Living in Ellendale, ND
Dickey County
Ellendale is the real, current county seat of Dickey County in southeastern North Dakota (Oakes, not Ellendale, is the county's largest city). Ellendale's economy runs on a real, disclosed three-part combination: genuine crop-farming/agribusiness at its base, Trinity Bible College and Graduate School as a real higher-education anchor (which graduated its first-ever PhD cohort in 2025), and a real, notable newer diversification into wind energy and data-center infrastructure, including Applied Digital's cited 100-megawatt facility outside town. Ellendale's 2020 census population ran a confirmed 1,125, with a 2026 projection of approximately 1,123 -- an essentially flat trend. This record discloses a real, disclosed data-quality concern in the one housing figure found this pass (an August 2026 median LISTING price of approximately $289,000, likely skewed by Ellendale's genuinely low listing volume) rather than presenting it uncritically. Ellendale's median age (approximately 28.6 years) runs genuinely, substantially below both North Dakota's own statewide median age and the national median -- the widest such margin of any market in this project's four-market North Dakota Tier B batch -- directly shaping this record's best-areas (not retiring) topic choice. Ellendale's local healthcare runs through two clinics rather than a local hospital, with emergency and inpatient care requiring travel to Aberdeen, SD or Oakes, ND.
Explore Ellendale in depth
- Moving to Ellendale: Pros, Cons & What to Know
- Cost of Living in Ellendale
- Housing in Ellendale
- Taxes & Insurance in Ellendale
- Climate in Ellendale
- Schools & Families in Ellendale
- Healthcare & Safety in Ellendale
- Pros and Cons of Living in Ellendale
- Best Areas to Live in Ellendale
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Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Dickey County level this session. North Dakota's top state income tax rate is 2.50%. See the North Dakota hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Ellendale-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
A real, genuine three-part economy (agriculture, Trinity Bible College, and a notable newer wind-energy/data-center diversification) distinctive among this project's ND Tier B markets. A genuinely young population relative to both North Dakota and the nation, plausibly connected to Trinity Bible College's own student body. North Dakota's real, favorable statewide tax structure.
Cons
A real, disclosed data-quality concern in the one housing-price figure located this pass, likely skewed by low listing volume -- this record does not present it as a reliable typical price. Real, disclosed limited local healthcare access -- no local hospital; residents rely on two clinics and out-of-town transport for hospital-level care. A real, disclosed gap in confidently sourced, Ellendale-specific crime, property-tax-rate, and K-12 school-performance data this pass.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits small-town-living and low-tax-focused movers, and those drawn to Ellendale's genuine, disclosed combination of agricultural roots, a small private college community, and a distinctive newer wind-energy/data-center economic layer.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers who need a local hospital close at hand -- Ellendale has none, and this record discloses that limitation directly. Those needing a confidently sourced, reliable housing-price figure, or confidently sourced Ellendale-specific crime or K-12 school-performance data, should also weigh this record's disclosed gaps directly.
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