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Quality of Life in Burleigh County
A livable area that tracks near national norms for affordability, walkability, and neighborhood health.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
Cost of Living
4% below national average
95%
The Real Cost of Living in Burleigh County for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $16k | $30k |
| Comfortable | $61k | $90k |
| Luxury | $140k+ | $217k+ |
| Elite (Top 5%) | $165k+ | $256k+ |
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Burleigh County, North Dakota, offers a quality-of-life spectrum that spans from the urban amenities of its state capital, Bismarck, to the quiet, agricultural rhythms of unincorporated crossroads and small towns like Menoken and Wing. The county’s character is defined by this contrast: professionals and families drawn to Bismarck’s job market and services, while others seek the lower density, land access, and tight-knit social fabric found in the county’s eastern and northern reaches. With a cost-of-living index of 96 (6% below the national average), the county provides a financial buffer that makes both ends of this spectrum accessible to a wide range of incomes.
Largest town(s) & population centers
Bismarck is the undisputed hub, housing roughly 75% of the county’s population. Daily life here centers on state government employment (the Capitol complex is the largest single employer), healthcare at Sanford Health and CHI St. Alexius, and retail along the Interstate 94 corridor. The city offers a full slate of amenities: a performing arts center, multiple public golf courses, the Dakota Zoo, and a walkable downtown with breweries and the Missouri River waterfront. Commute times average just 17 minutes, a figure that holds true even for residents living on the city’s expanding south side. The median home value of $314,700 and median rent of $996 reflect Bismarck’s status as the county’s most expensive housing market, though these figures remain below many Midwestern peer cities. For residents who want urban conveniences—grocery delivery, ride-sharing, multiple school choices—without big-city congestion, Bismarck delivers.
Smaller towns & rural pockets
Outside Bismarck, the county’s smaller communities offer a markedly different pace. Lincoln, a bedroom community just south of Bismarck, has grown rapidly with new subdivisions but retains a small-town feel and its own K-12 school district. Wing (population ~150) sits 30 miles northeast and functions as a service point for surrounding grain and cattle operations, with a post office, a bar, and a grain elevator as its commercial anchors. Menoken, an unincorporated hamlet 15 miles east of Bismarck on Highway 10, consists of a few dozen homes, a church, and a volunteer fire department. Regan and Driscoll are even smaller, each with fewer than 50 year-round residents. In these pockets, daily life revolves around farm work, hunting access to state wildlife management areas, and a 30- to 45-minute drive to Bismarck for groceries, medical appointments, and high school sports. Internet connectivity is improving but remains inconsistent compared to the city; Starlink satellite service is increasingly common.
Cost & lifestyle range
The cost-of-living spread across Burleigh County is modest by national standards but meaningful locally. At the high end, Bismarck’s south side and the Fox Island neighborhood near the river command home prices above $400,000, with newer construction and proximity to parks and the interstate. Rents in these areas push toward $1,200 for a two-bedroom apartment. At the low end, rural properties near Wing or Menoken can still be found for under $200,000, though these often require well and septic systems and a longer commute. The county’s overall median rent of $996 is achievable for a single earner making the area’s median household income (~$70,000), but renters in Bismarck’s core neighborhoods face tighter competition for units under $900. Property taxes are moderate by North Dakota standards, and there is no state income tax, which further stretches disposable income for residents at either end of the spectrum. The trade-off is clear: Bismarck offers walkable amenities and short commutes; the rural areas offer land, privacy, and lower entry costs but demand self-sufficiency and a vehicle.
Who thrives in Burleigh County? The county suits people who value a stable, predictable economy and a four-season outdoor lifestyle—hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and boating on the Missouri River. It works well for state employees, healthcare workers, and remote professionals who want a low-stress commute and affordable homeownership. It is less suited for those seeking dense urban nightlife, extensive public transit, or cultural diversity on the scale of a major metro. The county’s strength is its coherence: whether in a Bismarck subdivision or a farmhouse near Regan, residents share a similar cost structure, school system (Bismarck Public Schools serves most of the county), and access to the same regional healthcare and retail. That consistency makes Burleigh County a predictable, low-friction place to live for families and retirees alike.
Crime in Burleigh County
Generally safer than 65% of comparable U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Burleigh County, anchored by the state capital Bismarck, maintains a safety profile that is notably better than the national average, though property crime rates warrant attention from prospective residents. The county recorded a violent crime rate of 234.1 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1,467.8 per 100,000 in the most recent reporting period. These figures place Burleigh County in a relatively favorable position compared to many similarly sized Midwestern counties, though specific neighborhoods and communities within the county show meaningful variation in safety outcomes.
Crime in context
Burleigh County’s violent crime rate of 234.1 per 100,000 sits roughly 37% below the national average of approximately 370 per 100,000, while its property crime rate of 1,467.8 per 100,000 is about 22% lower than the U.S. average of roughly 1,900 per 100,000. Compared to North Dakota’s statewide violent crime rate of 290 per 100,000, Burleigh County is about 19% safer. The county’s property crime rate, however, is slightly above the state average of 1,350 per 100,000, driven largely by theft and vehicle break-ins in Bismarck’s commercial corridors and near the University of Mary campus. The Bismarck Police Department and Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office maintain a conservative, enforcement-focused approach, with the county’s judicial system operating under a state-level district court structure that avoids the progressive prosecutorial policies seen in some larger urban jurisdictions. This means offenders face consistent consequences, which helps keep recidivism lower than in counties with lenient sentencing practices.
What residents experience
For daily life in Burleigh County, the most common safety concerns are property-related rather than violent. Residents in Bismarck’s central neighborhoods, particularly near Main Avenue and the downtown area, report higher instances of vehicle break-ins and package theft, while suburban areas like Lincoln and Mandan (which lies just across the Missouri River in Morton County but is part of the same metro area) experience significantly fewer incidents. Violent crime is concentrated in specific contexts: domestic disputes account for a large share of reported assaults, and alcohol-related incidents near Bismarck’s bar district along 4th Street occasionally escalate. The county’s school system, including Bismarck Public Schools, reports very low rates of violent incidents on campus, and neighborhoods like Apple Creek and Sterling are considered particularly safe for families. The presence of the North Dakota State Capitol complex and multiple state agency offices in downtown Bismarck also contributes to a visible law enforcement presence that deters more serious crime.
Neighborhood-level variation
Safety in Burleigh County varies noticeably by location. The city of Bismarck itself sees the bulk of reported crime, with the area around the Bismarck Event Center and Kirkwood Mall experiencing higher property crime rates. In contrast, the small towns of Wing and Regan in the county’s rural northern reaches report near-zero violent crime and property crime rates below 500 per 100,000. The unincorporated community of Menoken, southeast of Bismarck, offers a quiet, low-crime alternative for those willing to commute. Newer subdivisions in south Bismarck, such as those near the Bismarck Expressway, show lower crime rates than older neighborhoods near the city center. Overall, Burleigh County’s combination of conservative law enforcement, a stable economy anchored by state government and healthcare (Sanford Health and CHI St. Alexius Health are major employers), and a relatively low population density keeps it among the safer counties in the Upper Midwest. Prospective residents should focus on neighborhood-specific data when choosing a home, but the county as a whole presents a low-risk environment compared to national norms.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-07-14T08:36:20.000Z
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