Protective Service Workers, All Other in North Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$45,135
after federal, FICA and North Dakota tax
Tax takes
$8,325
15.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$50,959
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
$53,460
Kept after tax
$45,135
Worth in national money
$50,959
State rank
12
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. North Dakota pays this job a middle wage of $53,460, ranking 12 of 51 states and sitting about 25.67% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 460 occupations North Dakota reports figures for, this is number 289.
- North Dakota is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $53,460 the take-home is $45,135; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $50,959 would nationally. The average comes to $55,730, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- North Dakota's median for protective service workers, all other is $53,460, about 25.67% above the national figure and 12 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- In North Dakota's occupational distribution, protective service workers, all other sits at 289 of 460 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for protective service workers, all other in North Dakota, on $53,460, is $45,135 — equivalent to $50,959 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $55,730 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Protective Service Workers, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $37,460 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $53,460 |
| Top tenth earn over | $76,010 |
| This salary | $53,460 |
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 | $45,135 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $45,135 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$4,511 |
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 | $53,460 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$5,456 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in North Dakota earn less than $53,460. The published range is $37,460 up to $76,010, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In North Dakota the take-home figure of $45,135, from $53,460, 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 289 of 460 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $50,959 uses one figure for the whole of North Dakota. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 460 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 289.
- Reported values are medians; for protective service workers, all other in North Dakota the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $37,460 to $76,010. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for North Dakota is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $45,135 from $53,460. 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 289 of 460 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $50,959, worked from $53,460, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular North Dakota address, on work sitting at 289 of 460 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $55,730, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $37,460 at the bottom tenth to $76,010 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $50,959.
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, $45,135 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in North Dakota is $55,730. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($37,460) and the ninetieth ($76,010) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $50,959 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 $45,135 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.