Average Salary in North Dakota (ND)

North Dakota has the lowest top marginal state income tax of any state that taxes income — just 1.95% at the top bracket, and 0% at the lowest income level. That structure is made possible by oil-and-gas revenue from the Bakken Formation, which has generated billions in tax receipts since the shale boom began in the late 2000s. The $73,959 median household income is above the national average, and the cost-of-living index of 92 gives North Dakota residents strong effective purchasing power. Fargo is the largest metro and has become a surprisingly diverse economy — Microsoft has a major campus there, Doosan Bobcat's North American headquarters is in West Fargo, and Sanford Health is the largest private employer statewide. Outside of Fargo and Bismarck, the economy is agriculture and energy: wheat, soybeans, sunflowers, and the Bakken oil patch centred on Williston and Dickinson. The $7.25/hour minimum wage remains at the federal floor. Property taxes are modest. The state has a large Legacy Fund — a sovereign-wealth-style trust of oil-tax revenue — that stood at over $10 billion by 2024 and produces meaningful ongoing investment income for state operations. Full breakdown follows.