Camp Hancock Site · National Register of Historic Places
Bismarck’s story
154 years in pictures
24 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1872Bismarck is settled
BismarckND
A city of 75,556, settled in 1872. Home to 24 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
Population
75,556
+20.2% since 2010
Typical home
$378K
+5.4% in a year
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
38.9
years
Jobs based here
50,870
Balanced
What makes Bismarck stand out
The 3 things Bismarck does most differently from other towns.
Camp Hancock SiteHistory
Settled in 1872
24 places on the National Register
Archive photos and papers going back 154 years.
Outdoors
#2 most conserved land in ND
41 miles of trails across 45 parks and preserves
8.4% of the town is conserved land.
100 U.S. towns● Bismarck
Health
Healthier than 86%
of U.S. towns on CDC estimates
Better than ND on 1 measures, worse on 0.
A growing town
Bismarck has grown 20.2% since 2010
61,272 people in 2010; 75,556 today.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 · ACS
Bismarck’s report card
Outdoors41 mi#4 for trails in NDHealthAHealthier than 86% of U.S. townsSchoolsB+Beats 71% of ND districtsHousing$378K29% above the ND typical homeCommute3 miHalf of commuters travel lessSafetyC−Less crime than 21% of U.S. townsHazards79/100High risk of storm & flood damageClimate84°/3°Summer high · winter low · 51″ snow
Now in Bismarck
What neighbors are saying. Town Square →
Residents weigh in
Bismarck is #2 of 24 in ND for “Lowest depression”. Fair?
Your answer becomes a post in Bismarck’s Town Square.
TT Weaver · 1w · Town talk
Changes Over Time
I was just thinking about how Bismarck has grown and changed since it was founded back in 1872, and I realized that it's been a long time since…
Or start one of these
Weather
Forecast →63°
Cloudy
H 0° · L 44°
Local news
All →- Gov. Armstrong presents Rough Rider Awards to Bismarck wrestling legendsValley News Live · Oct 2
- Bismarck schools implement new walk zones for e-bikes and scootersKFYR-TV · Oct 1
- Advocate pushes to digitize Bismarck Indian School archivesKFYR-TV · Oct 1
Upcoming events
Nothing on the calendar.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bismarck. Another town gets a different order.
Outdoors
8.4% of Bismarck is conserved land
41 miles of trails across 45 parks and preserves.
#4for trails in ND
8.4%
conserved · 1,938 of 23,174 acres
41 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
#2
most conserved land in ND
#5
most walkable in ND
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | 3.3 mi | 231 |
| 2. Cottonwood Park | 2.6 mi | 183 |
| 3. Atkinson Nature Park | 2 mi | 143 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Health
Healthier than 86% of U.S. towns
Bismarck beats the North Dakota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
AHealth Grade
32 measures vs. North Dakota
1 better31 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Bismarck | ND |
|---|---|---|
| More adults seeing a dentist | 68.3% | 64.5% |
Chi St. Alexius Health
0.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
79th
percentile among ND towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Schools
Bismarck’s public schools outperform 71% of North Dakota districts
The public schools Bismarck’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 71% of North Dakota’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
B+School Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Solheim Elementary School | K–5 | 588 | A |
| Elk Ridge Elementary School | K–5 | 510 | Not graded |
| Robert Place Miller Elementary School | K–5 | 485 | C+ |
| Liberty Elementary School | K–5 | 470 | A− |
| Sunrise Elementary School | K–5 | 445 | A |
| Northridge Elementary School | K–5 | 410 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduationAll 34 schools →
Housing
A typical Bismarck home is worth about $378K
The typical Bismarck home is worth about $378,000, up 5.4% in a year, 29% above the North Dakota typical home.
$378KZillow home value
Typical home value
Bismarck$378K
North Dakota$292K
Market temperature
17
days on market
97.2%
sale-to-list price
+5.4%
value change, 1 year
81
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Work & commute
About half of working residents work right in Bismarck
69% of Bismarck’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Mandan (8%), Fargo (3%) and Minot (2%). Half commute less than 3 miles.
69%work in town
Where working residents work
In Bismarck69%
Mandan8%
Fargo3%
Minot2%
Grand Forks1%
3 mi
median commute distance
50,870
jobs based in Bismarck
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Safety
Less crime per resident than 21% of U.S. towns
Bismarck reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 79% report less.
C−Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Bismarck2.4
North Dakota2.4
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Bismarck18.8
North Dakota14.9
U.S.15.5
21st
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
187
violent crimes reported in 2025
1,479
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeFull safety report →
Natural hazards
High risk, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities.
79risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHail
357
paid flood claims since 1978
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Climate
Snowy winters, pleasant summers
Bismarck has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 51 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
51″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter6–25°
Spring30–54°
Summer55–81°
Fall33–56°
Sep 27
typical first frost
May 14
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
College town
Bismarck State College calls Bismarck home
2 colleges in town.
Bismarck State College2,671 students on campus
- Admission
- Open
- Net price
- $10,270
- Graduate
- 47%
- Admission
- Open
- Net price
- $3,569
- Graduate
- 21%
College Scorecard · IPEDS
Landmarks
24 places in Bismarck on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Bismarck
Capital city of North Dakota, United States
Bismarck () is the capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The population was 73,622 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 77,772 in 2024, while its metropolitan population was 133,626. In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Bismarck as the seventh fastest-growing small city in the United States. Bismarck was founded by European-Americans in 1872 on the east bank of the Missouri River. It has been North Dakota's capital city since 1889, when the state was created from the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union. Bismarck is across the river from Mandan, named after a Native American tribe…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1872
- Population
- 73,622
- Area
- 34 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,686 ft
- ZIP code
- 58501, 58502, 58503
- Area code
- 701
Bismarck’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Bismarck.
Hay CreekGibbsApple CreekCaptain's LandingBismarck
More about Bismarck
Still missing for Bismarck:archive photosupcoming events