#1New Town
Mountrail County · 2,715 people1.50 weighted crimes per 1,000 a year·violent 0.1, property 1.0
New Town, #1 on this list · Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0North Dakota rankings · Safety
Safest towns in North Dakota
New Town reports the least crime per resident of North Dakota’s 16 towns with crime figures for 2023–2025; 2 of the 16 grade A− or better on safety nationally.
Crimes reported by each town’s own police, 2023–2025, per 1,000 residents, violent crimes counted four times. The same measure as the Safety grade. For 7 of them one year isn’t in the FBI’s published tables and comes from the FBI Crime Data Explorer or the state’s own reports (named in the row). How grades work
#1A+
#2Lincoln
Burleigh County · 4,493 people7.22 weighted crimes per 1,000 a year·violent 0.6, property 4.8
#3Beulah
Mercer County · 3,077 people11.09 weighted crimes per 1,000 a year·violent 1.2, property 6.3
All 16 towns
Weighted crimes per 1,000 residents a year, lowest first, to two decimals (the sort uses the exact rate, so there are no rounding ties). Grade = the national Safety grade.
16 towns ranked. Not here? See towns without their own figures.
#TownWeighted rateViolentPropertyGrade
1New TownMountrail County · 2,715 people · 2024 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer; 2025 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer0.11.0A+
Per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Last on the list: Fargo, 54.46. The rate counts crimes reported to police, not how safe any one street feels.
Not ranked
7 towns without figures of their own
These towns of 2,500+ are not on the list because there are no police figures for them alone for all of 2023–2025, from the FBI or the state. In 2025 the FBI’s tables list State Police figures for 0 of North Dakota’s counties and county sheriff figures for 15; those cover many towns at once and can’t be split by town, so they aren’t ranked here. Their other grades stand; the overall grade uses the rest.
- Apple Creek Township Burleigh County · 3,515 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Devils Lake Ramsey County · 7,333 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Gibbs Township Burleigh County · 2,856 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Hay Creek Township Burleigh County · 4,380 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Horace Cass County · 7,001 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Minot AFB Ward County · 4,878 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Tatman Township Ward County · 2,673 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Which is the safest town in North Dakota?
New Town (Mountrail County) reports the least crime per resident: 1.50 weighted crimes per 1,000 a year over 2023–2025 (0.12 violent and 1.00 property crimes per 1,000), from its police department’s reports (2024 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer; 2025 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer). Lincoln (7.22) and Beulah (11.09) follow.
How are these towns ranked?
By crimes reported by each town’s police per 1,000 residents over three years (FBI figures, or the state’s own where the FBI table lacks a year), with violent crimes counted four times as heavily as property crimes. It is the same measure as the Safety grade on each town’s page. How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list needs 2,500+ residents and the town’s own police figures for all three years. 7 North Dakota towns of 2,500+ lack them; they are listed above with the reason. Smaller towns have a Safety grade on their page but no rank.
Go deeper
All North Dakota rankings →More North Dakota lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
Best places to live23 towns · #1 LincolnMost affordable towns23 towns · #1 New TownTowns with the best schools23 towns · #1 WahpetonHealthiest towns23 towns · #1 Hay Creek TownshipBest towns for jobs & income23 towns · #1 Hay Creek TownshipMost walkable towns23 towns · #1 Grand ForksTowns with the lowest natural-hazard risk23 towns · #1 Tatman TownshipBest towns for the outdoors23 towns · #1 BismarckMost historic towns23 towns · #1 Valley CityTowns with the most civic life22 towns · #1 GraftonTowns with the least snow20 towns · #1 BeulahDescribed, no lettersSnowiest towns20 towns · #1 MinotDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters24 towns · #1 DickinsonDescribed, no lettersTowns with the hottest summers24 towns · #1 WillistonDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers24 towns · #1 Devils LakeDescribed, no lettersTowns with the highest incomes23 towns · #1 Hay Creek TownshipDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest property taxes21 towns · #1 New TownDescribed, no lettersFastest-growing towns23 towns · #1 HoraceDescribed, no letters
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