North Dakota
Across all occupations in North Dakota, the median wage is $52,480 a year ($25.23 an hour) and the mean $64,050, May 2025. That median is +3% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 429,430 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is surgeons, all other; the largest is heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
All occupations: North Dakota vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| North Dakota | Hourly | $15.06 | $18.56 | $25.23 | $36.45 | $49.59 | $30.79 | 429,430 |
| Annual | $31,330 | $38,600 | $52,480 | $75,810 | $103,160 | $64,050 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
Minimum wage in North Dakota
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the North Dakota minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in North Dakota
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surgeons, All Other | $604,890 | $290.81 | 150 |
| 2 | Radiologists | $553,140 | $265.93 | 120 |
| 3 | Physicians, All Other | $454,550 | $218.53 | 740 |
| 4 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $414,060 | $199.07 | 70 |
| 5 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $392,890 | $188.89 | 150 |
| 6 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $338,400 | $162.69 | 200 |
| 7 | Family Medicine Physicians | $280,100 | $134.67 | 260 |
| 8 | Nurse Anesthetists | $244,240 | $117.42 | 250 |
| 9 | Pediatricians, General | $234,950 | $112.96 | 90 |
| 10 | Dentists, General | $220,660 | $106.09 | 260 |
| 11 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $171,100 | $82.26 | 130 |
| 12 | Chief Executives | $164,560 | $79.12 | 380 |
| 13 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $149,130 | $71.70 | 850 |
| 14 | Physical Scientists, All Other | $147,650 | $70.99 | 70 |
| 15 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $147,400 | $70.86 | 270 |
| 16 | Pharmacists | $142,040 | $68.29 | 1,070 |
| 17 | Human Resources Managers | $139,050 | $66.85 | 290 |
| 18 | Financial Managers | $135,890 | $65.33 | 2,140 |
| 19 | Physician Assistants | $133,450 | $64.16 | 510 |
| 20 | Commercial Pilots | $133,010 | * | 370 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in North Dakota
Occupation groups in North Dakota
Metropolitan areas in North Dakota
4 metropolitan areas touch North Dakota, plus 2 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck, ND | Metropolitan | $52,560 | $25.27 | 71,270 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | Metropolitan | $51,050 | $24.54 | 148,660 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | Metropolitan | $49,760 | $23.92 | 52,000 |
| Minot, ND | Metropolitan | $48,940 | $23.53 | 33,260 |
| West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $59,560 | $28.63 | 87,340 |
| East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $49,980 | $24.03 | 63,460 |
Occupation pages for North Dakota
55 occupations have a dedicated North Dakota page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $75,730
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $57,360
- Bartenders $29,040
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $49,710
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $80,500
- Carpenters $57,890
- Cashiers $31,460
- Computer User Support Specialists $61,310
- Construction Laborers $49,070
- Cooks, Restaurant $36,470
- Customer Service Representatives $44,670
- Electricians $65,710
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $60,030
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $30,080
- Financial Managers $135,890
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $81,370
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $44,720
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $68,720
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $76,350
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $49,350
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $65,070
- General and Operations Managers $98,170
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $60,910
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $39,440
- Human Resources Specialists $75,630
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $37,750
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $45,690
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $40,790
- Lawyers $106,880
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $62,300
- Light Truck Drivers $47,950
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $35,050
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $49,840
- Managers, All Other $126,440
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $61,580
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $45,390
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $60,100
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $47,250
- Nursing Assistants $45,820
- Office Clerks, General $50,160
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $74,500
- Project Management Specialists $96,160
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $39,530
- Registered Nurses $80,730
- Retail Salespersons $36,040
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $66,060
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $74,250
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $61,210
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $47,480
- Security Guards $39,310
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $46,730
- Software Developers $105,600
- Stockers and Order Fillers $36,790
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $38,240
- Waiters and Waitresses $30,890
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for North Dakota
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for North Dakota. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS North Dakota estimates.
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in North Dakota.