Official Federal Data
Burleigh County, North Dakota
FIPS 38015 · Bismarck, ND · Population 100,600
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$86,851 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.4% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$7.8B ▲
GDP
39.1% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$86,851 ▲
Per Capita
$45,977 ▲
Mean Household
$110,470 ▲
Poverty Rate
7.9% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Burleigh County$86,851
North Dakota$76,657
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.2%
18-34 · 22.3%
35-54 · 24.6%
55-64 · 12%
65+ · 17.9%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +5.3 pts
39.1%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +3.4 pts
12%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.1 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
100,600
Population
53,162
Labor Force
Employed
51,592
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.4% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 9 min below national avg
17.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.8%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 11,845 workers (29.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $75,037.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $7.8B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $98,101 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $25,671, a 3.8x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
2,453
Cluster Employment
1.85x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
1.85x 1,029
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
1.82x 937
Furniture, Home Furnishings, and Other Retailers
1.69x 487
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
1.53x 237
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.09x
Food Manufacturing
63 employed
0.19x
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
100 employed
0.28x
Air Transportation
60 employed
0.30x
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
68 employed
0.30x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
102 employed
0.40x
Crop Production
79 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers concentrates at 1.85x the national norm.
- Cluster depth: 4 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$324,000 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$998 ▲
Rent/Mo
71.2% ▲
Owner-Occ
5.7% ▼
Vacancy
3.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$961/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,030/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,175/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,634/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,884/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,171/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.7x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 71.2% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,171/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
59,208 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 9 min below national avg
17.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.8%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
85.9%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
39.1% ▲
HS Diploma+
94.9% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
10,038/yr
3,449/yr
3,143/yr
1,150/yr
1,078/yr
649/yr
569/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.3%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
43.4%
Service
15.7%
Sales & Office
20.6%
Construction / Maint.
9.7%
Production / Transport
10.7%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 51,592 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 17.5-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 7,742 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Burleigh County shows emerging potential for sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and misc. retailers attraction, with a 1.85x concentration and 1,029 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and misc. retailers, building material and garden supply retailers, and furniture, home furnishings, and other retailers creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Burleigh County, North Dakota, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Burleigh County, North Dakota?
100,600 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Burleigh County, North Dakota?
$86,851 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Burleigh County, North Dakota?
2.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Burleigh County, North Dakota?
$7.8B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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