Census-designated place · Rolette County, North Dakota

Shell Valley, North Dakota

Shell Valley is a census-designated place in Rolette County, North Dakota. It has 1,243 residents. Shell Valley, North Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 34 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,262 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Dakota it ranks #55 of 56 cities and towns. It ranks best on students per teacher (low), grocery stores (high) and pharmacies (high). It ranks worst on life expectancy (low), adult obesity (high) and premature death (high).

34Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,262 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Dakota: #55 of 56 in ND
Population: 1,243 (2020-2024)
Land area: 15 mi²
Density: 82.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 3872250

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.

Safety60#6,287/15,637
Economy6#14,722/15,631
Housing—
Health4#14,988/15,609
Healthcare19#12,619/15,650
Environment100#8/15,453
Education42#9,047/15,649
Infrastructure38#9,717/15,650
Community29#11,064/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,312/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Students per teacher · low8.4×
100/100North Dakota 11.6×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsRolette County value
Grocery stores · high4.3 /10k
99/100North Dakota 2.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRolette County value
Pharmacies · high3.4 /10k
98/100North Dakota 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRolette County value
Rent-burdened households · low53.5%
97/100North Dakota 38.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Average commute time · low17.9 min
97/100North Dakota 17.9 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013High uncertainty
Time spent in the emergency room · low101 min
96/100North Dakota 113 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRolette County value

Weaknesses

Life expectancy · low65.0 yrs
0/100North Dakota 78.6 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRolette County value
Adult obesity · high51.5%
0/100North Dakota 38.5%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Premature death · high23,017 /100k
1/100North Dakota 7,751 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRolette County value
Mammography screening · low25.0%
1/100North Dakota 55.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRolette County value
Preventable hospital stays · high5,771 /100k
1/100North Dakota 3,048 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRolette County value
Adult smoking · high28.0%
1/100North Dakota 15.0%United States 16.1%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
1,174 (2015-2019) → 1,243 (2020-2024)
+5.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
49.5% (2015-2019) → 95.7% (2020-2024)
+46 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
42.3% (2015-2019) → 23.0% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
37.9% (2015-2019) → 53.5% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
35.8% (2015-2019) → 48.8% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Poverty rateImproving
33.9% (2015-2019) → 21.5% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Shell Valley, North Dakota improved on 2 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved2

Broadband+46 points49.5% → 95.7%
Child poverty−19 points42.3% → 23.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Shell Valley, North Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.3%2015-2019	18.7%2020-2024	+9.3 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Broadband subscriptions	49.5%2015-2019	95.7%2020-2024	+46 points	Improved	100%
Child poverty rate	42.3%2015-2019	23.0%2020-2024	−19 points	Improved	93%
High school diploma or higher	82.1%2015-2019	70.5%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5112015-2019	0.4372020-2024	−0.073	Within the margin of error	91%
Poverty rate	33.9%2015-2019	21.5%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	23.3%2015-2019	31.0%2020-2024	+7.7 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Rent-burdened households	37.9%2015-2019	53.5%2020-2024	+16 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	35.8%2015-2019	48.8%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	2%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 10944 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 Shell Valley, North Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Shell Valley, 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, Shell Valley, North Dakota itself moved +4.7 points in standing on average over the same 6 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

1,243 residents (±380)

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

352 households (±105)

Shell Valley, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Under $25k34%†119
$25k–50k17%†59
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

352 households (±105)

Shell Valley, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Own60%†211
Rent40%†141

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

391 workers (±157)

Shell Valley, North Dakota
North Dakota share

Drive alone70%†274
Carpool21%†83
Public transit

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 Rolette County, the county holding most of Shell Valley's residents.

Rolette County has 208 employer establishments, 178 for every 10,000 residents (0.72× the US rate of 248; 0.55× North Dakota's), with 2,149 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,514. The Census Bureau also counts 745 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 208; 745 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 178; US 248 · North Dakota 323
Paid employees: 2,149
Average annual pay: $50,514; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	21	17.9	1.16×About typical	65	$44,400	78
Construction of buildings	16	13.7	1.81×More than typical	38	$36,053	33
Restaurants and other eating places	16	13.7	0.74×Fewer than typical	87	$15,897	4
Full-service restaurants	12	10.3	1.33×More than typical	57	$15,596	—
Ambulatory health care services	11	9.4	0.45×Fewer than typical	70	$36,100	68
Gasoline stations	11	9.4	2.90×More than typical	214	$25,341	—
Building equipment contractors	10	8.5	1.42×More than typical	40	$32,175	27
Child day care services	8	6.8	2.80×Too few to compare	25	$25,720	57
Banks and credit unions	7	6	1.85×Too few to compare	58	$51,190	—
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	7	6	1.90×Too few to compare	16	$63,500	14
Religious organizations	7	6	1.08×Too few to compare	15	$15,933	—
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	6	5.1	4.23×Too few to compare	32	$7,719	—

Rank places for an industry Open Rolette County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,705 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

In FY2026, an estimated $2.5M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Shell Valley, North Dakota: $1,979 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.5M; −3.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,979; US $1,994
Sole-source: 9.4%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.5%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Indian Health Service$1.9M79%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$453.6K18%
Forest Service$53.7K2.2%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$12.9K0.5%
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission$4,8530.2%

Top recipients

GREENSTONE CONSTRUCTION, INC.$200.7K8.2%
BAY AREA ANESTHESIA LLC$189.2K7.7%
TRIBAL HEALTH, LLC$182.4K7.4%
PRIME TRI PROVIDERS LLC$157.6K6.4%
SYSCO CORP$138.4K5.6%

Spending by fiscal year

1.4MFY2017
1.7MFY2018
1.6MFY2019
1.4MFY2020
2.1MFY2021
3MFY2022
3.9MFY2023
7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Offices of physicians · 6211$523.9K21%
Employment services · 5613$384.3K16%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$342.1K14%
Offices of other health practitioners · 6213$197.5K8.0%
Medical and diagnostic laboratories · 6215$162.1K6.6%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Shell Valley, North Dakota, so they do not add up across cities.

Shell Valley, North Dakota's figures are part of those of Rolette County, ND ($16.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 15% of that total.

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

See federal money in Rolette 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.

Shell Valley, 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.

Rolette County57100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Rolette 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
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/3872250

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends