Blaine vs Fargo
The short version
- Fargo is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 13% lower than in the Blaine area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $281,900 in Fargo and $352,400 in Blaine.
- Households earn more in Blaine ($106,801 vs $66,998 median).
- Blaine has the warmer winter: January highs of 22°F vs 18°F.
- Commutes are shorter in Fargo (16 vs 25 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Blaine, MN | Fargo, ND | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 76,603 | 136,275 |
| Growth since 2020 | +9.1% | +8.2% |
| People per square mile | 2,328 | 2,647 |
| Median age | 37.5 | 31.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37% | 43% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $106,801 | $66,998 |
| Median home value | $352,400 | $281,900 |
| Home value to income | 3.3× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,705 | $946 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 104.8 | 90.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 111.8 | 81.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $78,600 | $68,200 |
| Homeowners | 85% | 44% |
| Top state income tax | 9.85% | 2.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.14% | 7.09% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.5 | 15.5 |
| Work from home | 21% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.2% | 3.8% |
| Poverty rate | 7.2% | 12.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 22° / 2° | 18° / 0° |
| July high / low | 82° / 60° | 82° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 29 in | 24 in |
| Snowfall per year | 44 in | 51 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 10 | 11 |
| Nights below freezing | 172 | 172 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 88.0 | 82.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 55% | 76% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.6% | +4.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +27.3% | +35.6% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Blaine: May to September. Fargo: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Blaine weather by month and Fargo weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $78,600 in Blaine and $68,200 in Fargo. Moving from Blaine to Fargo, you would need about $65,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Blaine and Fargo
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Blaine and Fargo.
Which would you pick?
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