Dating in North Dakota: How to Meet People Beyond Your Small Town

North Dakota has about 799,000 people and 355 incorporated cities and towns, and most of those places are small: 341 of them (96%) have fewer than 5,000 people, and 304 have fewer than 1,000. If you live in one, you already know what dating close to home looks like: you've met most of the single people you'd consider, or you know someone who has.

This page is for everyone in those towns. It covers why the big dating apps make a small town's dating pool even smaller, how Amarbis lets you meet people across all of North Dakota instead, and, further down, every city or town in North Dakota by county.

North Dakota by town size

Size of place	Places	People
Under 1,000	304	66,000
1,000 to 4,999	37	65,000
5,000 to 24,999	6	51,000
25,000 or more	8	444,000

The typical North Dakota city or town has about 157 people. Its 8 places of 25,000 or more, led by Fargo (136,000), Bismarck (78,000) and Grand Forks (60,000), are home to about 444,000 of the state's 799,000 people; everyone else lives in the smaller towns or outside city limits.

Why dating close to home runs out in small-town North Dakota

Dating apps that sort by distance start with the people nearest you. In a small North Dakota town that's a short list, and it doesn't take long to see all of it. A few examples:

Crosby (about 1,000 people): 6 other places with 484 people between them within 30 miles, and the nearest place of 25,000 or more is Williston, 53 miles away.
Bowman (about 1,400 people): 6 other places with 652 people between them within 30 miles, and the nearest place of 25,000 or more is Dickinson, 57 miles away.
Rolla (about 1,200 people): 12 other places with 1,700 people between them within 30 miles, and the nearest place of 25,000 or more is Minot, 87 miles away.

Those counts are for cities and towns only, so people in the countryside around them add to them, but the point stands: a distance-ranked app fills a small-town deck with the same few faces, and the bigger pools are a long drive away.

Why the nearest city is out of reach on the big apps

Dating in a small town is hard, and meeting someone in the nearest city can be harder. Many dating apps lean on distance to decide who you see, and Tinuiti's analysis of Tinder's algorithm says proximity is a key factor in who it shows you. When someone in Fargo or Bismarck opens a distance-ranked app, the people who live near them come first. You live farther away, so you land behind their neighbors in their deck, whatever your photos and profile say.

That's the small-town problem twice over: at home you keep seeing the same people, and in the city you're barely seen.

How Amarbis is different

You choose your region

On Amarbis you choose the region you meet people from instead of being limited to whoever lives closest. Choose North Dakota and your pool is the whole state, about 799,000 people, whether you live in Fargo or a town of a few hundred. A member in a town of 1,000 has the same state-wide pool as a member in Fargo.

Ranking isn't based on distance

On Amarbis, ranking isn't based on distance. Choose North Dakota as your region and the person you'd like to meet in Fargo isn't shown their next-door neighbor ahead of you because of where you live. It's the opposite of the proximity problem above, and it matters most to the people the big apps leave behind.

No distance limits, and the whole world if you want it

Amarbis has no distance limits, so you aren't limited to North Dakota either. You can widen your region to the neighboring states or meet someone in another country: Amarbis is an international dating app, the app speaks more than 50 languages, and built-in chat translation helps when you don't share one. The miles only matter once you both want to meet.

Real people, reviewed by real people

Every member has a real face photo, photos are screened before anyone sees them, and every profile on Amarbis is reviewed by a real person. When your local pool is small, every fake or abandoned profile takes up a bigger share of what you see, so that review step is worth more in a small town than in a big city.

Free to join

Joining is free, with no credit card. The free plan gives you 25 likes a day and unlimited messaging with your matches, so you can find out whether Amarbis works for your town before you pay anything. See plans and pricing for what the paid plans add.

How to start from a small town in North Dakota

Sign up free and build a profile that sounds like you: a clear photo of your face and one specific thing about life in your town. Our profile tips show what works.
Set your region to North Dakota, or wider if you like.
Message first. One good question about where someone lives works better than "hey", and a conversation can start long before anyone plans a drive.
When you both want to meet, pick a public place about halfway, tell a friend where you're going, and follow our safe-meeting checklist.

