May 2, 2002

North Dakota Has Net Loss of Three Cities in 1990s

North Dakota had 373 cities in 2000, a drop from 376 in 1990 according to the latest Population Bulletin released from the North Dakota State Data Center at North Dakota State University.

Cities include all incorporated places, Grand Forks and Minot Air Bases, and all Census Designated Places (the statistical counterpart of an incorporated place but with no legal status). During the past 10 years, five places disincorporated (Barton, Hanks, Merricourt, Russell, and Wheelock), while the Census Bureau recognized two additional Census Designated Places (Erie and Wheatland).

The median city size in North Dakota was 189 persons in 2000, down from 205 persons in 1990.

Of the 373 cities in North Dakota, nearly 60 percent have fewer than 250 persons. Less than 5 percent (17 cities) have a population greater than 2,500. Yet these 17 cities account for nearly 75 percent of total city population in the state and 55 percent of North Dakota’s total population.

"To gain a better perspective of the distribution of cities in North Dakota, consider that nearly half of the counties in North Dakota have at most five cities and two counties have only one city," said Richard Rathge, director of the State Data Center.

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Source: Richard Rathge, (701) 231-8621, richard_rathge@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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