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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

Rigger pay in North Dakota

Statewide and by city · BLS, May 2025

$77,890statewide median a year
$37.45median an hour
#11of 43 states
140riggers employed statewide

Statewide pay Government data

Riggers in North Dakota earn a statewide median of $77,890 a year, 29% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #11 of 43 states. About 140 people work in the trade statewide.

Statewide pay range

$65,210Entry · 10th$74,83025th$77,890Median$169,48075th$169,480Top · 90th

States ranked near North Dakota

New Jersey$82,130
Illinois$81,860
Nevada$81,720
North Dakota$77,890
Washington$77,100
Colorado$73,720
Idaho$72,850

See all states on the rigger overview.

Pay by city Government data

BLS publishes rigger pay for 1 North Dakota metro: Fargo.

MetroMedian payReal payJobs
FargoNORTH DAKOTA · ND$169,480$186,50650

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$74,830

BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.

The job (national)

Blueprint-style drawing of a steel frame with a fillet weld in progress, illustrating rigger work in North Dakota
Rigger pay in North Dakota: $77,890 statewide median, BLS May 2025.

Set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.

Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,700 openings a year. Typical training: moderate-term on-the-job training.

Nationally, riggers have 79 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, about the same as all jobs (87). The most common cause is falls, slips and trips.

What the work is like Government data

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

Outdoors, in all kinds of weatherVery often
Indoors with heating and air conditioningOccasionally
Very hot or cold conditionsVery often
Working at heightsSometimes
Climbing ladders, scaffolds or polesSometimes
Cramped spaces and awkward positionsOften
Loud noiseVery often
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 riggers.

Official North Dakota licensing site ↗

Requirements for riggers 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 riggers.

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

Cities in North Dakota

FargoNORTH DAKOTA · ND+7.7%population since 2020 · 2.7% unemployment

All trades in North Dakota.

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