Elevation of Bismarck
1,695ft
above sea level · 517 m
Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 8th highest. The state’s largest city is Fargo.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 46.81° N · 100.78° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 46° 48′ 30″ N · 100° 47′ 1″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 14T · 363,907 E · 5,185,409 N
- Zone 14 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 77,963 people
- 35.9 sq mi of land · 2,169 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from April 2024: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Bismarck had 77,963 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 5.9% more than in April 2020, when it had 73,625. Its 35.9 sq mi of land work out to 2,169 people/sq mi; the state average is 12 people/sq mi.
It’s the 2nd most populous of the 406 places the Census counts in North Dakota (cities, towns and CDPs), after Fargo (136,275), and holds 9.8% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Burleigh County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.8 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Bismarck sits at 1,695 ft (517 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Bismarck is 597 ft above it.
The highest point in North Dakota is White Butte, at 3,506 ft according to the USGS: 1,811 ft above Bismarck, 123 mi away in a straight line.
- 8 Bismarck 1,695 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Bismarck.
What is the elevation of Bismarck?
Bismarck is 1,695 feet (517 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Bismarck?
Latitude 46.80833 and longitude -100.78374, in decimal degrees (46° 48′ 30″ N · 100° 47′ 1″ W). In UTM, zone 14: 363,907 E and 5,185,409 N, on NAD83.
How does Bismarck rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 8th highest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Bismarck in?
Burleigh County, North Dakota.
Which is higher, Bismarck or Pierre?
Bismarck. Bismarck sits at 1,695 ft and Pierre at 1,479 ft: a difference of 216 ft, 170 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know