Social and Human Service Assistants in North Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,350
after federal, FICA and North Dakota tax
Tax takes
$6,910
14.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$44,427
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
$46,260
Kept after tax
$39,350
Worth in national money
$44,427
State rank
20
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Dakota sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $46,260, ranking 20 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in North Dakota, this one sits low: 355 of 460 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- North Dakota is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $46,260 the take-home is $39,350; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $44,427 would nationally. The average comes to $48,940, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- North Dakota occupies the middle band for social and human service assistants: a median of $46,260, ranking 20 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Social and human service assistants occupies position 355 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.
- Post-tax income for social and human service assistants in North Dakota, on $46,260, is $39,350 — equivalent to $44,427 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 $48,940 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Social and Human Service Assistants
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $37,270 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $46,260 |
| Top tenth earn over | $66,170 |
| This salary | $46,260 |
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 | $39,350 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,350 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,933 |
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 | $46,260 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,757 |
| 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 $46,260. The published range is $37,270 up to $66,170, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In North Dakota the take-home figure of $39,350, from $46,260, 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 355 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 $44,427, the adjusted value of that $46,260 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 355 of 460 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for social and human service assistants in North Dakota the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $37,270 to $66,170. 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 $39,350 from $46,260. 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 355 of 460 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Dakota, so $44,427 — the adjusted value of that $46,260 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 355 of 460 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $48,940, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $37,270 at the bottom tenth to $66,170 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $44,427.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; North Dakota then takes its own share, leaving $39,350.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
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 $48,940. 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 is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($37,270 to $66,170) 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 $44,427 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 $39,350 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.