Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Baldwin's Arcade is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hope has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Hope beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 238 in 1890, a peak of 909 in 1910, 272 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hope, 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 Hope.
North Dakota has a third of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 34%. Hope has grown 2.2% since 2020, to 278 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Its age of the median resident is 40.4 years, where North Dakota’s towns sit at 33.9 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years.
| Hope | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 13% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.4 years | 33.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 30% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.4 points. Across North Dakota, 48.8% of residents are women.
| Hope | ND | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.5% | 13% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 11.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.6% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5% | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 11.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.3% | 25.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.4% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.4% | 14% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.5% | 23% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.3% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
The Hope-Page 85 school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. 65 students attend the town’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hope Page High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 65 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
The town’s typical July afternoon high is 80°F, below both the North Dakota town median (82°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute in Hope is 18 minutes. Most people who work leave Hope to do it: just 11% work in town. Only 2 of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower middle household income than Hope. The top destinations are Fargo (13%), Finley (11%) and Golden Lake Township (11%).
| Hope | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 39% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Nearly a fifth of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Hope. Among 24 North Dakota towns, just one has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Hope. Two figures for adults here: 13% report frequent mental distress, 27% feel lonely. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Hope is ahead of North Dakota on 3 and behind on 8.
| Hope | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 22% | 16% |
| What stands out | Hope | ND |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 72% | 64.9% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.1% | 76.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected losses in Hope break down as 34% from strong winds and 22% from cold waves. On expected storm and flood damage, Hope sits below 52% of U.S. communities. One declared disaster, in 2009, has brought federal aid to Hope households.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Hope; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Hope residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
City in North Dakota, United States
Hope is a city in Steele County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 272 at the 2020 census. Hope was founded in 1881.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hope has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
