The Town Files

Horace, North Dakota

City in Cass County · population 3,085 (2020 Census)

Map: where Horace is in North DakotaHorace
Median home
$414,500
Household income
$138,578
Jan low / Jul high
-2° / 82°
Snow a year
48 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
30
Median age
33.9

Horace is a city of 3,085 people in Cass County, North Dakota. The median home is worth $414,500, above the typical North Dakota town ($167,950). It ranks more upscale than 100% of North Dakota towns, better for families than 95% of North Dakota towns.

How Horace ranks

Percentile among North Dakota towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of North Dakota towns.

Horace lifestyle rankings vs other North Dakota townsRetirement14th pctFamilies95th pctQuiet49th pctWalkability45th pctFirst-time buyersbottomYoung professionals55th pctVibrancy66th pctHip & trendy4th pctCollege town9th pctUpscale100th pctVacation homesbottomSeaside characterbottomCyclingbottomTransitbottomDriving36th pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Horace is worth $414,500, above the typical North Dakota town ($167,950). Homes cost about 3.0 times the median household income of $138,578, which is more affordable than 28% of North Dakota towns. Median rent is $2,146 a month. 94.4% of households own their home.

Horace vs Cass County vs typical North Dakota townHoraceCass CountyTypical North Dakota townHome value$414,500$298,000$167,950Household income$138,578$75,555$68,195Monthly rent$2,146$958$775
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of North Dakota towns with 500+ people.
HousingHoraceTypical North Dakota town
Median home value$414,500$167,950
Median rent$2,146$775
Median household income$138,578$68,195
Home value ÷ income3.0×2.5×
Homeownership94.4%68.6%
Median year built20061973
Seasonal / vacation homes0.0%—

Who lives in Horace

PeopleHoraceTypical North Dakota town
Median age33.939.0
Age 65 and over6.4%20.1%
Under 1833.9%—
Bachelor's degree or higher45.0%23.0%
Below the poverty line4.3%10.6%
Veterans3.3%—
Born outside the U.S.2.6%—
Work from home10.3%5.5%
Average commute29.4 min16.8 min
Homes with broadband96.8%87.3%

Weather in Horace

July highs average 81.6°F and January lows -2.1°F. About 24.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 47.6 inches of snow (typical North Dakota town: 44.3 in). Expect about 7 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 183 nights at or below freezing.

Horace monthly temperatures and precipitation-10°0°10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°90°32° freezing17°-2°Jan22°1°Feb35°16°Mar53°30°Apr68°44°May77°55°Jun82°60°Jul80°57°Aug72°47°Sep56°34°Oct38°20°Nov24°7°DecPrecipitation (in) · snow (in) in blue0.710.30.77.61.18.41.63.73.14.33.72.72.52.20.90.96.40.810.3
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Fargo 3S station (7.4 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

30 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Horace since 1950, compared with 11 for the typical North Dakota town. 8 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F5, struck on June 20, 1957 about 8.8 miles from the town center and killed 10. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 10 deaths and 106 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on June 20, 2025.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Horace by decade41950s21960s21970s41980s21990s82000s72010s12020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 92 times; the largest was 4.00 inches on June 29, 2026.

Severe weather in Cass County since 1996

Storm events in Cass County since 1996 by typeHail384Flood37Tornado56Blizzard83High Wind55Heavy Snow45Flash Flood50Funnel Cloud34
NOAA Storm Events Database, Cass County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 9 deaths recorded.

Cass County has been included in 35 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, biological, severe storm.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
September 11, 2025Severe StormDR-4888: Severe Storm, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds
February 15, 2024Winter StormDR-4760: Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds
July 9, 2020FloodDR-4553: Flooding
April 1, 2020BiologicalDR-4509: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3477: Covid-19

Jobs and pay in Cass County

Cass County had 128,033 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $66,805 a year. Unemployment was 1.7% in 2023; in Horace itself the ACS puts it at 0.4%.

Largest industries in Cass CountyHealth care & social assistan…22,662 jobs · $71,551Retail12,676 jobs · $40,332Manufacturing10,956 jobs · $72,039Hotels & restaurants10,521 jobs · $25,918Construction9,394 jobs · $78,159Wholesale trade7,956 jobs · $94,389
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Cass County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%2000200420082012201620202023Cass 1.7%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Horace

3 public schools with 1,873 students, about 13.7 students per teacher.

SchoolGradesStudentsPer teacher
HERITAGE MIDDLE SCHOOL6-875413.7
HORACE HIGH SCHOOL9-1267614.1
HORACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLK-544313.0

Towns near Horace

Horace questions

Is Horace, North Dakota a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Horace scores better for retirees than 14% of North Dakota towns and quieter than 49%. 6.4% of residents are 65 or older (median age 33.9).

How much does a house cost in Horace?

The median owner-occupied home in Horace is valued at $414,500 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $138,578, so homes cost about 3.0 times income. Median rent is $2,146 a month.

What is the weather like in Horace?

July highs average 81.6°F and January lows -2.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 24.4 inches of precipitation a year and 47.6 inches of snow.

Does Horace get tornadoes?

30 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Horace since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F5 on June 20, 1957. The typical North Dakota town has had 11.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Horace's Census boundary (GEOID 3838900). Comparisons use the median of North Dakota towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-13.