Built by someone from a small town

Amarbis's founder, Nick, is from Boardman, Oregon, a city of about 4,500 people. The small-town dating problem on this page is one he knows first-hand: a deck full of people you already know, and a nearby city that ranks its own neighbors ahead of you. Amarbis is built so that where you live in North Dakota doesn't decide who you can meet.

Every city or town in North Dakota

All 355 incorporated cities and towns in North Dakota, by county, with 2025 population estimates. Wherever yours is on this list, everything on this page applies to you: choose North Dakota as your region on Amarbis and every place below is in your pool.

Adams County

Bucyrus: 15 people
Haynes: 17 people
Hettinger: 1,119 people
Reeder: 130 people

Barnes County

Dazey: 74 people
Fingal: 86 people
Kathryn: 64 people
Leal: 23 people
Litchville: 163 people
Nome: 48 people
Oriska: 110 people
Pillsbury: 12 people
Rogers: 53 people
Sanborn: 160 people
Sibley: 18 people
Valley City: 6,430 people
Wimbledon: 176 people

Benson County

Brinsmade: 28 people
Esmond: 91 people
Knox: 20 people
Leeds: 424 people
Maddock: 384 people
Minnewaukan: 190 people
Oberon: 93 people
Warwick: 51 people
York: 14 people

Billings County

Medora: 157 people

Bottineau County

Antler: 19 people
Bottineau: 2,152 people
Gardena: 22 people
Kramer: 23 people
Landa: 37 people
Lansford: 230 people
Maxbass: 86 people
Newburg: 93 people
Overly: 10 people
Souris: 39 people
Westhope: 369 people
Willow City: 148 people

Bowman County

Bowman: 1,357 people
Gascoyne: 21 people
Rhame: 149 people
Scranton: 240 people

Burke County

Bowbells: 284 people
Columbus: 130 people
Flaxton: 61 people
Lignite: 131 people
Portal: 117 people
Powers Lake: 372 people

Burleigh County

Bismarck: 77,963 people
Lincoln: 4,493 people
Regan: 35 people
Wing: 137 people

Cass County

Alice: 43 people
Amenia: 90 people
Argusville: 474 people
Arthur: 328 people
Ayr: 10 people
Briarwood: 52 people
Buffalo: 188 people
Casselton: 2,485 people
Davenport: 258 people
Fargo: 136,275 people
Frontier: 193 people
Gardner: 125 people
Grandin: 191 people
Harwood: 845 people
Horace: 7,001 people
Hunter: 325 people
Kindred: 1,044 people
Leonard: 241 people
Mapleton: 1,496 people
North River: 56 people
Oxbow: 371 people
Page: 187 people
Prairie Rose: 55 people
Reile's Acres: 880 people
Tower City: 273 people
West Fargo: 41,175 people

Cavalier County

Alsen: 29 people
Calio: 7 people
Calvin: 15 people
Hannah: 7 people
Langdon: 1,809 people
Loma: 7 people
Milton: 39 people
Munich: 181 people
Nekoma: 29 people
Osnabrock: 93 people
Sarles: 21 people
Wales: 8 people

Dickey County

Ellendale: 1,129 people
Forbes: 36 people
Fullerton: 56 people
Ludden: 15 people
Monango: 30 people
Oakes: 1,765 people

Divide County

Ambrose: 16 people
Crosby: 1,027 people
Fortuna: 30 people
Noonan: 133 people

Dunn County

Dodge: 86 people
Dunn Center: 235 people
Halliday: 231 people
Killdeer: 912 people

Eddy County

New Rockford: 1,342 people
Sheyenne: 184 people

Emmons County

Braddock: 19 people
Hague: 70 people
Hazelton: 218 people
Linton: 1,041 people
Strasburg: 357 people

Foster County

Carrington: 1,950 people
Glenfield: 93 people
Grace City: 52 people
McHenry: 60 people

