ND workers make less per hour than national average

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Employment Situation Summary for the month of July stating that employment is up over half a million jobs and unemployment rates are down to 3.5%.

But North Dakota lags behind the national average in one very important category, mean hourly wages. The rest of the nation averages $28.01 an hour, in Bismarck the average is 7% less at $26.00 an hour, in Fargo the average hourly wage is $25.52, that’s a 9% loss. Grand Forks fairs even worse at 13% below the national norm, averaging only $24.37.

North Dakota ranks 26th in the nation in hourly average wages, which is still well below the national average. But even though North Dakota workers are making less than most other workers around the country, we have more of them in the workforce. North Dakota’s unemployment rate is at 2.5%.