City profile · North Dakota · Census ACS 2023

Thompson, ND

Thompson's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

1,092
Residents
$110,909
Median income
$274,000
Median home
$965
Median rent (state)
View my watchlist

Compare or rank this city

Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

Compare with another city

Starting with Thompson, ND - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Thompson.

Place dossier plate

Sheet ND-THOMPSON-ND · Thompson, ND 1,092 pop · income 84th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-TOP · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 1,092
  • INC-TOP $110,909
  • COL-BELOW 89.0
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-TOP 84th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Chewsville
  • HOME-MID $274,000
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Chewsville, MD (+ $0 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Thompson

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Thompson on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Thompson on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 1,092.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $110,909. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Thompson - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Thompson places in the 84th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

84th
percentile, household income
60th
percentile, home value
7th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Thompson, ND

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 1,092 residents in Thompson, a small town within North Dakota. Median household income here is $110,909 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. Typical homes in Thompson are valued around $274,000, and the median resident age is 44.5 years. Educational attainment runs 39.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 75.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

In 2024, 1 residential building permits were authorized in Thompson (Construction Slowdown), down 50% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data.

Living costs in North Dakota run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts North Dakota at 89.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $965 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts North Dakota's average monthly utility costs around $200 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 22.2 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very Low).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Thompson's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from schools and households to work and mobility to housing and income to comparison shortlist to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Thompson, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count. No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Schools and households

What does the education layer cover for Thompson?

The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.

The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 39.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.

See how the family ranking is built →

Question 2

What does the journey to work look like in Thompson?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 77.3%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Compare commute patterns →

3. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Thompson?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 0.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

4. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Thompson?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within North Dakota, the closest population matches are Shell Valley (1,112 residents, $43,281 income); Crosby (1,116 residents, $80,000 income); Hettinger (1,141 residents, $50,750 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Teviston, CA (1,092 residents); Sully, IA (1,092 residents); Chevy Chase View, MD (1,092 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.

Population change

Is Thompson growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +4 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.

2020 estimate
1,096
2025 estimate
1,100
Period change
+0.4%

Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.

See the national growth ranking →

Population

1,092 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$110,909 /yr

High income · poverty 0.0% (Very low poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

89.0 (US=100)

Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, North Dakota average

City profile score · Thompson, ND

87/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Poverty rate A+
0.0%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Cost of living A
89.0 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Household income A-
$110,909

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Bachelor's+ share B+
39.7%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Thompson profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Poverty rate, Cost of living, Household income, Bachelor's+ share. Poverty rateCost of livingHousehold incomeBachelor's+ share 87 A
Thompson profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Poverty rate: 100/100 (A+) · 0.0%
  • Cost of living: 89/100 (A) · 89.0 index
  • Household income: 82/100 (A-) · $110,909
  • Bachelor's+ share: 75/100 (B+) · 39.7%

How does Thompson compare to other US cities?

Thompson measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 84% higher than other cities
Home value 60% pricier than other cities
Median rent 7% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Thompson against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Dakota only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

North Dakota-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Thompson near the bottom of North Dakota's cities

Among the 246 North Dakota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Thompson ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Thompson only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#12 of 227
95th percentile in North Dakota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 246
0th percentile in North Dakota
Median Home Value
#17 of 226
92nd percentile in North Dakota
Poverty Rate
#194 of 246
0th percentile in North Dakota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#16 of 246
93rd percentile in North Dakota
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Dakota only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

84thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

84th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Thompson's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$274,000 40th percentile more affordable than 40% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). This entry sits in this band. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Thompson $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Thompson's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.5×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#3,846 of 15,516
More affordable than 75% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,480 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 2.5×, Thompson sits in the affordable band: national rank #3,846 of 15,516 and #3,480 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$110,909 Thompson, ND median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Thompson, ND Thompson, ND's median household income ($110,909) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Thompson, ND-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Thompson, ND median $110,909/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Thompson, ND median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Thompson, ND.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 39.7%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 75.3%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
1,092
Median Income
$110,909
Median Home Value
$274,000
Median Age
44.5
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
75.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
39.7%

Schools

Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
1,060 residents1,070 residents1,080 residents1,090 residents1,100 residents1,110 residents 202020212022202320242025 1,096 residents 1,100 residents ▲ +0.4%
Thompson's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 1,096 residents
2021 1,084 residents
2022 1,072 residents
2023 1,074 residents
2024 1,088 residents
2025 1,100 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
1
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.9
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 2
2020 1
2021 0
2022 0
2023 4
2024 1

Permit volume decreased 50% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
77.3%
Carpool
13.5%
Public Transit
0.8%
Walk
2.0%
Work from Home
6.4%

Based on 598 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

North Dakota statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $200

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across North Dakota at $200 (electricity about $90 , water and sewer about $40 ).

These are North Dakota statewide averages, not a meter reading for Thompson. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

North Dakota's BEA cost-of-living index is 89.0 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Thompson is $965/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to North Dakota statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 22.2 / 100 (Very Low).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a North Dakota statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Thompson sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Thompson compares to similar-size North Dakota cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Thompson (this city) 1,092 $110,909
Shell Valley 1,112 $43,281
Crosby 1,116 $80,000
Hettinger 1,141 $50,750
NCES CCD Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

Browse all city profiles → · Explore city rankings →

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Share or download this profile