Crime Grade · FBI UCR Data · 2025
Bismarck, ND Crime Grade
How Bismarck grades for violent crime against every other reporting U.S. city — and against the rest of North Dakota — based on the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting data.
National
7/10
vs. all U.S. cities ≥ 25,000 population
North Dakota
4/10
vs. North Dakota cities ≥ 10,000 population
In 2025, the violent crime rate in Bismarck, ND was 237.3 per 100,000 residents (187 incidents over a population of 78,814). That puts Bismarck Infinity% above the U.S. rate of 0.0 and 0% above the North Dakota statewide rate of 236.7.
That ranks Bismarck #2,304 of 3,771 ranked U.S. cities, safer than 39% of them, and #4 of 9 in North Dakota. Violent crime is down 14% year over year and down 18% over the last five years.
Bismarck, ND crime — key facts
- National Crime Grade
- C (7/10)
- North Dakota Grade
- B (4/10)
- Violent crime rate
- 237.3 / 100k
- National rank
- #2,304 of 3,771
- ND rank
- #4 of 9
- Safer than
- 39% of U.S. cities
- Year over year
- down 14%
- 5-year change
- down 18%
- Population
- 78,814
- Reporting agency
- Bismarck Police Department
- Data year
- 2025 · FBI UCR
Reported by Bismarck Police Department (FBI ORI ND0080100) to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Download the full dataset (CSV) · methodology.
About Bismarck, ND
Also known as
- The Crossing
- Edwinton
- Bismark
History
Incorporated as a city in 1875. Originally named The Crossing (1871); named Edwinton for Edwin F. Johnson, chief engineer of Northern Pacific RR (1872); name Bismarck for Fursten Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany.
Name history sourced from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) — public-domain federal geographic-names data.
Violent crime rate, 5-year trend
Per 100,000 residents. Bismarck (red), North Dakota (blue), U.S. average (gray dashed).
Bismarck vs. U.S., 2025 — by offense
Rates per 100,000 residents for each offense category.
Full data, last 5 years
Rates per 100,000 residents. Raw counts in parentheses.
| Offense | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 287.8(217) | 315.0(235) | 315.5(236) | 276.7(209) | 237.3(187) |
| Murder | 1.3(1) | 8.0(6) | 4.0(3) | 1.3(1) | 0.0(0) |
| Rape | 43.8(33) | 45.6(34) | 42.8(32) | 45.0(34) | 41.9(33) |
| Robbery | 54.4(41) | 57.6(43) | 58.8(44) | 59.6(45) | 35.5(28) |
| Aggravated assault | 188.3(142) | 203.7(152) | 209.9(157) | 170.8(129) | 159.9(126) |
| Property crime | 3501.5(2,640) | 3383.2(2,524) | 3134.9(2,345) | 2414.4(1,824) | 1885.5(1,486) |
| Burglary | 421.8(318) | 512.0(382) | 393.0(294) | 247.5(187) | 248.7(196) |
| Larceny | 2671.2(2,014) | 2517.3(1,878) | 2402.3(1,797) | 1928.6(1,457) | 1478.2(1,165) |
| Motor vehicle theft | 401.9(303) | 344.5(257) | 331.5(248) | 231.6(175) | 149.7(118) |
How the Crime Grade is calculated
- What is the source of the Bismarck, ND Crime Grade?
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting via the Crime Data Explorer. Agency-level data, pulled directly. No third-party aggregators, no proprietary score.
- What metric does the Bismarck Crime Grade use?
- Violent crime rate per 100,000 residents (murder + rape + robbery + aggravated assault), most recent fully-reported year.
- How is the national decile for Bismarck calculated?
- Bismarck's rate placed against all FBI-reporting U.S. cities with population ≥ 25,000. 1 = safest.
- How is the North Dakota state decile calculated?
- Same calculation restricted to North Dakota cities with population ≥ 10,000.
- How do decile scores convert to a letter grade?
- 1–3 = A · 4–5 = B · 6–7 = C · 8 = D · 9–10 = F.
- How often is the Bismarck Crime Grade refreshed?
- Twice a year. The FBI typically releases the prior year's full data each September.
- What are the limits of this Crime Grade?
- The FBI relies on local agency reporting. Rates reflect what was reported, not what occurred.
Nearby cities in North Dakota
Comparable North Dakota cities by population.
Compare Bismarck to other places
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