Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,493, settled in 1977.
Lincoln is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 1st among North Dakota's 23 graded towns. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 84% of U.S. towns, it is healthier than 84% of U.S. towns, and the median household earns $88K. The exception is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 72% of U.S. communities, with cold waves at the top. 0.8% of working residents work locally in Lincoln, below both North Dakota’s towns (39%) and U.S. towns (8%). On history, just 1 of North Dakota’s 69 towns do worse. Lincoln's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 89% of U.S. towns.
Where Lincoln beats most towns.
2,406 counted in 2010 and 4,257 in 2020; an estimated 4,493 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.1% since 2020, after 76.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Dakota), ordered by how far Lincoln is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 656 in 1980, 4,257 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lincoln, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Jul 30, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Lincoln.
Lincoln has less heart disease than most of North Dakota and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of North Dakota; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Dakota (mostly cold waves).
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2024, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
No town among the 15 in North Dakota we compare has a lower property crime rate than Lincoln. Lincoln’s violent crime rate is 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Lincoln | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 16.6 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.8 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Bismarck 1 school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 605 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with North Dakota is heart disease: 3.9% of its 2,877 adults have heart disease, against 6.1% statewide.
24% of Lincoln adults binge drink. Lincoln beats the North Dakota average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 25% of Lincoln adults have high blood pressure.
| Lincoln | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 74% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 9% | 12% |
| What stands out | Lincoln | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.9% | 6.1% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.1% | 3.1% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 68.5% | 76.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lincoln has 144 jobs for its 2,235 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Lincoln for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Lincoln is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Lincoln has lost 25 jobs, to 144 in 2023.
| Lincoln | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 16 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 77% of North Dakota towns, with expected losses of about $1,165 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1995, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lincoln.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 2.5°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 88% of North Dakota places with climate records; July afternoons average 83.6°.
Lincoln has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. About 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Lincoln | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 3°F | 1°F | 22°F |
| July high | 84°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Lincoln home is worth about $317,000, up 3.5% in a year, 9% above the North Dakota typical home. 92% of households own their home in Lincoln.
| Lincoln | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 92% | 56% | 73% |
| Median rent | $950 a month | $980 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Only 2 of the 23 North Dakota towns we compare have a lower trail density than Lincoln.
| Lincoln | North Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Millenium Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Lincoln
About 2 of every 100 Lincoln residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across North Dakota.
Where Lincoln’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in North Dakota, United States
Lincoln is a city in Burleigh County, North Dakota, United States. It is a suburb of adjacent Bismarck, and also a core city of the Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,257 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 4,502 in 2024, making it the 15th most populous city in North Dakota. Lincoln was founded in 1977 and incorporated as a city on July 12, 1977.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Lincoln.
| Town | ND rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | #1 | A+ | A− | A− | B+ | A− |
| Apple Creek Township | #3 | A | B | — | B+ | A− |
Apple Creek Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lincoln with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Lincoln grades A+ overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #1 of 23 in North Dakota. It grades A− for health, A− for safety and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.