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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Grand Forks, ND vs Bismarck, ND

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Bismarck spends 55.9% more per capita than Grand Forks ($7,926/person difference). Bismarck, ND has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 60/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Grand Forks, ND
Pop. 58,935
C
57/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Bismarck, ND
Pop. 73,694
C
60/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency88
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Grand Forks
Bismarck
Total Spending
$368.0M
$1.0B
Spending / Capita
$6,244
$14,170
Total Revenue
$49.3M
$1.9B
Revenue / Capita
$836
$25,559
Total Debt
$0
$110.4M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,499
Population
58,935
73,694
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Grand Forks$1,224
Bismarck$0
Fire Protection
Grand Forks$500
Bismarck$663
Highways & Roads
Grand Forks$0
Bismarck$123
Parks & Recreation
Grand Forks$0
Bismarck$1,065
Health
Grand Forks$0
Bismarck$404

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Grand ForksBismarck
Sales Tax
$0
$998
Income Tax
$0
$1,341
Intergovernmental
$5,633
$5,654
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,652
Other
$625
$3,626

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Grand ForksBismarck
Police
$1,224
$0
Fire Protection
$500
$663
Highways & Roads
$0
$123
Public Welfare
$621
$1,581
Health
$0
$404
Hospitals
$0
$26
Parks & Recreation
$0
$1,065
Housing
$1,057
$3,590
Sewerage
$0
$143
Utilities
$1,216
$2,252
Interest on Debt
$0
$725
Other
$1,627
$3,599
C
Grand Forks, ND
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
C
Bismarck, ND
Fiscal Health Score: 60/100
Average fiscal health

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