A new survey ranks Bismarck as the third best state capital city in the US.
The survey was done by Wallet Hub. It had 35 key metrics for measurement. Analyst Jill Gonzalez says Bismarck ranked very well in a lot of them.
"We looked at the median income, and compared that to median home price and the price of rent," said Gonzalez. "Bismarck is very affordable."
Gonzalez said Bismarck has high incomes overall, adjusted for the cost of living.
"The low cost of living goes a long way," said Gonzalez. "Also, Bismarck has one of the best unemployment rates in the country, at 1.9 percent. That speaks volumes for its economic well-being."
Gonzalez says Bismarck has the second lowest percentage of residents living below the poverty line.
But Gonzalez says there are areas where Bismarck can improve. She says they’re generally in the “quality of life” category.
"We looked at things like the number of restaurants, the number of bars per capita, coffee shops, attractions," said Gonzalez. "All were in the bottom five."
Gonzalez says the people of Bismarck could use a little bit more to do.
"Obviously, it's not going to cost an arm and a leg to do it, because it's such an affordable place," Gonzalez said.
The number one capital city: Austin, Texas. At the bottom: Hartford, Conneticut. St. Paul was 23rd, and Pierre was 8th.