |
| J Nelson Kelly Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 482 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
At 34.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 67% of North Dakota’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 1,645 to 1,367 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Grand Forks is 22.8 per 1,000 residents. Grand Forks reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 79% report less. The violent crime rate in Grand Forks is 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Grand Forks | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 22.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.1 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Against the 9,670 U.S. towns with household incomes like Grand Forks’s, it is healthier than 95%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
24% of adults binge drink in Grand Forks. Grand Forks beats the North Dakota average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 73% of adults had a checkup this year in Grand Forks.
| Grand Forks | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 74% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Grand Forks | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 8.2% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.1% | 6.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 8.4% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
20.1% of residents are enrolled in college, against 7.6% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
Adults 18 to 34 are 39% of residents (25% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 28% of residents (35% statewide). 19% of Grand Forks residents are under 18. Grand Forks has grown 2% since 2020, to 60,365 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Grand Forks | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 29.6 years | 34.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 27% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 30% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 13% | 18% |
48.3% women, 51.7% men
About 107 men for every 100 women. Across North Dakota, 48.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 30.6, men 29.0.
| Grand Forks | ND | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 13% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 22.1% | 11.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.5% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.2% | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.5% | 11.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.2% | 25.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.6% | 14% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.5% | 23% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.5% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
January nights average -1.9°, colder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 81.1°. The Grand Forks Univ (nws) weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 144 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 87% of North Dakota places with climate records.
Grand Forks has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Only 2 of the 23 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower July high than Grand Forks. About 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Grand Forks | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | -2°F | 2°F | 22°F |
| July high | 81°F | 83°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2,466 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 28 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 2,466 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Grand Forks.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The top destinations are Fargo (6%), East Grand Forks (4%) and Bismarck (2%). Half commute less than 3 miles.
| Grand Forks | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 9.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.5% | 5.5% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Grand Forks home is worth about $305,000, up 7.6% in a year, close to the North Dakota typical home.
| Grand Forks | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 59% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 45% | 40% | 48% |
| Median rent | $980 a month | $973 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Grand Forks
College town 20 of every 100 Grand Forks residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
63 places in Grand Forks on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in North Dakota, United States
Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 59,166 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 59,845 in 2024, making it the state's third-most populous city, after Fargo and Bismarck. Grand Forks, along with its twin city of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, forms the center of the Grand Forks metropolitan statistical area, which is often called Greater Grand Forks or the Grand Cities. Located on the western banks of the north-flowing Red River of the North, in a flat region known as the Red River Valley, the city is prone to flooding. The 1997 Red River flood devastated the city. Originally called Les Grandes Fourches by f…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Grand Forks.
| Town | ND rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Forks · Grand Forks Township | #19 | C+ | C | C− | C+ | A− |
| Rye Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Falconer Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brenna Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Rye Township, Falconer Township and Brenna Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Grand Forks Township and Grand Forks are one community, graded once. Compare Grand Forks with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Grand Forks grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #19 of 23 in North Dakota. It grades A− for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($69,836 across the Grand Forks, ND-MN metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
