By Karin Beuerlein, FrontDoor.com | Published: 2/02/2009
4. BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA
Median Price of a Single-Family Home, Dec. 2008: $164,300
Gain over Dec. 2007: 6.0%
Major employers: Bobcat, MedCenter One Health Systems, St. Alexius Medical Center
North Dakota is a lucky state enjoying a budget surplus in a time of national gloom and doom. Wheat is the state's bread and butter, but a recent boom in oil production has kicked up the state's economy, prompting a search for workers to fill empty posts. Bismarck leads the state with a stellar 3.1 percent unemployment rate (good for third in the nation, actually). View Bismarck Real Estate
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