Lake sakakawea, 1996
New Town’s story
76 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,586 in 1960, 2,764 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1996 and a map from 1981 on.
- 1950New Town is platted
New TownND
A town of 2,715, platted in 1950.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,715
2025 Census estimate · −2% since 2020
Median home value
$208K
Census ACS
Household income
$53K
median
Median age
28.2
years
Jobs based here
788
Balanced
TownGrade
B−
#15 of 23 in ND
Is New Town a good place to live?
New Town gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $208K for a typical one, or 2.6 years of the county’s $81K median household income. It grades B− overall, 15th of 23 graded towns in North Dakota. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 94% of the state's and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in New Town, where North Dakota’s towns sit at 9.6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Of the 16 North Dakota towns we compare, none has a lower violent crime rate than New Town. New Town is home to Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College.
What makes New Town stand out
Where New Town beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
New Town0
North Dakota2.8
U.S.3.9
SafetyA+
No violent crime reported in 2023
FBI data, 2023. Crimes reported to police.
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
NEW TOWN 1 schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Edwin Loe Elementary School | PK–6 | 546 |
| New Town Middle School | 7–8 | 126 |
| New Town High School | 9–12 | 259 |
Worth knowing · SchoolsD
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
A growing town
New Town has grown 41% since 2010
1,925 counted in 2010 and 2,764 in 2020; an estimated 2,715 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How New Town grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far New Town is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for safety (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for schools (better than 6%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
SafetyLess crime per resident than almost any U.S. townA+Open →SchoolsDOpen →HealthMountrail County Medical Center 22.9 miles awayDOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 16% of U.S. communities; cold waves tops the listAOpen →Jobs & income$53K median household incomeC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.3 of 20; 7.6% of households have no car; 2.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 2% conserved landC+Open →HistoryPlatted 1950DOpen →Civic life4 library visits per resident; 2.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to New Town: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in New Town, and how to reach them.
PowerMontana-Dakota Utilities11.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterParshall-Lucky Mound water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have New Town’s trash rules yet
Register to voteNot requiredNorth Dakota has no voter registration: you show ID at the polls.vote.govWho runs elections hereMountrail County AuditorMountrail County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code5876358763 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 New Town.
New Town has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room and has poverty well above the North Dakota rate.
SafetyA+
Property crime in New Town is lower than in most of North Dakota or the rest of the country
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2023, 0 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in New Town is 1.2 per 1,000 residents.
99%of U.S. towns report more crimeA+Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
New Town0
North Dakota2.8
U.S.3.9
Property crime per 1,000 residents
New Town1.2
North Dakota19.7
U.S.19.5
99th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
99th
percentile among ND towns
0
violent crimes reported in 2023
3
property crimes reported in 2023
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
SchoolsD
New Town earns a D for schools
Its public schools are run by the New Town 1 school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
6%of ND districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin Loe Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 546 | D− |
| New Town High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 259 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
HealthD
More of New Town’s adults worry about having enough food than in the typical North Dakota or U.S. town
The nearest emergency room, Mountrail County Medical Center, is 22.9 miles away in a straight line.
29% of adults worry about having enough food in New Town. No town among the 23 in North Dakota we compare has a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than New Town. 46% of adults have obesity in New Town.
9%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| New Town | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 11% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 36% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 15% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 25% |
32 measures vs. North Dakota
1 better8 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | New Town | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.1% | 8.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 28.6% | 10.7% |
Mountrail County Medical Center
22.9 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
New Town faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
16risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingHail
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
#12for trails in ND
| New Town | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
1.8%
conserved · 33 of 1,835 acres
2.1 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in New Town
The Keene 3s weather station, 21 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 121 days, shorter than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 1.6°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 76% of North Dakota places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.7°.
New Town has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. New Town’s January low is 2°F. About 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
35″snow a winter
| New Town | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2°F | 2°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter5–24°
Spring29–53°
Summer53–80°
Fall31–55°
Sep 20
typical first frost
May 20
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
New Town has 0.9 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs based here fell from 1,860 in 2013 to 788.
About one in 5 of New Town’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in New Town fell to 788 in 2023, 1,072 fewer than in 2013. Among 23 North Dakota towns, just 1 have a lower median household income than New Town.
21%work in town
| New Town | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 39% | 8% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In New Town21%
Parshall3%
Van Hook Township3%
Osborn Township3%
Fargo3%
4 mi
median commute distance
788
jobs based in New Town
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Keep exploring
Everything we know about New Town
18pages on New Town
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of New Town
Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish CollegeUniversity or college · Public · New TownIn town$3,870 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 New Town residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
College town
Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College calls New Town home
College Scorecard · IPEDS
About New Town
City in North Dakota, United States
New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and Van Hook, as these towns were scheduled to be flooded by the creation of Lake Sakakawea, a reservoir to provide water for irrigation. It is the largest city and the administrative center of the Fort Berthold Reservation. New Town is home to Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College. New Town is located on State Highway 23 at the crossing of Lake Sakakawea by the Four Bears Bridge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1953
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,900 ft
- ZIP code
- 58763
- Area code
- 701
New Town’s neighbors
One town shares a border with New Town.
Osborn TownshipNew Town
How the neighbors grade
| Town | ND rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Town | #15 | B− | A | A+ | D | D |
| Osborn Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Osborn Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare New Town with a neighbor →
Questions about New Town
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is New Town, ND a good place to live?
New Town grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #15 of 23 in North Dakota. It grades D for health, A+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Is New Town, ND expensive?
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.