Benson County, North Dakota
Population 5,808 · Leeds, Maddock, Minnewaukan
- Overall cost of living: −12.7% vs the US average, lower than 64% of US counties.
- Life expectancy: 61.3 yrs, lower than 99% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−12.7% | lower than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of North Dakota outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $90,000 | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Median rent | $588 | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $166/mo | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $8,751/yr | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.91% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 5% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| State income tax | 2.1% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $817 | lower than 85% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $64,033 | lower than 54% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +3% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 135.7 | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈202 days | lower than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 79°F | lower than 93% of US counties |
| January low | -2°F | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈34 in | higher than 75% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Fessenden, ND, 34 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 6 days | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 191 days | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 4.6% of weeks | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈53.1°F | lower than 85% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 19.8 in | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $126/yr | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $37/yr | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.07/yr | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $8.8/yr | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $16/yr | higher than 88% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 5.9 µg/m³ | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 341.1 mi | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈318.8 ft | lower than 66% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 87.6% | lower than 67% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 21.9% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 9.7:1 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | N/A | |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 5.36 | lower than 97% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 5.54 | lower than 99% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.48 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 12.4 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 17/100k | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2★ | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 61.3 yrs | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7% | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 35/100k | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 35/100k | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 47.4% | lower than 75% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 28 min | lower than 90% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 176 min | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 16 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 80.9% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 4.7% | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 436 min | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 2 per sq mi | lower than 91% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 0.3 per 1k | lower than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | N/A | |
| Population | 5,808 | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Median age | 32.6 | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -9.4 per 1k/yr | lower than 92% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 39.9% Dem | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 58.3% Rep | lower than 75% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.8% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % White | 42.7% | lower than 90% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 1.9% | lower than 86% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.6% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.8% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 50.3% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.6% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0% | the lowest in the US |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 198 parks | higher than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 3.7% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 4 km | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 20 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 6 km | lower than 55% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data