Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Jamestown grades C+ overall, 16th of 23 graded towns in North Dakota, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the median household income is $57K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. 57% of working residents work locally in Jamestown, against 38% in North Dakota’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Jamestown is home to University of Jamestown. Only 1 of the 23 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than Jamestown.
Where Jamestown beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| William S Gussner Elementary School | PK–5 | 239 |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | K–5 | 216 |
| Lincoln Elementary School | K–5 | 179 |
Stutsman County Courthouse and Sheriff's Residence/Jail
Census counts: 393 in 1880, 15,849 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1883 and 4 maps from 1951 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far Jamestown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jamestown, 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 Jamestown.
Jamestown fares better on crime within North Dakota than nationally, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has colder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
9.7 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is McElroy Park, at 61 acres.
| Jamestown | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McElroy Park | 0.2 mi | 61 |
| 2. Meidinger Park | — | 24 |
| 3. Anton Klaus Park | — | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Jamestown 1 school district. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamestown Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 466 | B+ |
| Jamestown High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 722 | B |
| William S Gussner Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 239 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
54.2% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 38.9% across North Dakota.
The typical Jamestown home is worth about $215,000, up 4.6% in a year, 26% below the North Dakota typical home. The median rent in Jamestown is $773 a month.
| Jamestown | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $773 a month | $980 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 0.6°, colder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 81.5°. The Jamestown State Hosp weather station 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.
Jamestown has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Jamestown’s January low is 1°F. About 46 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Jamestown | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 1°F | 2°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 83°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 7,163 working residents takes 10.9 minutes, against 17.9 across North Dakota.
Only 2 of the 23 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Jamestown. Jobs based in Jamestown fell to 7,561 in 2023, 582 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Fargo (8%), Bismarck (5%) and Fried Township (4%).
| Jamestown | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5% | 5.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 17% of residents (24% statewide). 20% of Jamestown residents are 65 or older. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across North Dakota.
| Jamestown | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 13% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.7 years | 33.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 30% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.1 points. Across North Dakota, 48.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.6, men 38.7.
| Jamestown | ND | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8% | 13% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.4% | 11.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.5% | 11.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38% | 25.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.5% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 14% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.9% | 23% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 20.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 60% of North Dakota’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 325 to 235 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 7,893 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jamestown’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Jamestown beats the North Dakota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 21% of adults binge drink in Jamestown. Among 23 North Dakota towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Jamestown.
| Jamestown | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 22% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 74% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Jamestown | ND |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.2% | 10.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.5% | 5.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 13% | 10.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 64 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jamestown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Jamestown
About 10 of every 100 Jamestown residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
9 places in Jamestown on the National Register of Historic Places.
39 notable people were born in Jamestown.
City in North Dakota, United States
Jamestown is a city in and the county seat of Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 15,849 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 15,688 in 2025, making it the ninth-most populous city in North Dakota. Home to the University of Jamestown.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Jamestown.
| Town | ND rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamestown | #16 | C+ | C+ | B− | B+ | B− |
| Bloom Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Woodbury Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Midway Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Homer Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Bloom Township, Woodbury Township, Midway Township and Homer Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jamestown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jamestown grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #16 of 23 in North Dakota. It grades B− for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($61,856 across the Jamestown, ND 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+.
39 notable people were born here, including Peggy Lee and Louis L'Amour.
