Founding
capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and seat of Burleigh County
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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 of the area. The two cities comprise the core of the Bismarck metropolitan area.
The North Dakota State Capitol is in central Bismarck. The state government employs more than 4,600 in the city. As a hub of retail and health care, Bismarck is the economic center of south-central North Dakota and north-central South Dakota.
For thousands of years, various indigenous peoples inhabited present-day central North Dakota. The historic Mandan Native American tribe occupied the area long before Europeans arrived. The Hidatsa name for Bismarck is mirahacii arumaaguash ("Place of the tall willows"); the Arikara name is ituhtaáwe [itUhtaáwe].
In 1872, European Americans founded a settlement at what was then called Missouri Crossing, so named because the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the river there on their exploration of the land acquired by the Louisiana Purchase in 1804–06. It had been an area of Mandan settlement. Later, the new town was called Edwinton, after Edwin Ferry Johnson, engineer-in-chief for the Northern Pacific Railway. Its construction of railroads in the territory attracted workers and settlers.
In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railway renamed the city Bismarck in honor of German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Railroad officials hoped to attract German settlers to the area and German investment in the railroad. It is the only U.S. state capital named for a foreign statesman. The discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills of South Dakota the following year was a great impetus for growth. Thousands of miners came to the area, encroaching on what the Lakota considered sacred territory, leading to heightened tensions with Native Americans.
Bismarck became a freight-shipping center on the "Custer Route" from the Black Hills. In 1879, the first recorded tornado in North Dakota history smashed a steamship into the Missouri River's bank near Bismarck, causing major damage.
In 1883, Bismarck was designated as the capital of the Dakota Territory in place of Yankton, South Dakota, and in 1889, as the state capital of the new state of North Dakota.
Bismarck is located at 46°48′51.39″N 100°46′9.86″W / 46.8142750°N 100.7694056°W (46.8142737, -100.7694052).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 36.452 square miles (94.41 km2), of which 35.955 square miles (93.12 km2) is land and 0.497 square miles (1.29 km2) (1.36%) is water.
The city has developed around downtown Bismarck, the center of historic development. It is distinctive because the city's major shopping center, Kirkwood Mall, is in the city center rather than in the suburbs. Several other major retail stores are near Kirkwood Mall, which was developed near the Bismarck Event Center. The two Bismarck hospitals, CHI St. Alexius Medical Center and Sanford Health (previously Medcenter One Health Systems), are downtown. The streets are lined with small stores and restaurants.
Much recent commercial and residential growth has occurred in the city's northern section, largely because of expanding retail centers. Among the shopping centers in northern Bismarck are Gateway Fashion Mall, Northbrook Mall, Arrowhead Plaza, and the Pinehurst Square "power center" mall.
The North Dakota State Capitol complex is just north of downtown Bismarck. The 19-story Art Deco capitol is the tallest building in the state, at a height of 241.75 feet (73.69 m). Completed during the Great Depression in 1934, it replaced the original capitol building that burned to the ground in 1930. The capitol grounds encompass the North Dakota Heritage Center, the North Dakota State Library, the North Dakota Governor's Residence, the State Office Building, and the Liberty Memorial Building. The North Dakota State Penitentiary is in eastern Bismarck.
The Cathedral District, named after the Art Deco Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, is a historic neighborhood near downtown Bismarck. Some homes in this neighborhood date to the 1880s, although many were built in the first decades of the 20th century. At times, the city has proposed widening the streets in the neighborhood to improve traffic flow. Many residents object because such a project would require the removal of many of the towering American elms which line the streets. These have escaped the elm disease that destroyed street canopies of trees in eastern cities.
After the completion of the Garrison Dam in 1953 by the Army Corps of Engineers, which improved flood control, the floodplain of the Missouri River became a more practical place for development. Significant residential and commercial building has occurred in this area on the city's south side. The Upper Missouri River is still subject to seasonal flooding.
Situated in the middle of the Great Plains, between the geographic centers of the United States and Canada, Bismarck displays a highly variable four-season humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa/Dfb, Trewartha Dcac/Dcbc) bordering on a cold semi arid climate. Bismarck's climate is characterized by cold, somewhat dry, snowy, and windy winters and warm, humid summers. Thunderstorms occur in spring and summer, but much of the rest of the year is dry.
The warmest month in Bismarck is July, with a daily mean of 71.3 °F (21.8 °C), with typically wide variations between day and night. The coldest month is January, with a 24-hour average of 12.8 °F (−10.7 °C). Precipitation peaks from May to September and is rather sparse in the winter. Winter snowfall is typically light to moderate, occurring with the passage of frontal systems; major storms are rare.
As of the 2020 census, Bismarck had a population of 73,622. The median age was 37.9 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.8 males age 18 and over.
99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas. The population density was 2,122.71 inhabitants per square mile (819.6/km2). There were 34,049 housing units at an average density of 981.72 per square mile (379.0/km2).
There were 31,739 households and 18,107 families. Of all households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 43.5% were married-couple households, 21.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Housing units were 6.8% vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.8%.
The most reported ancestries were:
As of the 2010 census, there were 61,272 people, 27,263 households, and 15,624 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,986.5 inhabitants per square mile (767.0/km2). There were 28,648 housing units at an average density of 928.6 inhabitants per square mile (358.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.40% White, 0.65% African American, 4.53% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from some other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.33% of the population.
Regarding ancestry, 56.1% were German, 20.5% were Norwegian, 7.2% were Irish, 6.7% were Russian, 3.7% were American, and 3.6% were English descent.
There were 27,263 households, of which 27% had children under the age of 18 living with them (the lowest percentage in North Dakota), 44.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.7% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.82.
The median age in the city was 38 years. 20.8% of residents were under 18; 11% were between 18 and 24; 26.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
As of the 2000 census, there were 55,532 people, 23,185 households, and 14,444 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,065.2 inhabitants per square mile (797.4/km2). There were 24,217 housing units at an average density of 900.6 inhabitants per square mile (347.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.78% White, 0.28% African American, 3.39% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from some other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.75% of the population.
There were 23,185 households, of which 30.2% had children under 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.
The city's population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income per household in the city was $39,422, and the median income per family was $51,477. Males had a median income of $33,804 versus $22,647 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,789. About 5.7% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
The 2024 American Community Survey reported a median household income of $73,877 and estimated that 8.8% of residents lived at or below the poverty line. Bismarck had an estimated 65.7% employment rate, with 43.0% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.7% holding a high school diploma. The average household size was 2.20 people, and the top reported languages were English (93.8%) and other languages (6.2%).
According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of August 31, 2025, in Bismarck is $358,716.
According to the city's 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:
The United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted).
The Belle Mehus Auditorium, named after a local piano teacher, is a 1914 historic building in downtown Bismarck and a center for arts in the area. Performances of Northern Plains Dance and the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra are held there.
Theater companies in Bismarck include the Capitol Shakespeare Society, Sleepy Hollow Summer Theatre, the Shade Tree Players children's theater group, Dakota Stage Ltd, University of Mary, Bismarck State College, and various high school groups. The Gannon and Elsa Forde Art Galleries are at Bismarck State College. The Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra, founded in 2000, performs a variety of musical genres.
Bismarck libraries include Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library and North Dakota State Library.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Bismarck, North Dakota”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.