Horace High School, 2024
Horace’s story
151 years in pictures
Census counts: 190 in 1950, 3,085 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2024 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
- 1875Horace is settled
Photo: Billybob2002 · CC BY 4.0
Population
7,001
2025 Census estimate · +118.4% since 2020
Typical home
$416K
+3.7% in a year
Household income
$139K
median
Median age
33.9
years
Jobs based here
535
A commuter town
TownGrade
B
#11 of 23 in ND
Is Horace a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Horace grades B overall, 11th among North Dakota's 23 graded towns. The median household earns $139K. It is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $416K for a typical one and 5.4 times the Fargo metro’s $77K median household income. Horace’s median rent is $2,146 a month, above both North Dakota’s towns ($973 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Of the 17 North Dakota towns we compare, none has a higher typical home value than Horace. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 79% of U.S. towns.
What makes Horace stand out
Where Horace beats most towns.
A growing town
Horace has grown 177% since 2010
2,430 counted in 2010 and 3,085 in 2020; an estimated 7,001 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 118.4% since 2020, after 27% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Horace grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far Horace is from typical.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →HealthEssentia Health 4.2 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.8 of 20; 1.2% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 40% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3 miles of trails; 0% conserved landCOpen →HistoryC−Open →Civic life6.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 33.9; 45% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Horace: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Horace, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy13.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Horace water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpCity of Horace cardboard recycling centerHire your ownTown site
Register to voteNot requiredNorth Dakota has no voter registration: you show ID at the polls.vote.govWho runs elections hereCass County AuditorCass County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code5804758047 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 Horace.
Horace has colder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, has less tooth loss than most of North Dakota and sends most of its workers to Fargo and beyond.
HealthA
A smaller share of adults in Horace get no exercise outside work than in the typical North Dakota or U.S. town
Its widest gap with North Dakota is tooth loss: 6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.8% statewide. Against the 3,698 U.S. towns with household incomes like Horace’s, it is healthier than 78%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
16% of Horace adults get no exercise outside work. No town among the 23 in North Dakota we compare has a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Horace. 31% of Horace adults sleep under 7 hours.
93%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Horace | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 22% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 23% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 11% | 14% |
32 measures vs. North Dakota
18 better14 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Horace | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6% | 10.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.1% | 10.7% |
Essentia Health
4.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
93rd
percentile among ND towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB−
Horace’s public schools outperform 50% of North Dakota districts
Its public schools are run by the West Fargo 6 school district. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Horace High School, with 785 students.
50%of ND districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 799 | B+ |
| Horace High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 785 | – |
| Horace Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 548 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade C−
For cost of living, Horace earns a C−
The median property tax bill is $4,807, against $2,468 across North Dakota, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
94% of households own their home in Horace. The typical Horace home is worth about $416,000, up 3.7% in a year, 43% above the North Dakota typical home.
$416KZillow home value
Typical home value
Horace$416K
North Dakota$291K
+3.7%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
About two in three of Horace’s working residents commute to Fargo
Horace has 535 jobs for its 2,420 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 29.4 minutes, against 17.9 across North Dakota.
Most working residents leave Horace for work: only 4% work in town. Horace’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. Since 2013, Horace has added 363 jobs, to 535 in 2023.
4%work in town
| Horace | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $139,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 39% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Horace4%
Fargo64%
West Fargo15%
Moorhead5%
Grand Forks1%
8 mi
median commute distance
535
jobs based in Horace
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 21% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Horace
January nights average 0.2°, colder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 82.2°. The Fargo Hector Intl Ap weather station, 13 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 143 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 86% of North Dakota places with climate records.
Horace has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Horace is 82°F. About 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
51″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter4–22°
Spring32–53°
Summer57–80°
Fall35–56°
Sep 30
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Horace faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Horace.
40risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
24
paid flood claims since 1978
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC
Horace has set aside 0.2% of its land for conservation
3.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. No town among the 23 in North Dakota we compare has a lower trail density than Horace.
0.2%conserved
| Horace | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
0.2%
conserved · 14 of 8,056 acres
3.0 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Freed Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Independence Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 9 attractions →Fargodome and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Horace. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Stadium & arenaFargodome
10 mi MuseumPlains Art Museum
7 mi Zoo & aquariumRed River Zoo
12 mi MuseumFargo Air Museum
8 mi MuseumBonanzaville, USA
10 mi MuseumRourke Art MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Fargodome: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 · Plains Art Museum: AJ LEON, CC BY 2.0 · Red River Zoo: BrielleMary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fargo Air Museum: Fargo-Moorhead CVB, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bonanzaville, USA: Fargo-Moorhead CVB, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Rourke Art Museum: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Horace
18pages on Horace
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Horace
Rasmussen University-North DakotaUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Fargo7 mi$13,957 tuitionConcordia College at MoorheadUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Moorhead, MN10 mi$31,170 tuitionMinnesota State University MoorheadUniversity or college · Public · Moorhead, MN10.5 mi$10,428 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Horace residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Horace for work
Where Horace’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
535jobs based in Horace
4%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Horace
City in North Dakota, United States
Horace is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is approximately 5–8 miles south of the city of West Fargo and about 8 miles away from Fargo. The population was 3,085 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 6,286 in 2024. In 2026, it is now 7,804. In fact, Horace is one of North Dakota's Fastest growing cities in the state. The city is a suburb of the Fargo–Moorhead metropolitan area. It is the 13th-most populous city in North Dakota. Horace was founded in 1882 at a time of widespread European-American settlement in the territory.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1882
- Area
- 11 sq mi
- Elevation
- 915 ft
- ZIP code
- 58047
- Area code
- 701
Horace’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Horace.
Stanley TownshipFargoWarren TownshipPleasant TownshipNormanna TownshipWest FargoHorace
How the neighbors grade
| Town | ND rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horace | #11 | B | C− | — | B− | A |
| Stanley Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fargo | #18 | C+ | C+ | D | B− | A |
| Warren Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pleasant Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Normanna Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Fargo | #7 | B+ | C | B− | B− | A |
Horace reports no FBI crime data of its own. Stanley Township, Warren Township, Pleasant Township and Normanna Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Horace with a neighbor →
Questions about Horace
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Horace, ND a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Horace grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #11 of 23 in North Dakota. It grades A for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Horace, ND expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.