PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Bismarck, ND

54.0
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#140
of 387 metros
64%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Bismarck ranks #140 of 387 US metros, ahead of 64% - carried by its wages (72/100) and held back most by schools (2/100).

72
strongest: Wages
69
then: Cost of Living
2
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Bismarck sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

54 64th percentile higher than 64% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

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 · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Bismarck Life Score

Bismarck's composite score of 54.0 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #140 of 387, ahead of 64% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (72/100) and Cost of Living (69/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (2/100) and Environment (10/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 11.8:1 ratio, 0.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,925/yr. EPA: 2 Superfund sites (ND). Ranks #137-#143 below.

Dimension detail

How Bismarck scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 69/100 (20%)
Wages 72/100 (20%)
Rent 68/100 (15%)
Safety 67/100 (15%)
Schools 2/100 (10%)
Childcare 44/100 (10%)
Environment 10/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

91.0
Cost Index (RPP)
$70,851
Avg Median Salary
$1,175
2BR Fair Market Rent
257
Violent Crime/100K (ND)
11.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$10,925
Infant Childcare/yr (ND)
2
Superfund Sites (ND)
64,970
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Bismarck With...

Bismarck vs Minot Compare → Bismarck vs Grand Forks Compare → Bismarck vs Fargo Compare → Bismarck vs Wildwood Compare → Bismarck vs Waterloo Compare → Bismarck vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Bismarck outranks 64% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#137 Jacksonville, NC 54.2 B
#138 Green Bay, WI 54.2 B
#139 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 54.3 B
#140 Bismarck, ND 54.0 B
#141 Lawrence, KS 54.0 B
#142 Macon-Bibb County, GA 54.0 B
#143 Pittsburgh, PA 54.0 B

ND Metro Scores

Minot, ND A 63.2 Grand Forks, ND-MN A 62.5 Fargo, ND-MN B+ 57.2

Using Bismarck's Life Score

Bismarck is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is wages (72/100) and its weakest is schools (2/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Bismarck head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Bismarck lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Bismarck's biggest strengths? ▼
Bismarck's strongest dimensions are Wages (72/100), Cost of Living (69/100), Rent (68/100). Wages is top-tier nationally.
What are Bismarck's weakest areas? ▼
Bismarck's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (2/100), Environment (10/100), Childcare (44/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Bismarck compared to the national average? ▼
Bismarck's Regional Price Parity is 91.0 (9.0% less than national); rent RPP 84.0.
What is the average salary in Bismarck? ▼
Bismarck median salary: $70,851, 64,970 jobs. Top: Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Bismarck's 54.0/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.