| City | Rank | Annual Change ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horace | 1 | 10.57% | 7,741 | 3,249 |
| Mapleton | 2 | 2.14% | 1,528 | 1,332 |
| Fargo | 3 | 1.69% | 138,574 | 125,989 |
| Surrey | 4 | 1.31% | 1,469 | 1,354 |
| Bismarck | 5 | 1.14% | 78,848 | 73,741 |
| West Fargo | 6 | 1.08% | 41,619 | 38,894 |
| Lincoln | 7 | 1.05% | 4,540 | 4,288 |
| Burlington | 8 | 0.74% | 1,360 | 1,287 |
| Mandan | 9 | 0.61% | 25,214 | 24,219 |
| Wahpeton | 10 | 0.37% | 8,171 | 8,011 |
| Grand Forks | 11 | 0.25% | 60,516 | 59,155 |
| Hettinger | 12 | 0.09% | 1,120 | 1,087 |
| Devils Lake | 13 | 0.08% | 7,339 | 7,303 |
| Hillsboro | 14 | 0.06% | 1,649 | 1,648 |
| Hazen | 15 | 0% | 2,314 | 2,278 |
| Casselton | 16 | -0.04% | 2,484 | 2,478 |
| New Rockford | 17 | -0.07% | 1,341 | 1,345 |
| Beulah | 18 | -0.1% | 3,074 | 3,057 |
| Watford City | 19 | -0.11% | 6,371 | 6,251 |
| Lisbon | 20 | -0.14% | 2,181 | 2,202 |
| Garrison | 21 | -0.14% | 1,444 | 1,468 |
| Jamestown | 22 | -0.14% | 15,666 | 15,813 |
| Dickinson | 23 | -0.15% | 25,830 | 25,807 |
| Thompson | 24 | -0.18% | 1,098 | 1,096 |
| Oakes | 25 | -0.23% | 1,761 | 1,783 |
| Bottineau | 26 | -0.23% | 2,147 | 2,194 |
| New Town | 27 | -0.33% | 2,706 | 2,771 |
| Valley City | 28 | -0.36% | 6,407 | 6,581 |
| Williston | 29 | -0.41% | 29,401 | 29,306 |
| Larimore | 30 | -0.44% | 1,353 | 1,260 |
| Mayville | 31 | -0.44% | 1,799 | 1,849 |
| Tioga | 32 | -0.45% | 2,211 | 2,213 |
| Ellendale | 33 | -0.53% | 1,123 | 1,156 |
| Washburn | 34 | -0.56% | 1,247 | 1,295 |
| Linton | 35 | -0.58% | 1,035 | 1,065 |
| Minot | 36 | -0.59% | 47,031 | 48,385 |
| Rugby | 37 | -0.66% | 2,396 | 2,500 |
| Cavalier | 38 | -0.74% | 1,209 | 1,253 |
| Grafton | 39 | -0.85% | 3,989 | 4,160 |
| Langdon | 40 | -0.94% | 1,792 | 1,899 |
| Park River | 41 | -0.95% | 1,350 | 1,418 |
| Crosby | 42 | -0.97% | 1,017 | 1,074 |
| Velva | 43 | -1.05% | 1,035 | 1,096 |
| Carrington | 44 | -1.13% | 1,928 | 2,075 |
| Bowman | 45 | -1.25% | 1,340 | 1,464 |
| Rolla | 46 | -1.3% | 1,141 | 1,216 |
| Harvey | 47 | -1.31% | 1,512 | 1,635 |
| Cando | 48 | -1.52% | 1,035 | 1,113 |
| Stanley | 49 | -1.74% | 2,143 | 2,367 |
North Dakota's cities with over 1,000 residents show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2025. Horace leads with 10.57% annualized growth, followed by Mapleton (2.14%) and Fargo (1.69%). The largest population centers are Fargo (138,574), Bismarck (78,848), and Grand Forks (60,516). Of the 49 cities over 1,000 population, 15 are growing while 34 experienced population decline. Overall, cities averaged 0.01% annualized growth, with total urban population growing by 4.68% annually.