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NORTH DAKOTA

Bismarck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Fargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425

Grand Forks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

North Dakota

The State in Brief

Nickname: Flickertail State; Sioux State; Peace Garden State

Motto: Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable

Flower: Wild prairie rose

Bird: Western meadowlark

Area: 70,699 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 19th)

Elevation: Ranges from 750 feet to 3,506 feet above sea level

Climate: Continental, with a wide variety of temperatures; brief, hot summers; winter blizzards; semi-arid in the west and 22 inches average rainfall in the east

Admitted to Union: November 2, 1889

Capital: Bismarck

Head Official: Governor John Hoeven (R) (until 2008)

Population

1980: 653,000

1990: 638,800

2000: 642,200

2004 estimate: 634,366

Percent change, 1990–2000: 0.5%

U.S. rank in 2004: 48th

Percent of residents born in state: 72.5% (2000)

Density: 9.3 people per square mile (2000)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 15,258

Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)

White: 593,181

Black or African American: 3,916

American Indian and Alaska Native: 31,329

Asian: 3,606

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 230

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 7,786

Other: 2,540

Age Characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 39,400

Population 5 to 19 years old: 144,064

Percent of population 65 years and over: 14.7%

Median age: 36.2 years (2000)

Vital Statistics

Total number of births (2003): 7,938

Total number of deaths (2003): 6,090 (infant deaths, 57)

AIDS cases reported through 2003: 57

Economy

Major industries: Agriculture, manufacturing, mining

Unemployment rate: 3.2% (April 2005)

Per capita income: $28,521 (2003; U.S. rank: 35)

Median household income: $38,212 (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Percentage of persons below poverty level: 11.7% (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Income tax rate: Ranges from 2.1% to 5.54%

Sales tax rate: 5.0% (food and prescription drugs are exempt)