Ranked from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
Driest Counties in North Dakota
The least rainfall in the country. Dry is easier on a building than wet, but it moves the cost somewhere else: irrigation, foundation movement in shrink-swell soils, and in the driest counties the price and reliability of water itself. Figures are NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals from the weather station nearest each county seat, so they describe a thirty-year average rather than any single year.
North Dakota ranked
| # | County | Annual rainfall | FEMA risk rating | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adams County | 14.3" | Very Low | $108,300 |
| 2 | Williams County | 15.1" | Relatively Low | $267,800 |
| 3 | Stark County | 15.6" | Very Low | $260,400 |
| 4 | McKenzie County | 15.7" | Very Low | $357,300 |
| 5 | Burke County | 15.7" | Very Low | $141,900 |
| 6 | Divide County | 16.1" | Very Low | $173,100 |
| 7 | Golden Valley County | 16.5" | Very Low | $119,200 |
| 8 | McHenry County | 16.7" | Very Low | $143,200 |
| 9 | Ward County | 16.7" | Relatively Low | $259,100 |
| 10 | Dunn County | 16.8" | Very Low | $244,000 |
| 11 | Mercer County | 16.9" | Very Low | $196,200 |
| 12 | Bowman County | 17.1" | Very Low | $176,400 |
| 13 | Hettinger County | 17.2" | Very Low | $110,900 |
| 14 | Wells County | 17.3" | Very Low | $106,400 |
| 15 | Sioux County | 17.3" | Relatively Low | $87,400 |
| 16 | Billings County | 17.4" | Very Low | $322,500 |
| 17 | Slope County | 17.4" | Very Low | $121,300 |
| 18 | Sheridan County | 18.2" | Very Low | $107,700 |
| 19 | McLean County | 18.2" | Relatively Low | $233,100 |
| 20 | Renville County | 18.2" | Very Low | $163,400 |
| 21 | Bottineau County | 18.8" | Very Low | $190,900 |
| 22 | Oliver County | 18.9" | Very Low | $217,000 |
| 23 | Burleigh County | 19.1" | Relatively Moderate | $314,700 |
| 24 | Emmons County | 19.1" | Relatively Low | $112,400 |
| 25 | Grant County | 19.1" | Very Low | $85,800 |
| 26 | Morton County | 19.1" | Relatively Low | $249,600 |
| 27 | Mountrail County | 19.3" | Very Low | $222,200 |
| 28 | Towner County | 19.6" | Very Low | $122,800 |
| 29 | Benson County | 19.7" | Very Low | $83,100 |
| 30 | Stutsman County | 19.8" | Relatively Low | $200,300 |
| 31 | Eddy County | 20.0" | Very Low | $115,500 |
| 32 | Ramsey County | 20.0" | Very Low | $197,400 |
| 33 | Pembina County | 20.0" | Very Low | $116,600 |
| 34 | Rolette County | 20.1" | Relatively Low | $93,000 |
| 35 | Nelson County | 20.2" | Very Low | $114,500 |
| 36 | McIntosh County | 20.7" | Very Low | $80,300 |
| 37 | Cavalier County | 20.8" | Very Low | $122,300 |
| 38 | Foster County | 20.8" | Very Low | $162,800 |
| 39 | Steele County | 20.9" | Very Low | $120,400 |
| 40 | Kidder County | 20.9" | Very Low | $138,500 |
| 41 | Logan County | 20.9" | Very Low | $101,800 |
| 42 | Pierce County | 21.0" | Very Low | $143,400 |
| 43 | Barnes County | 21.5" | Relatively Low | $168,100 |
| 44 | Grand Forks County | 21.7" | Relatively Low | $244,200 |
| 45 | Walsh County | 21.7" | Very Low | $125,700 |
| 46 | Griggs County | 22.0" | Very Low | $128,200 |
| 47 | Ransom County | 22.3" | Very Low | $174,800 |
| 48 | Traill County | 22.3" | Very Low | $193,200 |
| 49 | Sargent County | 23.2" | Very Low | $149,600 |
| 50 | Cass County | 24.2" | Relatively Moderate | $284,700 |
| 51 | Richland County | 24.2" | Very Low | $177,600 |
| 52 | Dickey County | 24.3" | Very Low | $167,100 |
| 53 | LaMoure County | 24.7" | Very Low | $118,000 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Driest Counties across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in North Dakota