The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities in North Dakota

North Dakota Cities With the Highest Crime Rates

Let’s begin with the cities in North Dakota where you’re most likely to become a victim of crime.

As the state’s most populous city (and the namesake for the 1996 Coen brothers cult classic film), Fargo takes the number one spot for both violent crime and property crime. Its per-capita crime rates were 515 and 3,879, respectively. Aggravated assault and theft were by far the highest-occurring crimes there.

The second-place spot for most violent crime goes to Williston, a city of a little under 30,000 people in the northwestern part of the state. It had a violent crime rate of 470 per capita. In real numbers, that translated to 103 aggravated assaults, 16 rapes and three robberies per year. Williston’s crime troubles may stem at least in part from its rapid growth; its population more than doubled between 2010 and 2020 due to the North Dakota oil boom,⁴ and lack of affordable housing is a major problem. At one point in recent history Williston had the highest rents in the country, putting a strain on locals’ finances and quality of life.⁵

The second-highest property crime rate in the state is in Mandan, a city of about 24,000 people in south-central North Dakota. Its property crime rate is 3,590 per capita, amounting to 501 cases of theft, 85 burglaries, 84 car thefts, and seven cases of arson in the most recent year of data.

North Dakota Cities With the Lowest Crime Rates

Our next stop is the North Dakota city with the lowest rate of violent crime, Rugby. The city’s claim to fame is being the geographical center of North America (even though a recent U.S. Geological Survey revealed the actual center to be about 15 miles southwest). In 2023, the small northern city of about 2,500 people experienced just one aggravated assault–its only recorded violent crime. That amounts to a per-capita violent crime rate of 40.

The next safest city in terms of violent crime is Oakes, which has a violent crime rate of 57 per capita. Located in the southeastern corner of the state, this tight-knit community of under 2,000 people also had a single aggravated assault as its only violent crime in 2023.

Moving on to property crime, you’ll find little to none of it in Garrison. A lone incident of theft was the only property crime in the 1,500-person town in the most recent year of recorded data, which translates to a per-capita rate of 68. Garrison’s violent crime rate is incredibly low, too, but its small population size makes the per-capita rate slightly higher than the other locations we mentioned a moment ago.

New Town, located in the northwestern corner of the state, also has a notably low property crime rate of 116 per capita. The 2,800-resident community has an interesting history; it was created in 1950 as a replacement home (a.k.a. a “new town”) for the residents of nearby Sanish and Van Hook, which were to be flooded in order to create a reservoir for irrigation. New Town had just two thefts and one motor vehicle theft in 2023.

How Safe Is North Dakota Compared to Other States?

Compared to the United States overall, North Dakota’s crime levels are pretty middle-of-the-pack. It’s number 33 in the nation for violent crime and number 18 for property crime. Here’s how crime in the state stacks up in different categories:

Property crime rates

(per 100,000 residents)

Property crime

• Burglary: 28 percent above national average
• Theft: 4 percent above national average
• Vehicle theft: 31 percent below national average

Violent crime rates

(per 100,000 residents)

Violent crime

• Rape: 32 percent above national average
• Aggravated assault: 29 percent below national average
• Murder: 42 percent below national average
• Robbery: 61 percent below national average

Both violent crime and property crime dropped in North Dakota year over year, violent crime by about four percent and property crime by about three percent.

When it comes to the location of crime in North Dakota, the stereotype of crime occurring primarily in cities tends to hold true. All of the cities that made the top three for violent and property crime are among the state’s biggest population centers. On the flip side, all but one of  the top three safest cities in both the violent crime and property crime categories have fewer than 3,000 people.

If you don’t mind a couple months of bitter cold (the state averages 50 days of below-zero temperatures per year),⁶ North Dakota’s safe communities, strong employment options, and heavy emphasis on the great outdoors contribute to a high quality of life. For those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of crowded cities, the state’s low population density and comparatively low likelihood of becoming a victim of violence make it an ideal place to live.