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Quality of Life in Williston, ND
A high quality of life with strong walkability, manageable living costs, healthy neighborhood signals, and solid amenity access.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.
Cost of Living
6% below national average
The Real Cost of Living in Williston, ND for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $18k | $33k |
| Comfortable | $51k | $75k |
| Luxury | $152k+ | $236k+ |
| Elite (Top 5%) | $182k+ | $283k+ |
112%
The Area Signal
A metric tracking the socioeconomic signals of the area.
Hobbies
Explore the areaGroceries
5 within 10 miles
Gas
0 within 10 miles
Hospital
3 within 20 miles
Airport
Ring Rock Ranch Airport 4NA1
Post Office
USPS — Williston, ND
Critical Amenities
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Williston, North Dakota, presents a distinctive quality-of-life profile shaped by its role as the hub of the Bakken oil boom. The city’s population skews younger and more transient than the national average, with a median age of 31.7 and a workforce heavily concentrated in energy extraction, construction, and transportation. Despite the boom-and-bust reputation, Williston has developed a stable, service-oriented economy that supports a cost of living below the national average, attracting both career-focused workers and families seeking affordable housing in a high-wage environment.
Cost of living, housing, and affordability compared to nearby areas
Williston’s overall cost of living index stands at 94, meaning it is 6% cheaper than the U.S. average. This is notably lower than in other western North Dakota energy towns like Watford City (index 98) or Dickinson (index 96). The median home value is $262,700, which is roughly $50,000 below the national median and significantly less than in Minot ($310,000) or Bismarck ($340,000). Median rent sits at $1,106, about $200 less than the national average, though rental availability can tighten during peak drilling seasons. The average one-way commute is 17.2 minutes, well under the national average of 26 minutes, reflecting the city’s compact layout and the fact that many workers live within city limits rather than commuting from distant man camps. Property taxes in Williams County are moderate, with an effective rate of about 1.1%, and North Dakota has no state income tax, further boosting take-home pay for residents.
What daily life is like for families: amenities, schools, and local rhythm
Daily life in Williston revolves around a small-city pace with big-city amenities driven by oil wealth. The Williston Public School District operates four elementary schools, one middle school, and Williston High School, which has a graduation rate of 88% and offers dual-credit programs through Williston State College. The city’s parks system includes 12 parks, with the 40-acre Spring Lake Park offering walking trails, a fishing pier, and a splash pad. The Raymond J. Brown Memorial Library provides free Wi-Fi and children’s programming. For shopping and dining, the Williston Square shopping center includes national retailers like Target and Home Depot, while local restaurants such as The Williston Brewing Company and The Starving Rooster cater to the workforce crowd. The city’s rhythm is tied to the oilfield schedule—12-hour shifts and rotational work weeks are common—so many businesses and services operate extended hours. The Williston Area Recreation Center offers an indoor pool, ice rink, and fitness classes, and the city hosts annual events like the Williston Winter Festival and the Williams County Fair. Healthcare is provided by CHI St. Alexius Health Williston, a 25-bed critical access hospital with a Level IV trauma center.
Williston is best suited for individuals and families who prioritize affordable homeownership, short commutes, and a high-wage job market over cultural amenities or a vibrant nightlife. The city’s economy is resilient but cyclical, so those with ties to energy, construction, or logistics will find the most stability. Retirees may find the low cost of living appealing, but the harsh winters—average January high of 20°F—and limited public transit could be drawbacks. For workers willing to adapt to the oilfield schedule and families seeking a safe, affordable community with good schools, Williston offers a pragmatic, no-frills quality of life that is difficult to match in larger, more expensive cities.
Crime in Williston, ND
Crime rates similar to the national median for U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Williston, North Dakota, reports a violent crime rate of 431.7 incidents per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1,768.6 per 100,000, placing it above both state and national averages for overall crime risk. The city’s safety profile is heavily shaped by its oil-boom history, transient population, and the local justice system’s approach to enforcement. While not among the most dangerous cities in the region, Williston requires residents to exercise greater vigilance than in typical small North Dakota towns.
Crime in context
Williston’s violent crime rate is roughly 23% higher than the national average (about 350 per 100K) and significantly above North Dakota’s state average of approximately 300 per 100K. Property crime in Williston runs about 30% above the national average (around 1,350 per 100K) and nearly double the state average. These elevated figures are largely attributed to the city’s role as a hub for the Bakken oil fields, which brings a large, often male, and transient workforce. The city’s police department has responded with targeted patrols in high-activity areas, but the underlying economic and demographic pressures remain. Readers should note that Williams County, where Williston is located, does not operate under the progressive prosecutorial policies seen in some larger urban jurisdictions; local district attorneys generally take a conventional approach to charging and sentencing, which can be viewed as a positive factor for public safety.
What residents experience
Daily life in Williston involves a heightened awareness of property crime, particularly theft from vehicles and burglary of temporary housing units like man camps and apartments. Assaults, often alcohol-related, make up the majority of violent incidents. The city’s small size means that many crimes occur in concentrated areas—near bars on Main Street, around the industrial parks, and in older neighborhoods near the railroad tracks. Residents in established subdivisions on the city’s east side report fewer incidents than those in the downtown core or near the oil-field staging areas. The transient nature of the workforce means that victims and offenders are often unknown to each other, a pattern that differs from the more relational crime typical of stable small towns.
Neighborhood-level variation is notable. The newer developments along 2nd Avenue West and the area around the Williston Basin School District’s main campus tend to have lower crime reports, while the older downtown grid and the industrial corridor along Highway 2 see the highest call volumes. Gated apartment complexes and newer single-family homes in the southwest quadrant offer a measurable safety buffer. For those considering relocation, consulting the Williston Police Department’s online crime map or speaking with a local realtor about specific block-level trends is advisable, as conditions can shift rapidly with the boom-and-bust cycles of the energy industry.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-04-19T06:51:42.000Z
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