Wind Turbine Technicians in the Bismarck area earn a median of $66,700 a year, 5% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #3 of 8 metros for wind turbine technicians nationwide.
It's the only North Dakota metro with published pay for this trade; see wind turbine technician pay in North Dakota, including rural areas.
Wind Turbine Technician pay in Bismarck at a glance
- Wind turbine technicians in the Bismarck, ND metro earn a median $66,700 a year ($32.07 an hour), #3 of 8 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $51,360 and $102,220.
- After local prices, that median buys what $73,277 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $927 a month, 17% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among wind turbine technicians in Bismarck.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for wind turbine technicians here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (2.5%) and the population is growing faster than most (+4.5% since 2020).
Bismarck scorecard for wind turbine technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Bismarck with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($63,350).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Bismarck Our calculation
Prices in the Bismarck area run 9% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $73,277 would in a typical place, ranking #2 of 8 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a cost-of-living budget for Bismarck from this pay, local rent and prices.
What wind turbine technicians do
Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines. Perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Troubleshoot or repair mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical malfunctions related to variable pitch systems, variable speed control systems, converter systems, or related components.
- Perform routine maintenance on wind turbine equipment, underground transmission systems, wind fields substations, or fiber optic sensing and control systems.
- Diagnose problems involving wind turbine generators or control systems.
- Test electrical components of wind systems with devices, such as voltage testers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, infrared testers, or fiber optic equipment.
- Start or restart wind turbine generator systems to ensure proper operations.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, wind turbine technician jobs are projected to grow 29.5% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 1,500 openings a year. About 15% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often wind turbine technicians deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
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 wind turbine technicians.
Official North Dakota licensing site ↗
Requirements for wind turbine technicians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, wind turbine technicians have 133 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.5× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Bismarck area's unemployment rate was 2.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just wind turbine technicians), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 2.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Bismarck area is 18 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 79% drive alone, 0% take transit and 8% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Bismarck area's population grew 4.5% from 2020 to 2025 (133,783 → 139,750), ranking #111 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +4,302) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Bismarck are down 48% from 2021 to 2025 (792 → 411).
In 2025 the Bismarck area approved permits for 411 new homes (369 single-family), or 3.0 per 1,000 residents, ranking #223 of 393 metros.
Working outdoors in Bismarck Government data
In an average year, Bismarck has 9 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 181 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 43 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 79°F and winter nights 7°F. That matters for wind turbine technicians: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Bismarck 2.4 Nnw, ND station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $66,700 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get wind turbine technician pricing & estimate templates →Compare Bismarck with another city →
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ToolBest cities for wind turbine techniciansRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in BismarckSee where it falls among local wind turbine technicians, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolBismarck budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Bismarck metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Bismarck against every other metro for wind turbine technicians. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for wind turbine technicians as a separate industry, so that section is left out.