Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Stanley’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living. 28% of working residents work locally in Stanley, where North Dakota’s towns sit at 39% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 1 of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower July high than Stanley. Stanley has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Mountrail County Courthouse and Great Northern Railway Underpass. Stanley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Stanley beats most towns.
Mountrail County Courthouse1,458 counted in 2010 and 2,321 in 2020; an estimated 2,181 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 Stanley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 518 in 1910, 2,321 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1937 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Stanley, 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 Stanley.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Stanley 2 school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Stanley High School, with 320 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 463 | C |
| Stanley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 320 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
The typical Stanley home is worth about $206,000, down 2.9% in a year, 29% below the North Dakota typical home. 61% of Stanley households own their home, above North Dakota’s towns (57%) but below U.S. towns (73%).
| Stanley | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 57% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,144 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Stanley has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 0° and about 47 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Stanley beats the North Dakota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 22% of adults binge drink in Stanley.
| Stanley | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 22% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 73% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Stanley | ND |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 9.5% | 7.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.9% | 10.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About one in 4 of Stanley’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Stanley is $110,000. Jobs based in Stanley fell to 1,233 in 2023, 234 fewer than in 2013.
| Stanley | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $110,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.4% | 9.8% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Stanley's reported crime rate is below North Dakota's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 4 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Stanley | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.8 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 14.1 per 1,000 residents | 16.1 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
1.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Only 2 of the 24 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower trail density than Stanley.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wilson Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Stanley; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Stanley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
2 places in Stanley on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in North Dakota, United States
Stanley is the only major city in Mountrail County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Mountrail County. The population was 2,321 at the 2020 census, making it the 22nd most populous city in North Dakota. Stanley was founded in 1902. The town's economy is heavily connected to the nearby oil-rich Bakken Formation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Stanley.
| Town | ND rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley | — | — | A− | — | C+ | B |
| Idaho Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Stanley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Stanley reports no FBI crime data of its own. Idaho Township and Ross Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Stanley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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−.
