City · Bottineau County, North Dakota

Bottineau, North Dakota

Bottineau is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota. It has 2,205 residents. Bottineau, North Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 92 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,289 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Dakota it ranks #18 of 56 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent-burdened households (low), restaurants and bars (high) and gyms and fitness centers (high). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), mental health providers (low) and suicide rate (high).

92Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,289 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Dakota: #18 of 56 in ND
Population: 2,205 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,675.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 3808460

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety89#1,760/15,637
Economy51#7,650/15,631
Housing92#1,271/14,977
Health71#4,452/15,609
Healthcare23#12,116/15,650
Environment99#127/15,453
Education81#2,962/15,649
Infrastructure74#4,013/15,650
Community97#531/15,651
Leisure & amenities96#590/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bottineau, North Dakota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Bottineau County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Rent-burdened households · low14.9%
100/100North Dakota 38.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Restaurants and bars · high28.6 /10k
99/100North Dakota 12.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBottineau County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high3.2 /10k
99/100North Dakota 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBottineau County value
Students per teacher · low9.5×
99/100North Dakota 11.6×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsBottineau County value
Loneliness · low29.6%
99/100North Dakota 29.8%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Social associations · high22.0 /10k
99/100North Dakota 15.7 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBottineau County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high221 mi
1/100North Dakota 136 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBottineau County value
Mental health providers · low31 /100k
2/100North Dakota 261 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBottineau County value
Suicide rate · high25.0 /100k
9/100North Dakota 19.8 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataBottineau County value
Dentists · low32 /100k
13/100North Dakota 70 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBottineau County value
Distance to an emergency room · high11.4 mi
13/100North Dakota 7.7 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBottineau County value
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100North Dakota 2.8 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
2,094 (2015-2019) → 2,205 (2020-2024)
+5.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
39.0% (2015-2019) → 14.9% (2020-2024)
−24 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.5 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.8% (2015-2019) → 93.1% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
4.2% (2015-2019) → 11.6% (2020-2024)
+7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Unemployment rateImproving
7.5% (2015-2019) → 1.7% (2020-2024)
−5.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bottineau, North Dakota improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Rent burden−24 points39.0% → 14.9%
Broadband+19 points73.8% → 93.1%
Household income+19%$55,185 → $65,905

Declined1

Uninsured+7.4 points4.2% → 11.6%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Bottineau, North Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.3 min2015-2019	16.4 min2020-2024	+2.1 min	Within the margin of error	26%
Bachelor's degree or higher	26.4%2015-2019	26.0%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Broadband subscriptions	73.8%2015-2019	93.1%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	22.3%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Effective property tax rate	0.95%2015-2019	1.06%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
High school diploma or higher	92.0%2015-2019	96.1%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4512015-2019	0.4492020-2024	−0.003	Within the margin of error	53%
Median household income	$55,1852015-2019	$65,9052020-2024	+19%	Improved	32%
Poverty rate	13.5%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Rent as share of income	23.9%2015-2019	21.7%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent-burdened households	39.0%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	−24 points	Improved	96%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.2%2015-2019	11.6%2020-2024	+7.4 points	Declined	6%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bottineau, North Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bottineau, North Dakota in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bottineau, North Dakota itself moved +6.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,205 residents (±146)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

873 households (±90)

Bottineau, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under $25k19%†170
$25k–50k15%†134
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

873 households (±90)

Bottineau, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Own61%531
Rent39%342

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−11.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,035 workers (±97)

Bottineau, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Drive alone82%849
Carpool6.3%†65
Public transit0.2%†

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Bottineau County, the county holding most of Bottineau's residents.

Bottineau County has 255 employer establishments, 404 for every 10,000 residents (1.63× the US rate of 248; 1.25× North Dakota's), with 1,785 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,077. The Census Bureau also counts 677 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 255; 677 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 404; US 248 · North Dakota 323
Paid employees: 1,785
Average annual pay: $52,077; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Bottineau County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	20	31.7	2.05×More than typical	62	$53,339	44
Restaurants and other eating places	17	26.9	1.47×More than typical	115	$18,591	6
Insurance agencies and brokerages	14	22.2	5.05×More than typical	29	$54,655	12
Religious organizations	14	22.2	4.00×More than typical	64	$23,188	—
Full-service restaurants	12	19	2.48×More than typical	93	$20,548	3
Ambulatory health care services	11	17.4	0.84×About typical	52	$40,038	13
Building equipment contractors	10	15.8	2.63×More than typical	29	$56,207	7
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	8	12.7	4.77×Too few to compare	52	$13,231	—
Banks and credit unions	8	12.7	3.92×Too few to compare	74	$68,851	—
Construction of buildings	8	12.7	1.68×Too few to compare	21	$77,000	29
Management, scientific and technical consulting	8	12.7	1.89×Too few to compare	18	$63,444	22
Truck transportation	8	12.7	2.51×Too few to compare	67	$56,955	17

Rank places for an industry Open Bottineau County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 6,312 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bottineau is mostly in Bottineau County.

See federal money in Bottineau County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bottineau, North Dakota is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Julie FedorchakR-ND · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 2.1%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Bottineau County100100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Bottineau County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3808460

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends