Portal State Bank · National Register of Historic Places
Portal’s story
133 years in pictures
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1893Portal is settled
PortalND
With 117 residents, this town was settled in 1893.
2 bordering townsMap →
Portal State Bank · Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
117
2025 Census estimate · −3.3% since 2020
Median home value
$87K
Census ACS
Household income
$116K
median
Median age
31.8
years
Is Portal a good place to live?
No town among the 21 in North Dakota we compare has a lower typical rent than Portal. 27% of the land in Portal is conserved, against 2.8% in North Dakota’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Portal has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Portal State Bank and William E. Metzger House. Portal has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
117 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Portal TownshipSoo TownshipPortal
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Portal: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Portal, and how to reach them.
PowerMontana-Dakota Utilities11.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Portal water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Portal’s trash rules yet
Register to voteNot requiredNorth Dakota has no voter registration: you show ID at the polls.vote.govWho runs elections hereBurke County AuditorBurke County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5877258772 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 Portal.
Natural hazards
Portal has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from cold waves
On expected storm and flood damage, Portal sits below 88% of U.S. communities. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 1999. 51% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by inland flooding at 24%.
12risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
More adults under 35 in Portal than across North Dakota
For adults 25 and older in Portal, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 43%. Adults 18 to 34 are just over two in five residents (25% statewide); people 65 and older are 5% of residents (17% statewide). Also worth knowing: its midpoint age stands at 31.8 years. It is shrinking: down 3.3% since 2020, to 117 residents (2025 estimate).
31.8median age · ND 35.9
| Portal | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 30% | 29% |
| Median age | 31.8 years | 33.9 years | 40.5 years |
PortalNorth DakotaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
39%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school36%
Some college11%
Associate’s5%
Bachelor’s43%
Graduate0%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 45% and 86% women
The Census survey reached too few of Portal’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±20.6 points. Across North Dakota, 48.8% of residents are women.
| Portal | ND | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 3.9% | 13% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.3% | 11.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 38.8% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.5% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.5% | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 23.3% | 11.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 0.8% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.1% | 25.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 11.1% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.6% | 14% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 42.6% | 23% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 0% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 100, single groups can be off by several points
Outdoors
Portal has set aside nearly a quarter of its land for conservation
1.1 miles of trail. For Portal, the trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile.
26.8%conserved
26.8%
conserved · 115 of 429 acres
1.1 mi
of trails · 1.6 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
The climate in Portal brings four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to -2°.
80°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter1–20°
Spring27–51°
Summer52–78°
Fall29–52°
Sep 19
typical first frost
May 20
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
80°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
A larger share of adults have high blood pressure in Portal than in most of North Dakota or the rest of the country
Among adults in Portal, 77% had a checkup this year. Only 2 of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Portal. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Portal is ahead of North Dakota on 2 and behind on 8.
| Portal | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 16% |
32 measures vs. North Dakota
2 better22 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Portal | ND |
|---|---|---|
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.5% | 82.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 76.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.3% | 10.8% |
Trinity Kenmare Community Hospital
28.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Portal
15pages on Portal
The big questions
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Portal; the nearest are
Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish CollegeUniversity or college · Public · New Town69.9 mi$3,870 in-state tuitionWilliston State CollegeCommunity college · Public · Williston75.5 mi$6,128 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Portal residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
Questions about Portal
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Portal, ND a good place to live?
Portal has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.