Tree Trimmers and Pruners in North Dakota

May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,193
after federal, FICA and North Dakota tax
Tax takes
$6,627
14.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$43,121
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
$44,820
Kept after tax
$38,193
Worth in national money
$43,121
State rank
41
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Dakota is among the lower-paying states for tree trimmers and pruners. The middle earner takes $44,820, ranking 41 of 49 states — about 12.05% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in North Dakota, this one sits low: 371 of 460 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $44,820 you keep $38,193 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $43,121 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $45,130, since top earners drag the number up.
- North Dakota ranks 41 of 49 for tree trimmers and pruners, with a median of $44,820 — about 12.05% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Tree trimmers and pruners occupies position 371 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 $38,193 after the full tax stack, from $44,820. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $43,121 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $45,130 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Tree Trimmers and Pruners
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $32,010 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,820 |
| Top tenth earn over | $59,760 |
| This salary | $44,820 |
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 | $38,193 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,193 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,818 |
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 | $44,820 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,617 |
| 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 tree trimmers and pruners in North Dakota earn under $44,820 and half over. The published range runs $32,010 at the tenth percentile to $59,760 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind North Dakota's $38,193, worked from $44,820. 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 371 of 460.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $43,121 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 371.
- Figures are distribution medians for tree trimmers and pruners in North Dakota, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $32,010 to $59,760; 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.
- The North Dakota take-home of $38,193, on $44,820 for work ranking 371 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 371 of 460 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $43,121, worked from $44,820, 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 371 of 460 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $32,010 at the tenth percentile, $59,760 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in North Dakota sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $43,121 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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, $38,193 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 49 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($32,010 to $59,760) 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 $43,121 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 $38,193 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.