Minot is the principal city of the Minot Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers McHenry, Renville, and Ward counties and had a combined population of 67,392 at the 2000 census.
As of the census of 2000, there were 36,567 people, 15,520 households, and 9,265 families residing in the city. The population density was 970.4/km² (2,513.1/mi²). There were 16,475 housing units at an average density of 437.2/km² (1,132.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.18% White, 1.34% African American, 2.76% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.
The top 6 ancestry groups in the city are German (40.8%), Norwegian (32.3%), Irish (8.7%), English (5.4%), Swedish (4.2%), French (3.2%).
There were 15,520 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,218, and the median income for a family was $42,804. Males had a median income of $30,283 versus $20,023 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,011. About 8.8% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
The railroads that built Minot remain, though Great Northern is now part of the BNSF Railway and the Soo Line is run by the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Passenger rail transportation is provided daily on Amtrak's Empire Builder line which stops at the Minot Amtrak station. Trains make a 20-minute refueling stop in Minot; Westbound trains arrive about 9:00 am local time. Eastbound trains arrive about 9:00pm.
Three U.S. highways run through the city: US-2, US-52, and US-83.
US-2 runs east-west and is a four-lane highway from Minot east to Grand Forks and largely two lanes from Minot west to Williston. In February 2004 it was announced that Highway 2 would be expanded to four lanes between Minot and Williston by 2008.
US-83 runs north-south through central Minot as Broadway. It is a four-lane highway from Minot south to Bismarck and north to Minot Air Force Base. Just north of the main gate at the base, the road reduces to two lanes and crosses the Canadian border at Westhope, ND, where it becomes Manitoba Highway 83.
US-52 runs southeast-northwest. Southeast from Minot, it follows a slightly circuitous route to Jamestown, where it meets up with Interstate 94. Highway 52 merges with I-94 after Jamestown, going due east to Fargo. Northwest from Minot, US-52 crosses the Canadian border at Portal, ND/North Portal, SK, where it becomes Saskatchewan Highway 39.
Minot has a bypass for these routes around the south and west sides of the city.
Minot International Airport is served by Northwest Airlines three times daily, four times daily in peak periods. Until the early 1990s, it was also served by Denver-based Frontier Airlines and its successor, Continental Airlines, then, briefly, by the new iteration of Frontier in 1994. Airport officials are constantly looking for additional service, both from Northwest and other airlines, but such efforts have proved fruitless so far.
Automobiles dominate intracity and local area transport. There is limited fixed-route city transit service (Minot City Transit) on weekdays, and flexible-route rural transit service (Souris Basin Transportation) on an occasional basis. Local transit services for the elderly and disabled (Minot Commission on Aging Transit) meet federal guidelines but have 24-hour advance notice requirements.
Pedestrianism in the city is inhibited by several factors; the sidewalk network is poor in many areas of the city, though improving. Automobile drivers take the right of way at all but the best-marked crosswalks, and major points are often separated by relatively large distances and hill slopes. Skateboarding is illegal in streets and on sidewalks (though there is a skating area in Roosevelt Park), and rollerblading is generally disallowed by downtown landowners.