Bismarck, ND

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population

136,216

US Senator

John Hoeven

Republican Party

US Senator

Kevin Cramer

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.4

1.05% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

7.9%

0.566% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$85,156

1.4% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$306,400

3.69% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

70,748

1.5% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Bismarck, ND reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.4% of the residents in Bismarck, ND are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Bismarck, ND are Bismarck State College (1,033 degrees awarded in 2023), University of Mary (1,006 degrees), and United Tribes Technical College (131 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Bismarck, ND was $306,400, and the homeownership rate was 72.2%.

Most people in Bismarck, ND drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Bismarck, ND was 2 cars per household.

Bismarck, ND borders Dickinson, ND.

United States North Dakota

Population & Diversity

Bismarck, ND is home to a population of 136k people, from which 98.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.66% of Bismarck, ND residents were born outside of the country (3.63k people).

In 2024, there were 25.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (117k people) in Bismarck, ND than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.61k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 3.91k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.4%

2024 Citizenship

98.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.4% of Bismarck, ND residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bismarck, ND was 98.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bismarck, ND compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bismarck, ND

White (Non-Hispanic)
117k ± 766
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
4.61k ± 536
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
3.91k ± 649

3.58%

Hispanic Population

4.88k people

3.58% of the people in Bismarck, ND are hispanic (4.88k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bismarck, ND as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for North Dakota.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,032 ± 1,349 people
Canada
2,767 ± 1,289 people
Philippines
2,721 ± 1,278 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,032 North Dakota residents, followed by Canada with 2,767 and Philippines with 2,721.

Foreign-Born Population

2.66%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.63k people

2.37%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.19k people

As of 2024, 2.66% of Bismarck, ND residents (3.63k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bismarck, ND was 2.37%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bismarck, ND compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,111 ± 297
Gulf War (2001-)
2,017 ± 406
Gulf War (1990s)
1,224 ± 310

Bismarck, ND has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.05 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bismarck, ND.

Economy

The economy of Bismarck, ND employs 70.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bismarck, ND were Health Care & Social Assistance (11,208 people), Retail Trade (8,129 people), and Educational Services (6,107 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($116,370), Utilities ($112,990), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($75,489).

Employment

Occupations

70.7k

2024 Value

± 2,305

1.5%

1 Year growth

± 4.45%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bismarck, ND grew at a rate of 1.5%, from 69.7k employees to 70.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bismarck, ND, are Management Occupations (7,468 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (7,123 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (7,031 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bismarck, ND.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Dakota.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Dakota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

70.7k

2024 Value

± 2,305

1.5%

1 Year growth

± 4.45%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bismarck, ND grew at a rate of 1.5%, from 69.7k employees to 70.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bismarck, ND, are Health Care & Social Assistance (11,208 people), Retail Trade (8,129 people), and Educational Services (6,107 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bismarck, ND, though some of these residents may live in Bismarck, ND and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,093

Median earning men ± $1,976

$46,136

Median earning women ± $1,410

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($85,192), Public Administration ($83,433), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($77,511).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($62,167), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($62,041), and Construction ($58,958).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Dakota.

Y-Axis

2.83%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 428k people employed in North Dakota. This represents a 2.83% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 12.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Dakota.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

370
Construction
284
Other Services (except Public Administration)
241
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$718k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$323k
Retail Trade
$299k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Bismarck, ND awarded 2,202 degrees. The student population of Bismarck, ND in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 3,742 male students and 4,715 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Bismarck, ND are White (1,728 and 78.7%), American Indian or Alaska Native (145 and 6.6%), Hispanic or Latino (91 and 4.14%), and Two or More Races (84 and 3.83%).

The largest universities in Bismarck, ND by number of degrees awarded are Bismarck State College (1,033 and 46.9%), University of Mary (1,006 and 45.7%), and United Tribes Technical College (131 and 5.95%).

The most popular majors in Bismarck, ND are Liberal Arts & Sciences (295 and 13.4%), General Business Administration & Management (177 and 8.04%), and Registered Nursing (125 and 5.68%).

The median tuition costs in Bismarck, ND are $11,152 for private four year colleges, and $4,167 and $6,251 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Bismarck, ND, the percentage of applicants admitted was 78.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 45.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 8,457 (44.2% men and 55.8% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 8,457 students enrolled in Bismarck, ND, 44.2% men and 55.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 6,078 records, of which 55.3% were women and 44.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
42 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
293 degrees awarded
Electrical, Electronic, & Communications Engineering Technology
65 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Bismarck, ND was Registered Nursing with 42 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Bismarck, ND according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Bismarck State College
1,033 degrees awarded
University of Mary
1,006 degrees awarded
United Tribes Technical College
131 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Bismarck State College with 1,033 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,021 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Bismarck, ND, which is 0.865 times less than the 1,181 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,728 degrees mean that there were 11.9 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, American Indian or Alaska Native, with 145 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($11,152) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,708) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,234) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bismarck, ND was $306,400 in 2024, which is 0.921 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $295,500 to $306,400, a 3.69% increase. The homeownership rate in Bismarck, ND is 72.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bismarck, ND have an average commute time of 18.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bismarck, ND is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$306,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,730

$40,397

Median Property Taxes

±$1,545

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bismarck, ND the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bismarck, ND compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

72.2%

Homeownership

2024

69.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.2% of the housing units in Bismarck, ND were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bismarck, ND compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$85,156

Median Household Income

± $3,425

55.9k

Number of Households

± 1,984

In 2024, the median household income of the 55.9k households in Bismarck, ND grew to $85,156 from the previous year's value of $83,982.

The following chart displays the households in Bismarck, ND distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bismarck, ND is from North Dakota.

0.432

2023 Wage GINI in North Dakota

0.436

2022 Wage GINI in North Dakota

In 2023, the income inequality in North Dakota was 0.432 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.922% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Dakota in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Dakota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79%)
Worked At Home (9.23%)
Carpooled (8.85%)

In 2024, 79% of workers in Bismarck, ND drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.23%) and those who carpooled to work (8.85%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

18.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bismarck, ND have a shorter commute time (18.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.14% of the workforce in Bismarck, ND have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bismarck, ND compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bismarck, ND distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bismarck, ND have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

7.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bismarck, ND (10.4k out of 131k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bismarck, ND is White, followed by Native American and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

95.2% of the population of Bismarck, ND has health coverage, with 58.2% on employee plans, 7.84% on Medicaid, 13.1% on Medicare, 14.3% on non-group plans, and 1.73% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Dakota see 1,294 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,294 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1425 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 420 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Dakota.

1,294 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in North Dakota

Primary care physicians in North Dakota see an average of 1,294 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,294 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in North Dakota in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.8% under 18 years, 20.9% between 18 and 34 years, 36.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

4.77%

Uninsured

58.2%

Employer Coverage

7.84%

Medicaid

13.1%

Medicare

14.3%

Non-Group

1.73%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bismarck, ND grew by 1.42% from 4.71% to 4.77%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bismarck, ND changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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