Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Unemployment in Bismarck (2.5%) is lower than in 77% of U.S. towns
Working residents average 16 minutes each way (North Dakota 18, U.S. 26). For jobs and income Bismarck is better than 70% of U.S. towns (B+); for walkability it is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns (B+). About two in three stay in Bismarck for work; outside it, Mandan is the main destination (8%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Bismarck apart on work
Most jobs in Bismarck go to people who live here
Of the 50,870 jobs based in Bismarck, 48% are held by Bismarck residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
The quickest commute around
Bismarck’s 16-minute average trip is shorter than in any town next door, where it runs from 20 to 26 minutes. Next door ↓
Bismarck gains people on a workday
About 94,000 people are in Bismarck on a workday afternoon, 20% more than the 78,000 who live here: 27,000 come in to work and 11,000 head out. Day and night ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Bismarck’s grade
Unemployment is its strongest input; the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (9.3%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bismarck could be anywhere from B to A−.
The daily flow of workers through Bismarck
On a workday 10,703 residents head out to work, 24,323 work right here, and 26,547 people come in from elsewhere.
About 94,000 people are in Bismarck on a workday afternoon, 20% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.45 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Bismarck’s residents
Where Bismarck clocks in
8% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What work there is in Bismarck: 50,870 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bismarck, 2013 → 2023: 50,492 → 50,870. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Bismarck’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Bismarck: about 16 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bismarck workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 35,567 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across North Dakota: 85% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Bismarck’s workers travel
About 17% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Bismarck, most people drive to work
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 4.2% across North Dakota.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 38,489 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 7.3% of Bismarck households have no vehicle (North Dakota 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Bismarck’s commuters take a bus or train.
Bismarck next to U.S. towns of 55,000 to 105,000: 262nd of 565 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 260 | Euless TX | 60,008 | $82K | 7.8% | 5.5% | 4% | B+ |
| 261 | Alafaya FL | 92,449 | $101K | 9.3% | 4.9% | 6% | B+ |
| 262 | Bismarck ND | 77,963 | $78K | 9.3% | 2.5% | 69% | B+ |
| 263 | Carson CA | 90,808 | $109K | 8.7% | 7.8% | 7% | B+ |
| 264 | Kettering OH | 57,396 | $75K | 8.3% | 3.8% | 14% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 352 | Grand Forks ND | 60,365 | $64K | 15.5% | 2.4% | 70% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 565 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Bismarck, the top three, the last and three more from North Dakota.
Work in the towns next to Bismarck
The biggest share goes to Hay Creek Township (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bismarck workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck | – | B+ | B+ | 16 min | $78,387 |
| Hay Creek Township | 1% | A+ | C− | 20 min | $160,553 |
| Gibbs Township | under 1% | A | D | 23 min | $155,688 |
| Apple Creek Township | under 1% | A | D | 26 min | $156,615 |
| Captain's Landing Township | under 1% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Captain's Landing Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bismarck’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Bismarck: questions
What is the median household income in Bismarck?
$78,387 (±$4,532) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bismarck?
9.3%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bismarck?
16 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bismarck work?
69% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Mandan (8%, 6 mi), Fargo (3%, 186 mi), Minot (2%, 101 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bismarck walkable?
Bismarck is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.4 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bismarck without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bismarck, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bismarck
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.