What actually sets North Dakota apart
The primary residence credit is claimed annually and is not applied automatically to a newly purchased home. Buyers who miss it in their first year pay noticeably more than a neighbour in an identical house who filed.
Property taxes in North Dakota at a glance
- Average effective tax rate: 0.99% of home value per year
- Median home value: $241,100
- Estimated tax on a median-value home: $2,392 per year (about $199 per month)
- Rank by tax rate: 22nd of 50, highest first
- Rank by amount actually paid: 30th of 50, highest first
- Where these figures come from: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, for the North Dakota statewide averages shown above — ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, last reviewed September 2026.
What the North Dakota rate leaves out
North Dakota is 22nd of the fifty by rate and 30th by the bill a median-value owner receives — a shift of 8 places, and the $241,100 median home value is what causes it. The rate is a reasonable shorthand here, but it is not the whole answer, and both numbers are worth checking before comparing North Dakota with anywhere else.
How North Dakota works out what you owe
Property is assessed at 50% of market value, and a 9% residential taxable ratio is then applied to that, so mills fall on a small fraction of what the house is worth.
North Dakota sets no statutory limit on how fast a home's taxable value can rise, so a North Dakota assessment tracks the market more closely than it would in a capped state.
Exemptions North Dakota homeowners should claim
Each of these reduces a North Dakota bill every year you hold the property, and almost none are granted without a claim:
- Primary residence credit: A statewide credit against the bill on an owner-occupied primary residence, available regardless of age or income, but only if it is applied for.
- Homestead credit: An income-tested reduction in taxable value for owners aged 65 or older and for permanently disabled owners.
Where you buy inside North Dakota changes the bill
A statewide average hides its extremes. Where they show up in North Dakota:
- Cass County: Fargo, the largest market in the state and the one with the deepest resale activity
- Burleigh County: Bismarck, where state government employment stabilises the market
- Williams County: the oil patch around Williston, where values and construction track drilling activity rather than the wider state
North Dakota and its neighbours
The same $241,100 — the North Dakota median — taxed at each neighbouring state's average rate:
- Minnesota at 1.04%: about $2,507 a year, roughly $115 more than the $2,392 a North Dakota owner would pay on the same value.
- South Dakota at 1.09%: about $2,628 a year, roughly $236 more than the $2,392 a North Dakota owner would pay on the same value.
- Montana at 0.75%: about $1,808 a year, roughly $584 less than the $2,392 a North Dakota owner would pay on the same value.
Appealing a North Dakota assessment
If the assessed value on your North Dakota home overstates what it is worth, the route is an appeal to the local and county boards of equalization, then the State Board of Equalization. The window is local boards meet in April, county boards in June, and it is strict — missing it means waiting a full cycle.
Frequently asked questions
When are North Dakota property taxes due, and when must exemption claims be filed?
Bills are mailed in December. A discount applies for paying in full by 15 February, and the tax is due 1 March. The primary residence credit is applied for through the Office of State Tax Commissioner, generally by 31 March each year.
Does this calculator use my exact North Dakota county tax rate?
No — it applies the North Dakota statewide average of 0.99%. Rates are set locally, and the spread inside North Dakota is wide enough to matter: on a $241,100 home, $11 a year separates North Dakota from an averagely taxed state before any county variation is counted. Check the parcel's own rate with its North Dakota county before relying on this figure.
Reference sources
Related calculators
How this estimate is built
Principal and interest come from the standard amortization formula, worked through in full on the formula reference page. Property tax, insurance, PMI and loan-program figures layer on top from published assumptions — each one sourced, dated and listed on the methodology page. Every result here is an estimate built from public data, not a quote: confirm the specifics with a lender before relying on it.
For developers
This calculation is also available as a REST API and through an MCP server, both running the same engine as this page — so the figures match by construction rather than by convention. No key required.