What skilled trades pay in North Dakota, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 37 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is electrical lineworker at a $105,870 median. For every trade and metro, start from the North Dakota pay page.
How North Dakota compares
30 of the 37 trades we track in North Dakota pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for telecom equipment installer (+46%), rigger (+29%) and ironworker (+28%), and the biggest gaps for drywall installer (-16%) and tile setter (-16%). Prices in North Dakota's metros run about 11% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $881 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in North Dakota
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $40,790.
Every trade in North Dakota
Statewide medians and jobs, BLS OEWS May 2025. “vs. U.S.” compares with the typical U.S. metro median for the trade.
Where the jobs are
- Construction Laborer: 5,050 jobs
- Heavy Equipment Operator: 4,890 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 4,350 jobs
- Electrician: 3,570 jobs
- Maintenance Technician: 3,300 jobs
North Dakota metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- Fargo: +6.3% (8,897 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
6.0% of North Dakota workers belong to a union (7.4% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in North Dakota who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in electrical lineworker (80%), plumber (50%) and electrician (46%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 66 wage cases against construction employers in North Dakota, recovering $156,851 in back wages for 289 workers.offer check and keep your own record of hours.
DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, cases concluded 2018–2026. Counts only; employers aren't named here.
Safety inspections
In 2025, federal OSHA opened 176 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 9% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (3 after an accident or fatality); the rest were planned spot checks.
OSHA inspection data via the U.S. Department of Labor, construction (NAICS 23), inspections opened in 2025. Counts only.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the North Dakota metros with the most federal major disasters are Grand Forks (10), Fargo (6) and Bismarck (5) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In North Dakota, 112 employers and programs are approved for GI Bill on-the-job training and apprenticeships, across all fields. Veterans in an approved trade apprenticeship can get a monthly housing allowance on top of apprentice pay. Search approved employers with the VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill Comparison Tool data, October 2026.
Common questions
What is the highest-paying skilled trade in North Dakota?
Electrical Lineworker pays the most of the trades we track, with a $105,870 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by telecom equipment installer and ironworker.
Which trade has the most jobs in North Dakota?
construction laborers, with about 5,050 jobs statewide, followed by heavy equipment operators and construction supervisors.
Which North Dakota city pays the trades best?
Minot, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Fargo.
Is construction hiring growing in North Dakota?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 6.3% from a year earlier in Fargo, the fastest-changing large market in the state.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in North Dakota 2026, payby.trade/report/nd/.”