Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Bismarck spent more per resident in 2022 than 82% of similar cities
Bismarck’s city government spent $100 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,344 per resident. Water and other utilities ($13.7 million) and the airport ($6.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bismarck is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Bismarck’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3Burleigh-Morton Behavioral Health CoalitionTuesday · 10:00 am · 407 South 26th StreetAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov3Bismarck-Burleigh Combined Commissions CommitteeTuesday · 5:00 pm · City-County Office Building - Tom Baker Meeting Room, 221 N 5th StCANCELED - Bismarck-Burleigh Commissions CommitteeAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Board of AdjustmentThursday · 5:00 pmAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov10Board of City CommissionersTuesday · 5:15 pm · Tom Baker Meeting Room, 221 N 5th StBismarck City CommissionMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov12Bismarck Parking AuthorityThursday · 9:00 am · City/County Building Tom Baker Meeting Room, 221 N 5th StreetMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov12Renaissance Zone AuthorityThursday · 4:00 pm · City-County Office Building - Tom Baker Meeting RoomMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct29Bismarck Event Center Authority BoardThursday · 10:00 am · 315 S 5th StEvent Center Authority Board - Potential Quorum NoticeAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct28Bismarck Planning & Zoning CommissionWednesday · 5:00 pm · City-County Office Building - Tom Baker Meeting RoomAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct28Community Development Advisory CommitteeWednesday · 1:00 pm · City-County Office Building - David Blackstead Conference Room, 221 N 5th StCANCELLED Community Development Advisory CommitteeMeeting page ↗
- Oct27Board of City CommissionersTuesday · 5:15 pm · Tom Baker Meeting Room, 221 N 5th StBismarck City CommissionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27CenComTuesday · 10:00 am · 4200 Coleman StCenCom Executive CommitteeAgenda ↗Minutes ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,344 per resident a year, or $3.68 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,180 per resident in 2022: more than 82% of them
Bismarck’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,180 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 177 North Dakota cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $774, and the middle half spent $510–$1,045. Bismarck spent more than 82% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($12 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
North Dakota cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bismarck itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bismarck reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,180 · 2023: $1,282 · 2024: $1,344.
full-time in March 2025, up from 650 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,023 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.01% of the home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bismarck’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Bismarck’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bismarck →
Who’s in charge in Bismarck
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 111 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (74,445).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Bismarck Public School District 1
Bismarck’s K–12 school district, shared with Hay Creek Township, Lincoln, Gibbs Township, Glenview Township, Apple Creek Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,100 per pupil, $9,286 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
North Dakota districts overall: 40% local, 46% state, 14% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bismarck’s votes are counted by county
North Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bismarck alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Burleigh County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.0%36,595 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.2%14,215 votesOthers: 2.8% (1,453 votes).
Most votes in Burleigh County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Bismarck lies in Burleigh County. Every 2024 race in Burleigh County is on the county’s page.
Burleigh County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Bismarck sends 12 representatives to the North Dakota House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bismarcknd.gov ↗
- 2North Dakota HouseBismarck is split between 6 districts
- 3North Dakota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Dakota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bismarck compares with the towns next door
Bismarck spent $1,180 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $74. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Captain's Landing Township | $74 | — |
| Hay Creek Township | estimate | $2,897 |
| Gibbs Township | estimate | $2,641 |
| Apple Creek Township | estimate | $2,578 |
| Bismarck | $1,180 | $3,023 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Bismarck’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bismarck’s government
How much does Bismarck spend per resident?
About $1,344 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,180 was more than 82% of 177 North Dakota cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bismarck?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,023 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.01% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bismarcknd.gov.
Who runs Bismarck’s government?
See bismarcknd.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bismarck yet.
How did Bismarck vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bismarck alone. Burleigh County, where 100% of Bismarck lies, voted Trump 70.0%, Harris 27.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bismarck?
671 full-time and 165 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.5M (about $54.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bismarck in the state legislature?
Bismarck is split among 6 State House districts and 6 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The North Dakota Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Bismarck?
The next posted meeting is Burleigh-Morton Behavioral Health Coalition on Tuesday, November 3, at 10:00 am in 407 South 26th Street, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Bismarck’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →