National Rankings
Grand Forks and North Dakota continually rank among the nation's best in a variety of areas. Listed below are a few of the region's most recent national rankings.
| Grand Forks |
Organization, Date |
| Grand Forks is #7 least economically stressed county in the US. |
AP Economic Stress Index, May 2011 |
| Grand Forks at a 10 year low for total number of crimes committed. |
Grand Forks Police Department, March 2011 |
| Grand Forks has one of the top 10 housing markets that rose in during the recession. |
24/7 Wall Street, February 2011 |
| Grand Forks has 4th lowest unemployment rate in the nation. |
US Labor Department, January 2011 |
UND Engineering team takes first place in Australian UAV Competition |
UND Press Room, September 2010 |
| Grand Forks students have highest ACT scores in the state, an average score of 22.6 |
ND Kids Count, September 2010 |
| Grand Forks ranks #45 of 184 on ‘America’s Best Cities for Business and Careers’ list |
Forbes Magazine, September 2010 |
| Grand Forks is the #8 least economically stressed county in the US |
AP Economic Stress Index, August 2010 |
| Grand Forks ranks 97 on CNN's Top 100 Places to Live list |
CNN, July 2010 |
| Grand Forks has nations 3rd lowest unemployment rate |
Bur. of Labor Stats, June 2010 |
| Air Force Base Company Grade Officer Association named national council of the year |
CGOA Conference, May 2010 |
| UND MBA and MPA programs ranked # 8 & #3 "Best Buys" |
GetEducated.com, May 2010 |
| Grand Forks ranks 45 out of 184 cities in Best Places for Business and Careers |
Forbes Magazine, April 2010 |
| UND & NDSU ranked #1 and #2 in nation for tuition rate stability |
Forbes Magazine, April 2010 |
| North Dakota |
Organization, Date |
| ND named 3rd most pro-business state |
Pollina Corporate, August 2011 |
| ND ranked #11 in national entrepreneurship index |
University of Nebraska, August 2011 |
| ND ranked #1 most social state |
Tagged.com, July 2011 |
| ND ranks #13 in Top States for Business |
CNBC, June 2011 |
| ND ranks #9 in Quality of Life |
CNBC, June 2011 |
| ND ranks #9 in Most Business Friendly States |
US Chamber of Commerce, June 2011 |
| ND ranks #3 happiest state in the US |
Gallop Well-Being Index, March 2011 |
ND ranks 13th in per-capita bioscience R&D investment |
Biotechnology Industry Organization, February 2011 |
ND ranks 3rd lowest in auto insurance costs. |
Association of Insurance Commissioners, January 2011 |
| ND is 11th Best State for Business and Careers |
Forbes Magazine, October 2010 |
| ND has fastest average commute time in the nation, only 16.6 minutes |
US Census Bureau, October 2010 |
| ND named #1 in Beacon Hill’s annual State Competitiveness Report |
Beacon Hill Institute, October 2010 |
| ND has lowest jobless rate in the nation at only 3.6% |
Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2010 |
| ND ranks in the nation’s top 5 states with the most jobs available |
Juju Job Search Engine, September 2010 |
| ND cities of Bismarck, Fargo, and Grand Forks hold the nations top three lowest unemployment rates |
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2010 |
| ND is #3 in nation for residents age 25-34 with a college degree |
US Census Bureau, June 2010 |
| ND ranks #1 for job growth |
US Cham. of Comm, May 2010 |
| ND ranks #1, #2 for lowest residential, commercial electricity rates |
US Energy Information Administration, May 2010 |
| ND ranked 6th best state for wind power |
FastCompany.com, February 2010 |
North Dakota Department of Commerce offers a database center to discover more of North Dakota's national rankings. Below are many of our state and region's national rankings. Click here to see the entire database.
TAXES & REVENUE
Business Taxes as a Share of all Taxes and GSP (2007)
| |
Rank |
Value (billions) |
| North Dakota |
4 |
1.3 |
State Business Tax Climate Property Tax Index (2007)
| |
Rank |
Value |
| North Dakota |
4 |
6.64 |
The Property Tax Index is comprised of taxes levied on the wealth
of individuals and businesses. These include taxes on real and
personal property, net worth and the transfer of assets.
