County

Wells County

North Dakota · 3,729 residents (2025 est.)

FHFA annual index 2020–2021Developmental county indexPermits through August 2026

Wells County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession

FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties. FHFA describes its county indexes as developmental and subject to revision. The index does not give a dollar value for any home.

Wells County, North Dakota, has an FHFA house price index from 2020. Through 2021 it has risen +1.5%, from 100 to 101. FHFA's most recent value for this area is for 2021, so every span here ends in 2021.

Builders were authorised for 1 housing units in the county in the 12 months to August 2026, 0.3 units per 1,000 residents; 100% were single-family houses. Since 1995 the county has authorised 56 units, most in 2011.

+1.5%1 year, 2020–2021North Dakota +5.0%

—5 yearsUS +33.4%

—10 years— a year annualised

—since 2000US +96.1%

1units permitted, 12 months0.3 per 1,000 residents

Same span, four levels

Change in the FHFA index	Wells County	Metro area	North Dakota	United States
1 year (2020–2021)	+1.5%	—	+5.0%	+11.6%
5 years (2016–2021)	—	—	+11.3%	+33.4%
10 years (2011–2021)	—	—	+46.8%	+58.3%
20 years (2001–2021)	—	—	+120.1%	+83.8%
Since 2000	—	—	+129.0%	+96.1%
Since 2020	+1.5%	—	+5.0%	+11.6%
10-year annualised	—	—	+3.9%	+4.7%
20-year annualised	—	—	+4.0%	+3.1%

All columns are FHFA annual all-transactions indexes over the same years.

Decade by decade

Decade	Change		United States
2020s so far (2020–2021)	+1.5%		+11.6%

FHFA reports each index with a value of 100 in its base period, the first year the area has enough transactions (2020 here). A decade's change is the index at the end of the decade divided by the index at the start, so it does not depend on the base year; the United States column covers the same years. Decades before 2020 are not shown.

Peak-to-low declines

No decline of 5% or more from a peak appears in the annual index for this area.

Building permits

Housing units authorised by building permits in Wells County, by month over the latest five years and by year since 1995.

Housing units authorised in Wells County by month, latest 12 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings

Housing units authorised in Wells County by month, latest 60 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings

Housing units authorised in Wells County by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings

Permits, 12 months to August 2026	Wells County	North Dakota	United States
Housing units authorised	1	2,139	1,418,086
Units per 1,000 residents	0.3	2.7	4.1
Single-family share	100%	71%	63%
Change on previous 12 months	—	−14.9%	−0.1%
Units authorised since 1995	56	127,419	43,082,761

Population is the Census Bureau's vintage 2025 estimate. Permits authorise construction; they are not completions.

Questions and answers

How much have home values in Wells County risen over 10 years?

The county index does not cover ten full years ending 2021; since 2020 it has risen +1.5%.

How does Wells County compare with North Dakota and the United States?

Over the ten years to 2021: Wells County —, North Dakota +46.8%, United States +58.3%.

What happened to Wells County prices in 2008?

The county index shows no decline of 5% or more from a 2005–2008 peak. The North Dakota index fell — over —–—.

How many homes are being built in Wells County?

1 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026 (1 single-family, 0 in buildings of five or more units), or 0.3 per 1,000 residents against 2.7 for North Dakota.

Where does this data come from?

The index is FHFA's annual county house price index (all-transactions, developmental), last updated March 31, 2026, with values through 2021. Permits are from the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey through August 2026; population is the Census Bureau's vintage 2025 estimate.

Provenance

Index: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual house price index for counties (all-transactions, developmental), last updated March 31, 2026, values 2020–2021; metro, state and national comparisons from FHFA's annual indexes in the same release. Permits: Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, county and place files, through August 2026. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates. ZIP assignment: 2020 ZCTA-to-county relationship file. Public domain throughout. Corrections · FHFA HPI datasets · Building Permits Survey.