Ophthalmic Medical Technicians in North Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,294
after federal, FICA and North Dakota tax
Tax takes
$6,896
14.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$44,364
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
$46,190
Kept after tax
$39,294
Worth in national money
$44,364
State rank
24
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. North Dakota is 24 of 51 states for ophthalmic medical technicians, with a middle wage of $46,190. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within North Dakota this is lower-paid work. Of 460 occupations the state publishes figures for, ophthalmic medical technicians ranks 359. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Here is where North Dakota does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $46,190 you keep $39,294, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $44,364 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $46,040, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- North Dakota ranks 24 of 51 for ophthalmic medical technicians at $46,190. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation North Dakota reports, ophthalmic medical technicians ranks 359 of 460, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- After federal, FICA and North Dakota income tax, retained pay for ophthalmic medical technicians on $46,190 is $39,294. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $44,364 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $46,040 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $39,110 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $46,190 |
| Top tenth earn over | $59,920 |
| This salary | $46,190 |
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 | $39,294 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,294 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,928 |
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 | $46,190 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,750 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of ophthalmic medical technicians in North Dakota earn under $46,190 and half over. The published range runs $39,110 at the tenth percentile to $59,920 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In North Dakota the take-home figure of $39,294, from $46,190, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 359 of 460 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of North Dakota, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $44,364, the adjusted value of that $46,190 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 359 of 460 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for ophthalmic medical technicians in North Dakota, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $39,110 to $59,920; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for North Dakota is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $39,294 from $46,190. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 359 of 460 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Dakota, so $44,364 — the adjusted value of that $46,190 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 359 of 460 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $39,110 at the tenth percentile, $59,920 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $44,364.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and North Dakota adds its own income tax on top — which is why $39,294 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
This occupation is published everywhere — all 51 of them — so comparing states measures real differences rather than gaps in the data.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($39,110 to $59,920) 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 $44,364 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 $39,294 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.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.