North Dakota by the numbers
In North Dakota, the median worker earns $50,320 a year, the typical home is worth $241,100 and carries $2,392 of property tax, and the average household pays $130 a month for electricity at 13.61¢ per kilowatt-hour.
Midwest MISO / SPP Regulated monopoly
Energy
North Dakota sits on top of its own fuel. The state's lignite plants are built beside the mines that supply them, which removes transport cost entirely. That is normally the single largest component of delivered coal price. Those plants are old and largely depreciated.
Layered on that is one of the strongest wind resources in North America, and enough transmission built over the past fifteen years to move the output east. North Dakota generates far more electricity than it consumes and exports the surplus into MISO and SPP.
The state also avoids most of the cost pressures that afflict others. There is no wildfire mitigation programme, little storm-hardening spending relative to the coasts, and no aggressive clean-energy mandate forcing early retirements.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, North Dakota households used 1,062 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $130. At the state median wage that is about 5.4 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, gas is still cheaper to run than a heat pump here, by about $3.67 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median North Dakota worker earned $50,320 in 2024, 1.7% above the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas | 25.4× | $62,340 |
| Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas | 23.92× | $69,840 |
| Roustabouts, Oil and Gas | 21.55× | $60,140 |
| Wellhead Pumpers | 19.1× | $83,450 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 5.55× | $62,390 |
Property tax
The median North Dakota homeowner pays $2,392 a year on a home worth $241,100, an effective rate of 0.99% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 23 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in North Dakota run at 89.0 where the national average is 100, ranking it #44 of 51. Goods sit at 95.7, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 71.4, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $50,320 therefore buys what $56,539 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Bismarck (91.0) , Fargo (90.9) , Minot (87.0) , Grand Forks (86.7) .
Housing
House prices in North Dakota rose 4.8% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +55.9%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Who supplies the power
16 utilities report residential service in North Dakota, together serving 373,294 customers. Regulated monopoly.
North Dakota: common questions
What does it cost to live in North Dakota?
Prices overall run at 89.0 against a national average of 100, with rents at 71.4. The typical home is worth $241,100 and carries $2,392 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.99% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $130 a month at 13.61¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $50,320.
What is the property tax rate in North Dakota?
The effective rate is 0.99% of home value, from a median bill of $2,392. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 23 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in North Dakota?
The median wage of $50,320 buys what $56,539 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line North Dakota falls on.
Is North Dakota expensive for electricity?
It ranks #46 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 13.61¢ per kilowatt-hour, -26.2% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 38 of 51, because households there use 1,062 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in North Dakota?
$50,320 across all occupations, about $24.19 an hour, covering 424,030 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in North Dakota?
16 utilities report residential service, the largest being Northern States Power Co - Minnesota with 82,987 customers. Regulated monopoly.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources