City safety & data profile
FargoND
Cass County, North Dakota. Federal health, economic and safety indicators for Fargo, drawn from Census, CDC and CMS data. Larger than 94% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks.
- 119K
- Population
- Top 6%
- By size
- $66,998
- Median income
- $281,900
- Median home
- 12.9%
- Poverty rate
The read on Fargo
Fargo posts a median household income higher than 32% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 4 hospitals serve the Fargo area.
- Top 68%
- by median income, US cities
- 4
- hospitals in & near Fargo
Where Fargo income ranks nationally
Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)
$66,998 Bottom 32% higher than 32% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year
The quick read
Reading Fargo, ND beyond the headline numbers
Fargo sits inside Cass County, North Dakota, at roughly 46.88°N, -96.79°W. Its population of 118,523 and $66,998 median household income are the two most quoted figures, but in isolation they hide the shape of the city. A median home value of $281,900 paired with median rent of $946 is the starting point for a price-to-income read that tells you how stretched a typical household is before any other cost of living factor is considered. The 12.9% poverty rate next to that income figure is the better signal, two cities with identical medians can have very different lived realities depending on the income distribution underneath.
Health and healthcare access are the next layer most residents and prospective movers actually care about. CDC PLACES indicators for Fargo show the highest-prevalence measure is obesity at 34.3%, followed by short sleep duration at 31.2%. In and around Fargo, CMS Hospital Compare tracks 4 hospitals with an average rating of 4/5 and 3 carrying emergency departments, the ER count is the more actionable figure if you are evaluating a move because it defines the effective trauma radius.
Areazine reconstructs these layers from U.S. Census ACS (place-level economics and demographics), CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare, each updated on its own cadence, and pairs them with live alerts from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC scoped to the Fargo area. The comparison bars next to each metric anchor the number against a national reference, which is the fastest way to tell whether Fargo is an outlier on a given dimension before drilling into the raw value.
10-Year Trends 2013–2024
County-level trend (Cass County) - Fargo's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.
Economics
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Median Rent | |
| Poverty Rate | 12.9% -9% vs avg |
| Unemployment | 3.8% |
| Bachelor's Degree+ | 42.9% |
| Work From Home | 9.8% |
| Public Transit | 0.6% |
Population
Health Profile 15 measures
Health Indicators
Preventive Care
Other Measures
Hospitals 4 total
Frequently Asked Questions 6
What is the population of Fargo, ND? ▼
What is the median household income in Fargo? ▼
What is the median home value in Fargo? ▼
What are the top health concerns in Fargo? ▼
How many hospitals are in Fargo? ▼
What is the median age in Fargo? ▼
Safety Context
Fargo, ND is located in Cass County, North Dakota. With a population of 119K and a $66,998 median household income, the community faces health challenges including obesity and short sleep duration. Residents have access to 4 hospitals with an average rating of 4/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Fargo area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.
Safety Guides
Primary source data
EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data
Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report
AirNow - North Dakota
Real-time AQI for every monitored North Dakota location
National Weather Service
NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories
CDC Air Quality & Health
Health-impact reference for every AQI category
EPA NAAQS standards
National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds
Nearby Cities 8
Using Fargo's profile
Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.
- Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Fargo area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
- Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
- Compare Fargo against North Dakota peers on any ranking lens. Explore North Dakota
Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.
Data Sources
All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Cass County) where that is the smallest published unit.
Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.