Grafton, North Dakota

Population

Down 3.3% since 2020.

4,023

people, the 16th-largest of North Dakota's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among North Dakota's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

6 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

56.9%

of 2,611 jobs located in Grafton are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is up 43% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$733

a month. North Dakota's median is $954.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $464.

A $464 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Walsh County.

• $632 Tract 9583
• $1,096 Tract 9581

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$1,171–$1,757

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $733 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 18 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 33% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 86% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.2–1.2% to the 2,090 homes here.

4–26

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 41% less than North Dakota's.

$147,300

median home value in Grafton.

• $147,300 Grafton
• $249,900 North Dakota
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year