Max: 89% of households own their home. The typical Max home is worth about $179,000, about the same as a year ago, 38% below the North Dakota typical home.

$179KZillow home value

	Max	North Dakota towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	89%	57%	73%
Median rent	$633 a month	$977 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Max$179K

North Dakota$291K

−0.4%

value change, 1 year

Full pageMax’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsAbout the same as a year ago Years of income to buyA typical home costs 2.2 years of income Rents$633 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Who lives here

Fewer adults under 35 in Max than across North Dakota

Max has lost 3% of its people since 2020, down to 321 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Adults 18 to 34 are just over one in ten residents (25% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 49% of residents (35% statewide). Also worth knowing: among residents in the town, 30% are under 18, against 26% in North Dakota’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Only one of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare has a higher age of the median resident than Max.

41.5median age · ND 35.9

	Max	North Dakota towns	U.S. towns
Under 18	30%	26%	22%
Median age	41.5 years	33.9 years	40.5 years

MaxNorth DakotaUnited States

NDU.S.

Ages · share of residents

23%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma1%

High school34%

Some college25%

Associate’s12%

Bachelor’s27%

Graduate1%

Women and men · all residents

51% women, 49% men

That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.7 points. Across North Dakota, 48.8% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Max
	Max	ND	U.S.
Under 10	19%	13%	11.6%
10 to 17	11.5%	10.5%	10.3%
18 to 24	7%	11.1%	9.1%
25 to 34	4.2%	14.2%	13.7%
35 to 44	13.1%	13.2%	13.2%
45 to 54	22.9%	10.1%	12.2%
55 to 64	12.6%	11.4%	12.7%
65 to 74	5.3%	9.6%	10.2%
75 and older	4.5%	7%	7%
No diploma	1.3%	6%	10.4%
High school	34.4%	25.5%	26%
Some college	24.6%	21.8%	19.1%
Associate’s	11.6%	14%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	27.2%	23%	21.6%
Graduate	0.9%	9.7%	14.1%

Full pageMax by the numbersOpen the page

Ages41.5 median age · 10% are 65 or older Schooling28% have a four-year degree Homes89% own their home · Homeowners Income$80K a year · Median household income

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

Work & commute

The average trip to work in Max is longer than in the typical North Dakota or U.S. town

Since 2013, Max has added 47 jobs, to 71 in 2023. 1.8% of working residents work locally in the town. Among residents in the town, 1.4% live below the poverty line, below both the North Dakota town median (9.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The top destinations are Garrison (21%), Minot (14%) and Bismarck (10%).

2%work in town

	Max	North Dakota towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	32 minutes	16 minutes	25 minutes
Working residents who work in town	1.8%	39%	8%
Below the poverty line	1.4%	9.8%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Max2%

Garrison21%

Minot14%

Bismarck10%

Turtle Lake8%

28 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Max

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageMax’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here71 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work2% work in Max Commute times32 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 28 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazards

Top of a low hazard risk in Max: cold waves

Federal disaster aid has reached households in Max after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. Compared with 77% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower. The national flood insurance program has paid 3 claims in the town since 1997. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 33% come from cold waves and 30% from inland flooding.

23risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Cold wavesInland floodingHail

paid flood claims since 1997

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageMax’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesLow risk Flood claims3 paid flood claims · Since 1997 Past disasters5 federal disasters · Paid out in Max Get ready19 events a year, on average · Ready for cold waves

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

The climate in Max brings snowy winters and pleasant summers

In Max, the typical July afternoon high is 81°F.

49″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter5–22°

Spring29–51°

Summer54–78°

Fall32–53°

Sep 28

typical first frost

May 10

typical last frost

+1.3°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageMax’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 81°, January lows 2°Rain & snow49″ of snow a winter · 18 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.3° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Max is

Two figures for adults in Max: 41% have obesity, 75% had a checkup this year. The town tracks North Dakota closely on all 32 CDC measures. The share of adults in Max who binge drink: 21%.

	Max	North Dakota towns	U.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	21%	22%	16%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	41%	37%	35%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	75%	73%	79%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	15%	15%	17%

32 measures vs. North Dakota

0 better32 too close to call0 worse

Garrison Memorial Hospital

13.1 mi away · emergency room

2 of 3

care shortages: dental, mental health

Full pageMax’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby13.1 miles to an ER · Garrison Memorial Hospital How adults are doingMore adults lacking emotional support Every CDC estimateBetter than ND on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Max

17pages on Max

The big questions

HealthBetter than ND on 0 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$179K typical home · down 0.4% in a year Work & commute$80K median household income · 71 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 23% of U.S. communities · cold waves

Out and about

PlacesAttractions7 nearby · Lake Sakakawea 23 mi Library4.8 library visits per resident Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1904 Famous people2 born in Max Town Hall & politicsClimate81° summer highs · 49″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 58759 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Max; the nearest are

Minot State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Minot29.5 mi$8,702 in-state tuition Dakota College at BottineauCommunity college · Public · Bottineau80.1 mi$5,388 in-state tuition

About 4 of every 100 Max residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Max for work

Where Max’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

71jobs based in Max

2%of working residents work in town

28 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Max

City in North Dakota, United States

Official town website ↗

Max is a city in McLean County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 331 at the 2020 census. Max was founded in 1906.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1906
Area: 0.8 sq mi
Elevation: 2,093 ft
ZIP code: 58759
Area code: 701

Questions about Max

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Max, ND a good place to live?

Max has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

What is Max, ND known for?

2 notable people were born here, including Edward Arthur Steinhaus and Roland J. Barnick.

Post to Max

Check your email

MaxND

Is Max a good place to live?

321 people, and everyone knows the way

122 years in pictures

Moving to Max: who provides what

The data

Max stands out in North Dakota and nationally, with the median rent lower than most