Living in Hillsboro, ND
Traill County
Hillsboro is a real, small, modestly growing northeastern North Dakota town in the Red River Valley, the county seat of Traill County, with a population running approximately 1,748 as of a 2026 projection, up from 1,649 at the 2020 Census. Hillsboro's housing runs genuinely affordable, with a cited median home price of $90,200 (or a higher $217,000 figure per a separate, disclosed cross-source spread), both well below national and North Dakota statewide averages. Hillsboro carries a real, disclosed favorable distinction: its own effective property tax rate (1.35%) runs as the lowest among Traill County's own cited cities, even though the county's broader average rate (1.57%) runs above both national and North Dakota statewide medians. Hillsboro's economy centers on a real, defining Red River Valley agricultural base, anchored specifically by an American Crystal Sugar Cooperative sugar-beet refinery plant in town. North Dakota's statewide tax structure (a 2.50% top marginal income tax rate, no general statewide sales-tax exceptions relevant here) applies in Hillsboro as it does statewide.
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Learn moreHousing
Cited Hillsboro-specific median home price of $90,200.
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Traill 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 Hillsboro-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Genuinely affordable home prices relative to national and North Dakota statewide averages; the lowest property tax rate among Traill County's own cited cities; a real, defining sugar-beet-agriculture economic anchor (American Crystal Sugar) in a fertile Red River Valley setting; modest, real, ongoing population growth.
Cons
A real, disclosed cross-source spread on median home price ($90,200 vs. $217,000) this record does not resolve to one figure; no confirmed, current Hillsboro-specific hospital or comprehensive named-employer list beyond American Crystal Sugar found this pass; Traill County's own broader property tax rate runs above national and North Dakota statewide medians even though Hillsboro's own city-specific rate runs lower.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits budget-conscious movers prioritizing low home prices and a low property tax rate, comfortable with a small, agriculture-anchored Red River Valley town and needing to confirm current healthcare-access and employer data directly.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers seeking a diversified local job market beyond agriculture and sugar-beet processing, or a confirmed, current local hospital -- this pass did not find one specific to Hillsboro.
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