Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mandan grades C+ overall, 17th of 23 graded towns in North Dakota, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 78% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 83% of U.S. towns, with 71 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2024. Mandan’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, against 0.7 in North Dakota’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Mandan has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Lewis and Clark Hotel and Sunnyside Farm Barn. Only 1 of the 15 North Dakota towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Mandan.
Where Mandan beats most towns.
18,331 counted in 2010 and 24,206 in 2020; an estimated 25,061 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far Mandan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 239 in 1880, 24,206 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1883 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mandan, 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 Mandan.
Mandan has more trail for its size than nearly any town in North Dakota and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of North Dakota; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Dakota (mostly inland flooding).
At 1.6 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #2 of 22 North Dakota towns.
21 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lions Park, at 41 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lions Park | 0.8 mi | 41 |
| 2. Missouri River Natural Area | 0.4 mi | 9 |
| 3. Kiwanis Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Mandan 1 school district. Three of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandan Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,003 | C+ |
| Mandan High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,175 | C |
| Red Trail Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 438 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 971 to 563 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Mandan reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 83% report less. At 2.9 per 1,000 residents, Mandan’s violent crime rate is where North Dakota’s towns sit at 2.6 and U.S. towns at 1.7.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
22% of adults binge drink in Mandan. Mandan beats the North Dakota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 29% of adults feel lonely in Mandan.
| Mandan | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 22% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 73% | 79% |
| What stands out | Mandan | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.1% | 10.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 77% of North Dakota towns, with expected losses of about $126 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Mandan’s FEMA risk score is 72 of 100. Since 1978, 109 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mandan.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 3°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 90% of North Dakota places with climate records; July afternoons average 83.6°.
Mandan has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. The January low in Mandan is 3°F. About 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Mandan | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 3°F | 1°F | 22°F |
| July high | 84°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Mandan home is worth about $349,000, up 5.1% in a year, 20% above the North Dakota typical home. 69% of Mandan households own their home.
| Mandan | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 56% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,083 a month | $973 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
About one in 4 of Mandan’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Mandan grew to 8,749 in 2023, 1,256 more than in 2013. Only 2 of the 23 North Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Mandan.
| Mandan | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 39% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 11% | 5.5% | 11% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mandan has grown 3.6% since 2020, to 25,061 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across North Dakota.
| Mandan | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 22% | 27% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.1 years | 33.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 13% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.3 points. Across North Dakota, 48.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.6, men 35.7.
| Mandan | ND | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.3% | 13% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.3% | 11.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 11.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.9% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.4% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28% | 25.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.8% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 14% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.2% | 23% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
3 within 15 miles of the center of Mandan
About 5 of every 100 Mandan residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
3.2% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
5 places in Mandan on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Mandan.
Morton County Seat
Mandan is a city on the eastern border of Morton County, North Dakota, United States. Founded in 1879 on the west side of the upper Missouri River, it was designated in 1881 as the county seat of Morton County. The population was 24,206 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 25,061 in 2025, making it the eighth-most populous city in North Dakota. Across the Missouri River from Bismarck. Mandan is a core city of the Bismarck metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Mandan.
| Town | ND rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandan | #17 | C+ | B | C− | C+ | A− |
| Captain's Landing Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Captain's Landing Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Mandan with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mandan grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #17 of 23 in North Dakota. It grades A− for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($85,156 across the Bismarck, ND metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
10 notable people were born here, including George F. Shafer and Victor Steinbrueck.
