Salary in North Dakota: -5% Below National

North Dakota's economy is led by Bakken shale oil and gas extraction and large-scale agriculture (wheat, soybeans, sugar beets). Unemployment is consistently among the lowest in the country.

Quick Answer

As of April 2026, salaries in North Dakota run -5% below the US national median. Cost of living index: 94 (vs 100 nationally). State income tax applies. Unemployment rate 2.5%. North Dakota's economy is led by Bakken shale oil and gas extraction and large-scale agriculture (wheat, soybeans, sugar beets). Unemployment is consistently among the lowest in the country.

Salary Multiplier

0.95×

Cost of Living

Unemployment

2.5%

Income Tax

Yes

Top Industries in North Dakota

Energy (Bakken Oil)AgricultureManufacturingHealthcareGovernment

Salaries by Job in North Dakota

50 jobs sorted by North Dakota median salary.

Job	Category	Median	Top 10%
Physician	Healthcare	$217,835	$380,000
AI Engineer	Technology	$175,750	$304,000
Dentist	Healthcare	$162,365	$270,750
Machine Learning Engineer	Technology	$153,900	$280,250
Marketing Manager	Marketing	$150,366	$209,000
Site Reliability Engineer	Technology	$147,250	$242,963
Lawyer	Legal	$138,472	$237,500
Security Engineer	Technology	$134,900	$222,585
Product Manager	Technology	$131,442	$204,250
Pharmacist	Healthcare	$130,606	$156,750
Sales Manager	Sales	$128,402	$209,000
Cloud Engineer	Technology	$128,250	$211,613
Software Engineer	Technology	$125,657	$198,189
DevOps Engineer	Technology	$123,500	$185,250
HR Manager	Human Resources	$123,500	$190,000
Mobile Developer	Technology	$123,500	$203,775
Nurse Practitioner	Healthcare	$122,066	$166,250
Backend Developer	Technology	$121,600	$200,640
Full Stack Developer	Technology	$114,000	$188,100
Cybersecurity Analyst	Technology	$113,867	$166,250
Frontend Developer	Technology	$112,100	$184,965
Electrical Engineer	Engineering	$105,013	$166,250
Scrum Master	Technology	$104,500	$172,425
Data Scientist	Technology	$102,619	$174,886
Supply Chain Manager	Operations	$99,750	$164,588
Operations Manager	Operations	$97,328	$166,250
Financial Analyst	Finance	$94,896	$166,250
Physical Therapist	Healthcare	$94,725	$123,500
Mechanical Engineer	Engineering	$94,535	$145,350
UX Designer	Design	$93,100	$156,750
Occupational Therapist	Healthcare	$91,552	$118,750
Project Manager	Operations	$91,200	$156,750
Financial Planner	Finance	$91,200	$150,480
Civil Engineer	Engineering	$91,096	$137,380
Customer Success Manager	Operations	$90,250	$148,913
Web Developer	Technology	$88,113	$137,750
QA Engineer	Technology	$87,400	$144,210
Business Analyst	Operations	$84,227	$137,750
Content Marketing Manager	Marketing	$83,600	$137,940
Registered Nurse	Healthcare	$81,767	$126,046
Data Analyst	Technology	$79,800	$131,670
Accountant	Finance	$75,886	$126,056
Recruiter	Human Resources	$71,250	$117,563
Executive Assistant	Operations	$68,400	$112,860
Social Media Manager	Marketing	$68,400	$112,860
Copywriter	Marketing	$68,400	$112,860
Teacher	Education	$61,883	$97,109
Paralegal	Legal	$58,900	$97,185
Graphic Designer	Design	$57,219	$90,250
Real Estate Agent	Sales	$53,789	$156,750

Methodology

North Dakota salary figures are computed by adjusting the BLS national median for each job by North Dakota's state-level multiplier of 0.95× — a composite of state-level OEWS data and BEA Regional Price Parities. Last reviewed April 29, 2026.

Data Sources

Other States

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana

Land a Higher-Paying Role in North Dakota

CVCraft scans your resume against North Dakota employers' ATS — free, 60 seconds.

Scan My Resume Free