Bismarck, ND

The affordability dashboard for Bismarck, ND aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 4 ZIP codes covering 78,133 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (68/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $85,074, median home value of $322,233, median rent of $997 per month, and 38.7% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,175 per month (studio $961, 1BR $1,030, 3BR $1,634, 4BR $1,884). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,468 per year, consuming 13% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Strengths visible in the raw data for Bismarck, ND include commute, rent. Unemployment currently reads 2.4% and poverty 8.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.