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Map of North Dakota showing 4 metro areas with skilled trade pay data
North Dakota: 4 metros with trade pay data

Painter pay in North Dakota

Statewide and by city · BLS, May 2025

$54,870statewide median a year
$26.38median an hour
#17of 50 states + DC
420painters employed statewide

Statewide pay Government data

Painters in North Dakota earn a statewide median of $54,870 a year, 15% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #17 of 50 states and DC. About 420 people work in the trade statewide.

Statewide pay range

$36,840Entry · 10th$47,32025th$54,870Median$60,65075th$78,290Top · 90th

States ranked near North Dakota

Massachusetts$57,510
Minnesota$57,270
Nevada$56,390
North Dakota$54,870
Vermont$53,120
Colorado$52,970
Pennsylvania$52,120

See all states on the painters nationwide.

Pay by city Government data

BLS publishes painter pay for 3 North Dakota metros: Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks.

BismarckNORTH DAKOTA · ND$55,170
FargoNORTH DAKOTA · ND$52,900
Grand ForksNORTH DAKOTA · ND$50,530
MetroMedian payReal payJobs
BismarckNORTH DAKOTA · ND$55,170$60,61090
FargoNORTH DAKOTA · ND$52,900$58,214210
Grand ForksNORTH DAKOTA · ND$50,530$58,30650

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.

West North Dakota$53,340
East North Dakota$49,720

BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.

The job (national)

Blueprint-style drawing of a framed wall and roof with dimensions, illustrating painter work in North Dakota
Painter pay in North Dakota: $54,870 statewide median, BLS May 2025.

Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency.

Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,900 openings a year. Typical training: moderate-term on-the-job training.

Nationally, painters have 124 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.4× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.

What the work is like Government data

How often painters deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.

Outdoors, in all kinds of weatherSometimes
Indoors with heating and air conditioningSometimes
Very hot or cold conditionsSometimes
Working at heightsOften
Climbing ladders, scaffolds or polesOften
Cramped spaces and awkward positionsSometimes
Loud noiseSometimes
Hazardous conditionsSometimes
Standing, bending, kneeling and walkingOften
SittingRarely

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.

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 painters.

Official North Dakota licensing site ↗

Requirements for painters 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 painters.

BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.

Cities in North Dakota

BismarckNORTH DAKOTA · ND+4.5%population since 2020 · 2.5% unemployment
FargoNORTH DAKOTA · ND+7.7%population since 2020 · 2.7% unemployment
Grand ForksNORTH DAKOTA · ND+0.8%population since 2020 · 2.8% unemployment

All trades in North Dakota.

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