County · North Dakota
Grant County, North Dakota
Grant County, North Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 76 out of 100 (high), ranking #766 of 3,143 US counties. Within North Dakota it ranks #47 of 53 counties. It ranks best on grocery stores (high), restaurants and bars (high) and pharmacies (high). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), social associations (low) and income inequality (Gini index) (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #766 of 3,143 counties
- North Dakota
- #47 of 53 in ND
- Population
- 2,206 (2025)
- Land area
- 1,659 mi²
- Density
- 1.3 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 38037
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety82#562/3,096
- Economy30#2,209/3,143
- Housing95#145/3,140
- Health57#1,345/3,144
- Healthcare68#997/3,143
- Environment95#166/3,108
- Education86#446/3,144
- Infrastructure19#2,554/3,144
- Community57#1,367/3,144
- Leisure & amenities83#529/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Grant County, North Dakota ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Grocery stores · high9.1 /10k
- Restaurants and bars · high27.2 /10k
- Pharmacies · high4.5 /10k
- Students per teacher · low8.9×
- Loneliness · low30.3%97/100North Dakota 29.8%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
- Unemployment rate · low2.4%
Weaknesses
- Distance to an airport · high235 mi2/100North Dakota 136 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
- Social associations · low0.0 /10k2/100North Dakota 15.7 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.512
- Access to exercise opportunities · low27.3%8/100North Dakota 75.6%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Child care cost burden · high38.7%9/100North Dakota 28.8%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Flu vaccinations · low25.0%
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureImproving
87% (2021) → 21% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−66 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
35.7% (2015-2019) → 62.0% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
- Violent crime rateWorsening
60 /100k (2020) → 134 /100k (2025)
+126%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k
- Firearm deathsImproving
21.7 /100k (2021) → 0.0 /100k (2024)
−100%3 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 13.3 /100k
- Mental health providersImproving
226 /100k (2021) → 401 /100k (2025)
+77%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
- Rent as share of incomeWorsening
19.6% (2015-2019) → 34.9% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
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.
Counties like Grant County, North Dakota five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Grant County, 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
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.
Cities and towns in Grant County
Places whose residents live mostly in Grant County, largest first.
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Emmons County, ND90Alike on Grocery stores, Frost days, Some college
- McIntosh County, ND89Alike on Frost days, Students / teacher, Unemployment
- Logan County, ND78Alike on Frost days, Price / income, Math
- Pawnee County, NE79Alike on Mental distress, Population, Pharmacies
- Dundy County, NE86Alike on Rent, Some college, Dry days
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-07
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
