Elevation of Fargo
903ft
above sea level · 275 m
Fargo is a city in North Dakota with 136,275 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 66th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
Loading the map…
Place facts
- Coordinates
- 46.88° N · 96.79° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 46° 52′ 38″ N · 96° 47′ 23″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 14T · 668,413 E · 5,193,888 N
- Zone 14 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 136,275 people
- 51.9 sq mi of land · 2,626 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from April 2024: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Fargo had 136,275 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 8.2% more than in April 2020, when it had 125,951. Its 51.9 sq mi of land work out to 2,626 people/sq mi; the state average is 12 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 406 places the Census counts in North Dakota (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 17% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Cass County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 2.0 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Fargo sits at 903 ft (275 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Fargo is 41 ft above it.
The state capital, Bismarck, is 189 mi away in a straight line and 792 ft higher than Fargo.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Minneapolis (Minnesota), 214 mi away in a straight line and 73 ft lower.
The highest point in North Dakota is White Butte, at 3,506 ft according to the USGS: 2,603 ft above Fargo, 311 mi away in a straight line.
- 66 Fargo 903 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Fargo.
What is the elevation of Fargo?
Fargo is 903 feet (275 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 Fargo?
Latitude 46.87719 and longitude -96.78980, in decimal degrees (46° 52′ 38″ N · 96° 47′ 23″ W). In UTM, zone 14: 668,413 E and 5,193,888 N, on NAD83.
How does Fargo rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 66th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Fargo in?
Cass County, North Dakota.
Which is higher, Fargo or Bismarck?
Bismarck. Fargo sits at 903 ft and Bismarck at 1,695 ft: a difference of 792 ft, 189 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