North Dakota 55+ Active Adult Retirement Communities

Overview

Retiring to North Dakota has many benefits for active adults who enjoy enjoy nature and low tax benefits. A rich art and history background, picturesque views, and a high wellbeing index make North Dakota a great retirement location. 

Climate & Geography

North Dakota is between two physiographic regions: the Central Plains, semi-arid prairie land, in the east and the Great Plains, high plateau grasslands, in the west. The Missouri Plateau is on the western half of North Dakota and has the highest point in the state.

There are two major rivers in North Dakota: the Red River of the North which flows north and the Missouri River flows east. 

North Dakota has a continental climate with large variance in temperature, depending on the season. Residents experience warm to hot summers and cold, windy winters. Areas east of the Missouri River receive slightly colder winters. North Dakota gets less rainfall, and more snowfall than the national average.

Recreation, Culture, & Entertainment 

Residents of North Dakota have a wide range of options when it comes to recreation and entertainment from enjoying the great outdoors to revisiting important moments in history. 

Across the state, residents enjoy year-round entertainment like wine walks, pop-up parks, musical productions, festivals, and big-name concerts, and historic and contemporary architecture tours. 

For active adults who enjoy being outdoors, North Dakota offers a landscape of domes, rolling hills, and buttes like at the Badlands and a national park. The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is comprised of three areas of lands, each offering a different experience. Camping, hiking, and  wildlife watching are available to nature lovers. 

For more outdoor recreation other than fishing, hiking, and hunting, North Dakota is a great place for winter sports like snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling. 

Cost of Living & Taxes

The cost of living in North Dakota is just below the national index. Housing is the main factor for the cost of living difference. There is a 5 percent state levy with localities able to add as much as 3.5 percent for sales tax. 

Though Social Security benefits and other forms of retirement income are taxable at ordinary income tax rates, the state income tax ranges from 1.10 percent to 2.90 percent. 

Health Care

North Dakota is ranked No. 10 on Gallup’s National Health and Well-Being Index. Five elements of wellbeing are taken into consideration when ranking the states: career, social, financial, community, and physical.  

Altru Health System-Grand Forks is ranked No. 1 in North Dakota. The hospital is high performing in the pulmonology and lung surgery specialty and five procedures and conditions. Sanford Medical Center Bismarck ranked No. 2 in North Dakota and is high performing in two adult specialities and three procedures and conditions.