North Dakota Blue Book

The North Dakota Blue Book is a valuable and unique resource that contains a collection of information about North Dakota not readily available in a single resource and not easily accessible from other resources.  It is an exceptional learning tool that is comprised of information about North Dakota’s political, economic, social, cultural and environment history, including the status of each of these topics as of publication. 

The North Dakota Blue Book was first published in 1889.  Since 1995, a new edition of the book has been published every biennium.  Nineteen editions are available online on the State Historical Society of North Dakota’s website.  An extremely beneficial feature of the online editions is the ability to search each of the online editions individually or all of the online editions collectively.  This feature is especially useful for individuals researching information about North Dakota. 

In addition to the online editions, hard copies are located at the North Dakota State Library in Bismarck, all state university libraries, and several municipal libraries throughout the state.

The North Dakota Blue Book is a valued and respected resource for researching and locating information about North Dakota through its unique benefits of online access and search capabilities.  The wealth of information contained in each edition is something that cannot be duplicated in any other publication.

Each edition of the North Dakota Blue Book includes topics such as:

  • North Dakota almanac facts, comprised of information on state origin, state symbols, statues, monuments, State Capitol, vital statistics, awards and tourism.
  • The relationship between the federal and state government, including a chronology of North Dakota’s federal elected officials.
  • Judicial branch of government, including information on the court system and judicial officers.
  • Executive branch of government, containing a chronology of elected officials and duties of elected officials.
  • Legislative branch of government, including qualifications and terms of office, the legislative process and bills introduced and passed by the legislature.
  • The relationship between Native American tribes and the state, including information on the various tribes in North Dakota.
  • Information on elections in the state, including initiating and referring laws and election reports and calendars.
  • Education in the state, including K-12 school data and a listing of universities and colleges.
  • Agricultural information, including top exporting crops and crop producing counties.
  • Natural resources, including weather information and water resources.
  • Energy resources, including oil and gas, wind and coal resources.