Best Places to Buy Rental Property in North Dakota (2026)

We ranked all 11 North Dakota counties that have both a median home price and a median rent, ordered by the cap rate a median-priced rental would produce. Stutsman County leads at 3.7%, with a median price of $233,456.

North Dakota counties ranked by cap rate

#MarketCap rateMedian priceMedian rentCash flowAnalyze
1Stutsman County, ND3.7%$233,456$1,117-$567Run numbers
2Ward County, ND3.5%$281,678$1,254-$745Run numbers
3Barnes County, ND3.5%$199,967$886-$532Run numbers
4Morton County, ND3.4%$323,684$1,393-$888Run numbers
5Stark County, ND3.1%$321,830$1,268-$958Run numbers
6Richland County, ND3.0%$233,772$903-$708Run numbers
7Grand Forks County, ND3.0%$300,182$1,153-$913Run numbers
8Williams County, ND2.9%$348,966$1,290-$1,094Run numbers
9McKenzie County, ND2.7%$376,544$1,322-$1,226Run numbers
10Burleigh County, ND2.6%$370,274$1,258-$1,233Run numbers
11Cass County, ND2.5%$339,508$1,107-$1,161Run numbers

Looking for every county in the state, including those without rent data? Browse the full North Dakota market directory.

How this ranking is calculated

We scored 11 counties in North Dakota and ranked them by capitalization rate, calculated as annual net operating income divided by median home price. Markets without both a median home price and a median rent are excluded, because cash flow cannot be estimated without both.

Every figure assumes a median-priced home rented at the local median rent, financed with 20 percent down on a 30-year loan at 7.40%, with closing costs at 3 percent of price and operating costs at 35 percent of rent. Operating costs cover taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and management.

These are modeled estimates for comparing markets, not quotes on a specific property. A real deal turns on the individual property, its condition, and the actual rent it can command. Run any market that interests you through the calculator with real numbers before you make an offer.

National rankings

Compare North Dakota against the rest of the country.

Other states

States with fewer than 5 counties reporting both price and rent are omitted, because a ranking that short would not be meaningful.

Run the numbers on a North Dakota property

Start from Stutsman County median values and replace them with a real listing price and rent to see whether the deal actually works.