Metro Life Score
Bismarck, ND
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade B+, 80th percentile of the national corpus.
- 57.6
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #79
- of 387 metros
- 80%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Bismarck is top-quartile composite Life Score — #79 of 387 (57.6/100, grade B+, 80th percentile). Carried by wages at 78/100; held back most by schools at 3/100.
- 80th
- composite percentile
- #79
- of 387 peers
- 69th
- cost dimension percentile
- 78th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · WAGE-LED · signature composite
Bismarck: top-third composite Life Score
Bismarck clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#79 of 387, 57.6/100, grade B+, 79th percentile). Stamps UPPER · WAGE-LED; cost CHEAP (69th) · wages HIGH (78th). Wages at 78/100 carries the lead; Schools (3/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Bismarck, ND ranks #79 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #120 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.0 (rent-RPP 84.0). BLS median salary $70,851, 64,970 jobs (Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,175/mo (studio $961).
FBI UCR (ND): 257 violent, 1706 property/100K. NCES: 10.8:1 ratio, 0.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,925/yr. EPA: 2 Superfund sites (ND).
Where Bismarck sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
58 Top 20% higher than 80% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 57.6 is built
Bismarck's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Bismarck scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are ND state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Bismarck With...
Ranking Context
Bismarck outranks 80% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #76 | Anniston-Oxford, AL | 57.7 | B+ |
| #77 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 58.0 | B+ |
| #78 | Enid, OK * | 58.0 | B+ |
| #79 | Bismarck, ND | 57.6 | B+ |
| #80 | Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 57.6 | B+ |
| #81 | Coeur d'Alene, ID | 57.5 | B+ |
| #82 | College Station-Bryan, TX | 57.4 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Bismarck, ND's quality rank (top 20% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 31% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
ND Metro Scores
Read with Bismarck
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Bismarck (UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
ABS(composite) peer at 57.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Anniston-Oxford, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 57.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Coeur d'Alene, ID
ABS(composite) peer at 57.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
College Station-Bryan, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 57.4 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Spartanburg, SC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 69/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Mankato, MN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 69/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Bismarck, ND relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Bismarck's top-third Life Score
Bismarck scores 57.6/100 overall, but Wages (78.2) and Schools (2.6) sit 75.6 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Bismarck's seven dimensions (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Grand Forks is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Grand Forks
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.