City · Towner County, North Dakota

Cando, North Dakota

Cando is a city in Towner County, North Dakota. It has 1,164 residents. Cando, North Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 86 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,253 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Dakota it ranks #32 of 56 cities and towns. It ranks best on time spent in the emergency room (low), pharmacies (high) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on dentists (low), distance to an airport (high) and flu vaccinations (low).

86Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,253 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Dakota: #32 of 56 in ND
Population: 1,164 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,722.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 3811860

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety90#1,600/15,637
Economy55#7,054/15,631
Housing84#2,369/14,977
Health49#7,909/15,609
Healthcare49#7,978/15,650
Environment100#68/15,453
Education89#1,728/15,649
Infrastructure30#11,026/15,650
Community95#740/15,651
Leisure & amenities78#3,514/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cando, North Dakota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Towner 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

Time spent in the emergency room · low68 min
100/100North Dakota 113 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesTowner County value
Pharmacies · high4.9 /10k
100/100North Dakota 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTowner County value
Grocery stores · high4.9 /10k
99/100North Dakota 2.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTowner County value
Restaurants and bars · high24.5 /10k
99/100North Dakota 12.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTowner County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100North Dakota 13.0 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataTowner County value
Public libraries · high4.9 /10k
99/100North Dakota 1.2 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesTowner County value

Weaknesses

Dentists · low0 /100k
0/100North Dakota 70 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTowner County value
Distance to an airport · high160 mi
2/100North Dakota 136 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauTowner County value
Flu vaccinations · low23.0%
2/100North Dakota 45.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTowner County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100North Dakota 3.5 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyTowner County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100North Dakota 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTowner County value
Adult obesity · high43.9%
7/100North Dakota 38.5%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,083 (2015-2019) → 1,164 (2020-2024)
+7.5%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
58.0% (2015-2019) → 82.1% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.7× (2015-2019) → 3.3× (2020-2024)
+97%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
20.0% (2015-2019) → 6.2% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
39.6% (2015-2019) → 28.4% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
17.6% (2015-2019) → 28.7% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Cando, North Dakota improved on 1 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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.

Improved1

Bachelor's++11 points17.6% → 28.7%

Declined1

Price / income+1.6×1.7× → 3.3×

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Cando, North Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	10.0 min2015-2019	13.7 min2020-2024	+3.7 min	Within the margin of error	16%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.6%2015-2019	28.7%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	92%
Broadband subscriptions	58.0%2015-2019	82.1%2020-2024	+24 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Effective property tax rate	1.12%2015-2019	0.93%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	56%
High school diploma or higher	88.2%2015-2019	93.0%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+1.6×	Declined	8%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4622015-2019	0.4772020-2024	+0.015	Within the margin of error	38%
Median household income	$48,2502015-2019	$51,5002020-2024	+6.7%	Within the margin of error	13%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.8%2015-2019	22.4%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Within the margin of error	76%

“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 Cando, North Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cando, 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, Cando, North Dakota itself moved −0.1 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,164 residents (±151)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 men (−10.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,164 residents (±151)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

White80%929
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino4.6%†54

Education

726 residents (±128)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

No high school diploma7.0%†51
High school or GED20%†142
Some college32%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

486 households (±108)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under $25k25%†123
$25k–50k22%†108
$50k–75k20%†98
$75k–100k4.3%†21
$100k–150k12%†59
$150k–200k9.7%†47
$200k or more6.2%†30

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (−14.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

486 households (±108)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Own65%314
Rent35%†172

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

148 households (±62)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under $75043%†64
$750–1,00047%†70
$1,000–1,5009.5%†14

Home values

314 homes (±77)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under $150k42%†131
$150k–250k35%†109
$250k–400k12%†39

Age of homes

573 homes (±123)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

2010 or later1.6%†9
2000–20095.6%†32
1980–199933%†187

Size of homes

573 homes (±123)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom12%†67
2 bedrooms37%†210

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

532 workers (±109)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Drive alone80%427
Carpool9.0%†48
Public transit0.0%0
Walk6.0%†32
Bike0.6%†3
Work from home3.2%†17
Other0.9%†5

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

515 workers (±104)

Cando, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under 15 min67%343
15–29 min18%†95
30–44 min7.6%†39

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Towner County, the county holding most of Cando's residents.

Towner County has 78 employer establishments, 384 for every 10,000 residents (1.55× the US rate of 248; 1.19× North Dakota's), with 444 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,432. The Census Bureau also counts 227 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 78; 227 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 384; US 248 · North Dakota 323
Paid employees: 444
Average annual pay: $49,432; US $68,342

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

Banks and credit unions	6	29.6	9.15×Too few to compare	24	$47,583	3
Insurance agencies and brokerages	5	24.6	5.61×Too few to compare	10	$34,100	6
Legal services	5	24.6	4.58×Too few to compare	14	$50,500	3
Gasoline stations	4	19.7	6.08×Too few to compare	20	$52,400	—
Religious organizations	4	19.7	3.55×Too few to compare	8	$17,625	—
Restaurants and other eating places	4	19.7	1.07×Too few to compare	21	$8,667	—
Truck transportation	4	19.7	3.90×Too few to compare	5	$46,600	10
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	3	14.8	12.2×Too few to compare	9	$5,889	—
Full-service restaurants	3	14.8	1.92×Too few to compare	21	$6,714	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	3
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Ambulatory health care services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	11

Rank places for an industry Open Towner County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 2,030 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: Cando is mostly in Towner County.

See federal money in Towner 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.

Cando, 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.

Towner County95100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Towner 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/3811860