McKenzie County, North Dakota
Population 14,321 · Watford City, Alexander, Arnegard
- Overall cost of living: −12.7% vs the US average, lower than 64% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- PM2.5 air pollution: 4.1 µg/m³, lower than 99% of US counties.
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 | $349,600 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,284 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $149/mo | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $10,552/yr | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.43% | lower than 91% 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 | $1,491 | lower than 55% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $93,404 | higher than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -2.9% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 487.3 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈203 days | lower than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 83°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| January low | 3°F | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 50 in | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 22 days | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 194 days | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 15.3% of weeks | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈50.6°F | lower than 87% 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 | 16.2 in | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $89/yr | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $47/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.17/yr | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $6.7/yr | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $7.4/yr | higher than 82% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 4.1 µg/m³ | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 544.2 mi | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈843.3 ft | higher than 72% 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 | 89.1% | lower than 58% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 19.1% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 3.9% | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14:1 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 86.8% | lower than 67% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.33 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.13 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.64 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1 | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 22/100k | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | N/A | |
| Life expectancy | 76 yrs | higher than 54% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 6.1% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 68/100k | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 28/100k | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 40.4% | lower than 83% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 48 min | lower than 63% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 404 min | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 89.1% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.1% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 8.8% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 632 min | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 17 per sq mi | lower than 58% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 3.7 per 1k | higher than 79% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 12.2 per 1k | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Population | 14,321 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Median age | 31.5 | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -5.2 per 1k/yr | lower than 84% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 14.8% Dem | lower than 89% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 84.4% Rep | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.9% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % White | 73.7% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 12.1% | higher than 77% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.9% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.1% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 6.6% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 4.5% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.2% | lower than 54% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 437 parks | higher than 87% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 16.1 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.5 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 25 min | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 3.5% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 105 km | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 4 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| 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 | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 106 km | higher than 86% 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