Statewide pay Government data
Auto body repairers in North Dakota earn a statewide median of $55,160 a year, 7% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #20 of 50 states and DC. About 680 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near North Dakota
See all states on the auto body repairer overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes auto body repairer pay for 4 North Dakota metros. The highest-paying is Minot at $57,370, followed by Fargo and Bismarck.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| MinotNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $57,370 | $65,921 | 80 |
| FargoNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $57,350 | $63,111 | 170 |
| BismarckNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $57,210 | $62,852 | 130 |
| Grand ForksNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $54,930 | $63,383 | 80 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for North Dakota's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,600 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, auto body repairers have 60 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 31% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often auto body repairers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Where to train in North Dakota Government data
6 schools in North Dakota offer vehicle maintenance and repair programs below the bachelor's level, 5 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $54,942 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State College of Science Wahpeton, ND · Public | Associate degree | $17,565 | 75 | $60,380 |
| Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND · Public | Certificate | $16,017 | 18 | $49,503 |
| Williston State College Williston, ND · Public | Certificate | $17,932 | 12 | — |
| United Tribes Technical College Bismarck, ND · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $12,880 | 10 | — |
| Williston State College Williston, ND · Public | Associate degree | $17,932 | 8 | — |
| Lake Region State College Devils Lake, ND · Public | Certificate | $19,830 | 6 | — |
| United Tribes Technical College Bismarck, ND · Private nonprofit | Associate degree | $12,880 | 5 | — |
| North Dakota State College of Science Wahpeton, ND · Public | Certificate | $17,565 | 4 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in North Dakota Official source
The main state licensing office in North Dakota is the North Dakota Secretary of State. Contractor licensing; electricians and plumbers have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for auto body repairers.
Official North Dakota licensing site ↗
Requirements for auto body repairers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 6.0% of wage and salary workers in North Dakota were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#35 of 51 states and D.C.), and 7.4% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only auto body repairers.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in North Dakota
All trades in North Dakota.