Workers’ Compensation Premium Rate Rank (2009)
| |
Rank |
Index Rate |
| North Dakota |
1 |
1.08 |
Top Performing Tax and Regulation States (2010)
| |
Rank |
Source |
| North Dakota |
5 |
U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Chamber Foundation |
ECONOMIC & BUSINESS CLIMATE
Economic Stress Index: Least Economically Stressed Counties (March 2010)
| |
Rank |
Value |
| Grand Forks County |
9 |
5.30 |
Top Overall Job Growth States (2010)
| |
Rank |
Source |
| North Dakota |
1 |
U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Chamber Foundation |
Beacon Hill Competitiveness Report - Overall (2008)
| |
Rank |
Value |
| North Dakota |
2 |
76.9 |
Cost of Doing Business (2007)
| |
Rank |
Source |
| North Dakota |
1 |
CNBC |
Best States for Doing Business - Overall (2009)
| |
Rank |
Source |
| North Dakota |
6 |
Directorship Boardroom Intelligence |
Best Places for Business and Careers - small metro area (2010)
| |
Rank |
Source |
| Grand Forks |
45 out of 185 |
Forbes Magazine |
EDUCATION
Best Educational Climate (2008)
| |
Rank |
Source |
| North Dakota |
3 |
Business Facilities Ranking |
College Continuation Rate (2007)
(% of High School Graduates Enrolled in College)
| |
Rank |
% |
| North Dakota |
3 |
57.7 |
Graduate Students in Science and Engineering (2002)
| |
Rank |
% Change |
| North Dakota |
2 |
40.26 |
High School Completion (2008)
| |
Rank |
Grad. Rate |
| North Dakota |
7 |
79.2 |
SAT Scores (2006)
| |
Rank |
Value |
| North Dakota |
1 |
1815 |
Appropriations of State Tax Funds for Higher Education Operating Expenses
(per $1,000 Personal Income) (2006)
| |
Rank |
Value |
| North Dakota |
5 |
11.08 |
NATURAL RESOURCES
Acres Harvested in 2008
| |
Rank |
Acres |
| North Dakota |
3 |
2,1473,000 |
North Dakota’s Top Agricultural Commodities (2006)
|
Rank |
Commodity |
% of Nation's
Production |
North Dakota |
1 |
Spring Wheat |
46% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Durum Wheat |
59% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Barley |
27% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Canola |
92% |
North Dakota |
1 |
All Sunflower |
52% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Oil Sunflower |
52% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Non-oil Sunflower |
51% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Flaxseed |
94% |
North Dakota |
1 |
All Dry Edible Beans |
32% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Pinto Beans |
52% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Navy Beans |
36% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Dry Edible Peas |
71% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Lentils |
37% |
North Dakota |
1 |
Honey |
17% |
Energy Costs (2005)
|
Rank |
Cost per Kw hour |
North Dakota |
8 |
5.94 |
Revenue per KwH from Commercial Customers (April 2006)
|
Rank |
Cents |
North Dakota |
6 |
5.96 |
Revenue per KwH from Industrial Customers (April 2006)
|
Rank |
Cents |
North Dakota |
10 |
4.27 |
PUBLIC SAFETY & COURTS
U.S. Tort Liability Index (2006)
|
Rank |
Score |
North Dakota |
3 |
23.52 |
Lack of Violent Crime (2006) (1 per 100,000 population)
|
Rank |
Rate |
North Dakota |
1 |
98 |
Safest States (2009)
|
Rank |
Source |
North Dakota |
4 |
CQ Press |
HEALTH & WELFARE
Infectious Disease (2006)
|
Rank |
Source |
North Dakota |
1 |
CDC |
Poor Mental Health Days (2006)
|
Rank |
Days Lost |
North Dakota |
1 |
2.4 |
Poor Physical Health Days (2006)
|
Rank |
Days Lost |
North Dakota |
1 |
2.7 |
America's Health Ranking
|
Rank |
% above national
average |
North Dakota |
8 |
15 |
QUALITY OF LIFE
Quality of Life (2008 )
|
Rank |
Source |
North Dakota |
3 |
Bus. Facilities Mag |
Air Pollution (2006)
|
Rank |
Source |
North Dakota |
1 |
EPA |
Violent Crime Rate per 100,000 (2006)
|
Rank |
Value |
North Dakota |
1 |
79 |
Cost of Urban Housing (2005)
|
Rank |
Value |
North Dakota |
1 |
10.47% |
Average Travel Time to Work (2005)
|
Rank |
Source |
North Dakota |
1 |
Census |
WORKFORCE & WAGES
Growth Rate in High-Tech Wages (2008)
|
Rank |
Value |
North Dakota |
1 |
24 |
Human Resource Index (2006)
|
Rank |
Index |
North Dakota |
6 |
6.24 |
Unemployment Insurance Payments (2006)
|
Average Weeks |
North Dakota |
11 |
(National Rankings source: ND Dept of Commerce)
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