Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,041, settled in 1898.
The best of Linton’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and schools and an A for walkability; the weakest is a D for incomes. 38% of residents are 65 or older in Linton, where North Dakota’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 1 of North Dakota’s 68 towns score higher on cost of living. Linton’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile, against 0.7 in North Dakota’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 5 of North Dakota’s 69 towns do worse. Linton has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Emmons County Courthouse and Willows Hotel. Linton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Linton beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Linton Elementary School | PK–8 | 172 |
| Linton High School | 9–12 | 73 |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far Linton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 644 in 1910, a peak of 1,826 in 1960, 1,071 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and a map from 1980 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Linton, 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 Linton.
Its public schools are run by the Linton 36 school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 172 | A |
| Linton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 73 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
The median age in Linton is 57.2 years. Only 1 of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than Linton. Linton has lost 2.5% of its people since 2020, down to 1,041 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Linton | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 57.2 years | 33.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 26% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across North Dakota, 48.8% of residents are women.
| Linton | ND | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.6% | 13% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.8% | 11.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.3% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 11.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.4% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 21.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17.9% | 6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.1% | 25.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.1% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 14% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.8% | 23% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.8% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
Linton’s median rent is $533 a month. Typical home values rose 21% in the year to September 2026. 68% of Linton households own their home.
| Linton | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $533 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 57% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Linton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 2° and about 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 5 of Linton’s working residents works in town. Only 1 of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower median household income than Linton. The top destinations are Bismarck (17%), Strasburg (7%) and Hazelton (6%).
| Linton | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 39% | 8% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 57 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Linton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Linton beats the North Dakota average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 42% of adults have high blood pressure in Linton. Of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Linton.
| Linton | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 8.9% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 33% |
| What stands out | Linton | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 16.6% | 21.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.5% | 76.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.9% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Linton; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Linton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
2 places in Linton on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Linton.
City in North Dakota, United States
Linton is a city in and the county seat of Emmons County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,071 at the 2020 census. When compared with the other 356 cities in North Dakota, Linton ranks in the top twelve percent based on the number of its residents. The city serves as a governmental, commercial and business hub for Emmons County. A nearby historic site listed on the National Register of Historic Places is Sacred Heart Cemetery, Wrought-Iron Cross Site, in or near Linton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
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+.
4 notable people were born here, including Austin Vetter and Arlis Perry.