Golden Valley County

Beach: 994 people
Golva: 88 people
Sentinel Butte: 69 people

Grand Forks County

Emerado: 452 people
Gilby: 246 people
Grand Forks: 60,365 people
Inkster: 38 people
Larimore: 1,359 people
Manvel: 368 people
Niagara: 43 people
Northwood: 959 people
Thompson: 1,100 people

Grant County

Carson: 241 people
Elgin: 516 people
Leith: 27 people
New Leipzig: 206 people

Griggs County

Binford: 162 people
Cooperstown: 969 people
Hannaford: 122 people

Hettinger County

Mott: 645 people
New England: 717 people
Regent: 167 people

Kidder County

Dawson: 76 people
Pettibone: 59 people
Robinson: 36 people
Steele: 664 people
Tappen: 216 people
Tuttle: 58 people

LaMoure County

Berlin: 33 people
Dickey: 50 people
Edgeley: 584 people
Jud: 66 people
Kulm: 372 people
LaMoure: 758 people
Marion: 128 people
Verona: 62 people

Logan County

Fredonia: 39 people
Gackle: 280 people
Napoleon: 738 people

McHenry County

Anamoose: 216 people
Balfour: 16 people
Bergen: 12 people
Deering: 93 people
Drake: 277 people
Granville: 231 people
Karlsruhe: 86 people
Kief: 7 people
Towner: 454 people
Upham: 130 people
Velva: 1,046 people
Voltaire: 43 people

McIntosh County

Ashley: 599 people
Lehr: 80 people
Venturia: 19 people
Wishek: 827 people
Zeeland: 82 people

McKenzie County

Alexander: 325 people
Arnegard: 294 people
Watford City: 6,378 people

McLean County

Benedict: 66 people
Butte: 69 people
Coleharbor: 64 people
Garrison: 1,446 people
Max: 321 people
Mercer: 122 people
Riverdale: 221 people
Ruso: 4 people
Turtle Lake: 524 people
Underwood: 760 people
Washburn: 1,254 people
Wilton: 702 people

Mercer County

Beulah: 3,077 people
Golden Valley: 189 people
Hazen: 2,314 people
Pick City: 135 people
Stanton: 367 people
Zap: 229 people

Morton County

Almont: 93 people
Flasher: 230 people
Glen Ullin: 708 people
Hebron: 792 people
Mandan: 25,061 people
New Salem: 1,082 people

Mountrail County

New Town: 2,715 people
Palermo: 122 people
Parshall: 895 people
Plaza: 204 people
Ross: 96 people
Stanley: 2,181 people
White Earth: 92 people

Nelson County

Aneta: 233 people
Lakota: 683 people
McVille: 386 people
Michigan City: 258 people
Pekin: 74 people
Petersburg: 157 people
Tolna: 132 people

Oliver County

Center: 583 people

Pembina County

Bathgate: 46 people
Canton City: 30 people
Cavalier: 1,218 people
Crystal: 108 people
Drayton: 724 people
Hamilton: 40 people
Mountain: 79 people
Neche: 331 people
Pembina: 492 people
St. Thomas: 305 people
Walhalla: 867 people

Pierce County

Balta: 63 people
Rugby: 2,412 people
Wolford: 42 people

Ramsey County

Brocket: 34 people
Crary: 112 people
Devils Lake: 7,333 people
Edmore: 138 people
Hampden: 28 people
Lawton: 18 people
Starkweather: 97 people

Ransom County

Elliott: 22 people
Enderlin: 860 people
Fort Ransom: 95 people
Lisbon: 2,184 people
Sheldon: 94 people

Renville County

Glenburn: 414 people
Grano: 9 people
Loraine: 8 people
Mohall: 706 people
Sherwood: 196 people
Tolley: 43 people

Richland County

Abercrombie: 269 people
Barney: 43 people
Christine: 149 people
Colfax: 217 people
Dwight: 77 people
Fairmount: 331 people
Great Bend: 52 people
Hankinson: 936 people
Lidgerwood: 585 people
Mantador: 68 people
Mooreton: 177 people
Wahpeton: 8,141 people
Walcott: 268 people
Wyndmere: 442 people

