Fargo, ND vs Bismarck, ND
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Bismarck spends 6.5% more per capita than Fargo ($920/person difference). Fargo, ND has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
64/100
Budget Balance75
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
60/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency88
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Fargo
Bismarck
Total Spending
$1.7B
$1.0B
Spending / Capita
$13,250
$14,170
Total Revenue
$9.1B
$1.9B
Revenue / Capita
$71,744
$25,559
Total Debt
$161.1M
$110.4M
Debt / Capita
$1,266
$1,499
Population
127,319
73,694
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Fargo$45
Bismarck$0
Fire Protection
Fargo$241
Bismarck$663
Highways & Roads
Fargo$216
Bismarck$123
Parks & Recreation
Fargo$1,205
Bismarck$1,065
Health
Fargo$409
Bismarck$404
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
FargoBismarck
| Property Tax | $292 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,029 | $998 |
| Income Tax | $1,364 | $1,341 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,065 | $5,654 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,017 | $2,652 |
| Other | $2,985 | $3,626 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
FargoBismarck
| Police | $45 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $241 | $663 |
| Highways & Roads | $216 | $123 |
| Public Welfare | $1,537 | $1,581 |
| Health | $409 | $404 |
| Hospitals | $127 | $26 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,205 | $1,065 |
| Housing | $1,862 | $3,590 |
| Sewerage | $204 | $143 |
| Utilities | $2,262 | $2,252 |
| Interest on Debt | $865 | $725 |
| Other | $4,277 | $3,599 |
C
Fargo, ND
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health
C
Bismarck, ND
Fiscal Health Score: 60/100
Average fiscal health