Helpers--Production Workers in North Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,278
after federal, FICA and North Dakota tax
Tax takes
$6,892
14.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$44,345
North Dakota costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in North Dakota — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$46,170
Kept after tax
$39,278
Worth in national money
$44,345
State rank
1
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for helpers--production workers is strong here. North Dakota's middle earner gets $46,170, putting the state 1 of 49 — about 18.17% ahead of the national figure.
- Measured against other jobs in North Dakota, this one sits low: 361 of 460 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $46,170 you keep $39,278 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $44,345 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $46,030.
- For helpers--production workers, North Dakota sits in the upper band nationally: a median of $46,170, ranking 1 of 49 and running about 18.17% above the national midpoint. Nominal advantage of this size is usually, though not always, large enough to survive the state's own tax and price levels.
- Helpers--production workers occupies position 361 of 460 in North Dakota's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Retained pay in North Dakota is $39,278 after the full tax stack, from $46,170. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $44,345 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $46,030 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Helpers--Production Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $30,940 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $46,170 |
| Top tenth earn over | $60,980 |
| This salary | $46,170 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in North Dakota | $39,278 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,278 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,926 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $46,170 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,748 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $46,170 as a midpoint for North Dakota, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $30,940 and the ninetieth is $60,980 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind North Dakota's $39,278, worked from $46,170. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 361 of 460.
- One number stands for prices across all of North Dakota, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $44,345, the adjusted value of that $46,170 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 361 of 460 in the state.
- The North Dakota median of $46,170 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $30,940 to $60,980. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- The North Dakota take-home of $39,278, on $46,170 for work ranking 361 of 460 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 361 of 460 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Dakota, so $44,345 — the adjusted value of that $46,170 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 361 of 460 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $30,940 at the tenth percentile, $60,980 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. North Dakota is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $44,345 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and North Dakota's own levy, $39,278 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 49 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($30,940 to $60,980) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to North Dakota rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
North Dakota's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $44,345 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $39,278 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and North Dakota income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.