Is Finley, ND a Good Place to Live?
Finley is a small town of 291 in North Dakota, with a median household income of $71,458 and a 3.9% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 85 (US average = 100), which is 15% below the national average.
Strengths: Finley stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B+), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Finley is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Finley city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 85.1Finley's overall cost of living index is 85.1, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Finley costs roughly 15% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Finley, ND | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $67,300 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $617 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 72.9% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $71,458 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Crime data for Finley is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
Finley is served primarily by FINLEY-SHARON 19. The student-to-teacher ratio is 5.3:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Finley, ND | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | FINLEY-SHARON 19 | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 5.3:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 29.1% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 93.4% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Finley sees average highs of 16.4°F in January and 78.8°F in July, with 22.0 inches of annual precipitation and 42.2 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Finley, ND |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 16.4°F |
| Average High — July | 78.8°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 22.0" |
| Annual Snowfall | 42.2" |
Demographics
| Metric | Finley, ND | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 291 | — |
| Median Age | 51.3 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.9% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 11.5 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 96.6% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.0% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 16.5% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 33.3% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Finley
Finley, ND is covered by 1 ZIP code: