Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,648, settled in 1880. A typical home costs 3 years of the county’s $87K median household income.
The best of Hillsboro’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for health and walkability. Only 4 of North Dakota’s 68 towns score higher on cost of living. Hillsboro's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns. Hillsboro has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Traill County Courthouse and Amos and Lillie Plummer House. Hillsboro has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Hillsboro beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Hillsboro | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.5% | 10.8% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far Hillsboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 715 in 1890, 1,649 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 4 maps from 1918 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro.
27% of Hillsboro adults feel lonely, against 29% in North Dakota’s towns and 33% across U.S. towns. 13% of Hillsboro adults report frequent mental distress. Hillsboro beats the North Dakota average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Hillsboro | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 22% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Hillsboro | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.5% | 10.8% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.3% | 6.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hillsboro 9 school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 254 | B |
| Hillsboro High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 235 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
Hillsboro has cold winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Hillsboro’s July high is 81°F, where North Dakota’s towns sit at 82°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (25% statewide); people 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide). 37% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Hillsboro.
| Hillsboro | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 13% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 30% | 29% |
| Median age | 40.3 years | 33.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 26% | 22% |
46% women, 54% men
About 117 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.8 points). Across North Dakota, 48.8% of residents are women.
| Hillsboro | ND | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.1% | 13% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 11.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.1% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 11.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.9% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.4% | 25.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.5% | 14% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.5% | 23% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.9% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,600, single groups can be off by several points
About one in 3 of Hillsboro’s working residents works in town. Hillsboro’s average trip to work is 15 minutes. Jobs based in Hillsboro grew to 633 in 2023, 163 more than in 2013.
| Hillsboro | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 39% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 9.8% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 6.6% | 5.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median rent in Hillsboro is $639 a month. Typical home values rose 7.8% in the year to September 2026.
| Hillsboro | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $639 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 57% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Woodland Park, at 26 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Woodland Park | — | 26 |
| 2. Railroad Park | — | 1 |
| 3. Land for a future park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hillsboro.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hillsboro
About 4 of every 100 Hillsboro residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
2 places in Hillsboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in North Dakota, United States
Hillsboro is a city in Traill County, North Dakota. It is the county seat of Traill County. The population was 1,649 at the 2020 census. Hillsboro was founded in 1881. Hillsboro is approximately 10 miles away from the Red River/North Dakota-Minnesota border. Hillsboro sits in the fertile Red River Valley. Local agriculture has dominated the area's economy from the beginning. With its location on Interstate 29, halfway between the two metropolitan centers of Greater Grand Forks and Fargo–Moorhead, Hillsboro has seen steady population growth in recent years and has become somewhat of a bedroom community.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Hillsboro.
| Town | ND rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro · Hillsboro Township | — | — | A+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Eldorado Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hillsboro has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Hillsboro reports no FBI crime data of its own. Eldorado Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Hillsboro Township and Hillsboro are one community, graded once. Compare Hillsboro with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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 A+.
