What it's like to live in Mandan
Mandan is a small city in North Dakota with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Mandan deals with cold, harsh winters, snowy winters, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 51" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Mandan compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Mandan
Based on Mandan's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,166
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $43,320 a year
- 45% of Mandan renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$51,960
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $25,980
- Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 23% below US
$1,083/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,083 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $259,800. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $259,800 · 45% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
2.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in Morton County is 2.7%, well below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Morton County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 22% below US
257 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2002/100k · Mandan Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 32% below US
18 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 17.6 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 11% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 6°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 16% below US
30% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 30% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
13 public schools inside the boundary
There are 13 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site (43 miles away).
Bottom line
Mandan's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are cold, harsh winters and snowy winters. A year of median rent ($1,083/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Mandan
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