West Fargo, North Dakota

Population

Growing. Up 5.9% since 2020.

41,175

people, the 5th-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

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

76.9%

of 18,815 jobs located in West Fargo are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in May: 1.7%.

2.1%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 2.1%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 88% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,111

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

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,533 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Cass County.

• $613 Tract 406
• $2,146 Tract 405.03

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.

$1,149–$1,723

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,111 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

39% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 3,291 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 19% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 39% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.4–1.1% to the 16,560 homes here.

61–188

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 29% more than North Dakota's.

$321,900

median home value in West Fargo.

• $321,900 West Fargo
• $249,900 North Dakota
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year