Rolette County

Dunseith: 606 people
Mylo: 19 people
Rolette: 462 people
Rolla: 1,156 people
St. John: 310 people

Sargent County

Cayuga: 39 people
Cogswell: 69 people
Forman: 489 people
Gwinner: 894 people
Havana: 64 people
Milnor: 606 people
Rutland: 156 people

Sheridan County

Goodrich: 109 people
Martin: 62 people
McClusky: 320 people

Sioux County

Fort Yates: 167 people
Selfridge: 119 people
Solen: 66 people

Slope County

Amidon: 21 people
Marmarth: 91 people

Stark County

Belfield: 999 people
Dickinson: 25,870 people
Gladstone: 283 people
Richardton: 695 people
South Heart: 419 people
Taylor: 230 people

Steele County

Finley: 392 people
Hope: 278 people
Luverne: 27 people
Sharon: 89 people

Stutsman County

Buchanan: 84 people
Cleveland: 81 people
Courtenay: 37 people
Jamestown: 15,688 people
Kensal: 146 people
Medina: 262 people
Montpelier: 87 people
Pingree: 43 people
Spiritwood Lake: 96 people
Streeter: 150 people
Woodworth: 46 people

Towner County

Bisbee: 102 people
Cando: 1,051 people
Egeland: 31 people
Hansboro: 14 people
Perth: 6 people
Rocklake: 91 people

Traill County

Buxton: 349 people
Clifford: 31 people
Galesburg: 112 people
Hatton: 708 people
Hillsboro: 1,648 people
Mayville: 1,807 people
Portland: 576 people
Reynolds: 273 people

Walsh County

Adams: 121 people
Ardoch: 31 people
Conway: 14 people
Edinburg: 193 people
Fairdale: 31 people
Fordville: 199 people
Forest River: 109 people
Grafton: 4,023 people
Hoople: 242 people
Lankin: 98 people
Minto: 610 people
Park River: 1,363 people
Pisek: 86 people

Ward County

Berthold: 464 people
Burlington: 1,350 people
Carpio: 140 people
Des Lacs: 182 people
Donnybrook: 72 people
Douglas: 88 people
Kenmare: 911 people
Makoti: 153 people
Minot: 47,308 people
Ryder: 103 people
Sawyer: 307 people
Surrey: 1,450 people

Wells County

Bowdon: 131 people
Cathay: 19 people
Fessenden: 437 people
Hamberg: 12 people
Harvey: 1,532 people
Hurdsfield: 58 people
Sykeston: 95 people

Williams County

Alamo: 56 people
Epping: 89 people
Grenora: 230 people
Ray: 768 people
Springbrook: 35 people
Tioga: 2,221 people
Wildrose: 119 people
Williston: 29,522 people

Frequently asked questions

What is the best dating app for small towns in North Dakota?

We think it's Amarbis. You choose the region you meet people from, so a small North Dakota town gets the same state-wide pool as Fargo; ranking isn't based on distance; there are no distance limits; every profile is reviewed by a real person; and joining is free.

Why do I keep seeing the same people on dating apps in my North Dakota town?

Many dating apps lean on distance to decide who you see, and in a small town the closest people are a short list. Tinuiti's analysis of Tinder's algorithm says proximity is a key factor, which is why a small-town deck fills with the same neighbors. On Amarbis you choose your region, so your pool isn't limited to your zip code.

Can I meet people from all over North Dakota?

Yes. Choose North Dakota as your region and you meet people across the state, from wherever you live, without being ranked behind someone's neighbors.

Can I meet people outside North Dakota?

Yes. Amarbis has no distance limits, so you can widen your region or meet someone in another country, with built-in chat translation when you don't share a language. Start with the international dating guide.

Is Amarbis free?

Yes. Joining is free, with no credit card, and the free plan includes 25 likes a day and unlimited messaging with your matches. Create your profile.

Neighboring states: Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota. See all 50 states. New here? Read why Amarbis is the best dating app for small towns.

More from Amarbis

Population figures are U.S. Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025. Distances are straight-line miles between place center points, so road distances are longer. Counts of nearby places include cities and towns in every state.