Home / Wages / Bismarck Bismarck salaries The median worker in the Bismarck, ND metro area earned $49,990 a year in 2024, about $24.03 an hour. That ranks #78 of the 391 metro areas published here, 1% above the national median.
North Dakota
Median pay $49,990 $24.03 per hour
Vs national +1% U.S. $49,500
Workers 70,140 wage and salary
Metro rank #78 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Bismarck pays 0.7% less than North Dakota as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Childcare Workers 3.02× 710 $30,330 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators 2.36× 500 $61,660 Nursing Assistants 2.32× 1,470 $44,890 Carpenters 1.76× 560 $55,400 Bartenders 1.74× 590 $28,860 Registered Nurses 1.59× 2,380 $78,040 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1.43× 1,130 $46,150 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 1.35× 840 $40,130 Fast Food and Counter Workers 1.32× 2,270 $29,940 Office Clerks, General 1.32× 1,510 $50,290 Construction Laborers 1.32× 640 $48,500 Retail Salespersons 1.25× 2,160 $36,150
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Bismarck Occupation Median Hourly Employed Financial Managers $128,240 $61.66 380 Nurse Practitioners $124,810 $60.00 200 Managers, All Other $116,360 $55.94 440 Lawyers $105,380 $50.66 290 Software Developers $98,510 $47.36 340 Civil Engineers $96,360 $46.33 410 General and Operations Managers $89,240 $42.91 1,760 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $87,720 $42.17 200 Project Management Specialists $84,620 $40.68 330 Loan Officers $82,070 $39.46 220 Physical Therapists $81,110 $39.00 200 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $79,190 $38.07 230 Computer Occupations, All Other $78,980 $37.97 230 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $78,970 $37.97 310 Registered Nurses $78,040 $37.52 2,380 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $77,020 $37.03 200 Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines $76,830 $36.94 200 Management Analysts $76,790 $36.92 210 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $76,700 $36.87 410 Human Resources Specialists $76,210 $36.64 360 Accountants and Auditors $73,430 $35.30 730 Public Relations Specialists $72,790 $35.00 230 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $70,500 $33.90 280 Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors $67,950 $32.67 300 Compliance Officers $67,250 $32.33 210 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $65,310 $31.40 330 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $65,140 $31.32 230 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $64,590 n/a 400 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $64,500 n/a 270 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $64,180 $30.86 600 Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists $63,900 $30.72 210 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $63,410 n/a 700 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $63,060 $30.32 230 Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians $62,040 $29.83 250 Computer User Support Specialists $61,950 $29.78 270 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers $61,680 $29.65 230 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $61,660 $29.65 500 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $61,560 $29.60 330 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers $60,000 $28.85 330 Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other $59,800 $28.75 370 Dental Assistants $59,480 $28.60 220 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $58,970 $28.35 930 Electricians $58,300 $28.03 380 Carpenters $55,400 $26.64 560 Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers $52,170 $25.08 200 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $51,570 $24.79 300 Parts Salespersons $51,440 $24.73 240 Correctional Officers and Jailers $50,920 $24.48 270 Office Clerks, General $50,290 $24.18 1,510 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $49,110 $23.61 420 Construction Laborers $48,500 $23.32 640 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $48,330 $23.23 510 Light Truck Drivers $48,110 $23.13 390 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $48,080 $23.11 680 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $47,210 $22.70 470 Bus Drivers, School $46,590 $22.40 240 Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers $46,230 $22.23 340 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $46,150 $22.19 1,130 Social and Human Service Assistants $45,750 $21.99 310 Customer Service Representatives $45,650 $21.95 1,160
Where most people work Largest occupations in Bismarck by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Registered Nurses 2,380 $78,040 $37.52 Fast Food and Counter Workers 2,270 $29,940 $14.40 Retail Salespersons 2,160 $36,150 $17.38 General and Operations Managers 1,760 $89,240 $42.91 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 1,510 $38,520 $18.52 Office Clerks, General 1,510 $50,290 $24.18 Nursing Assistants 1,470 $44,890 $21.58 Cashiers 1,340 $30,590 $14.71 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 1,230 $42,960 $20.65 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1,200 $36,610 $17.60 Customer Service Representatives 1,160 $45,650 $21.95 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1,130 $46,150 $22.19 Waiters and Waitresses 990 $29,980 $14.41 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 930 $58,970 $28.35 Stockers and Order Fillers 930 $40,960 $19.69 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 840 $40,130 n/a Cooks, Restaurant 820 $36,600 $17.59 Accountants and Auditors 730 $73,430 $35.30 Childcare Workers 710 $30,330 $14.58 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 700 $63,410 n/a
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other North Dakota metro areas Bismarck pay: common questions What is the average salary in Bismarck? The median across all occupations is $49,990 , or $24.03 an hour, covering 70,140 wage and salary workers. The mean is $61,860, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Bismarck pay more than the rest of North Dakota? No. The metro median of $49,990 is 0.7% below the North Dakota median of $50,320. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Bismarck? Financial Managers ($128,240), Nurse Practitioners ($124,810), Managers, All Other ($116,360). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Bismarck unusually full of? Childcare Workers, at 3.02× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.