High paying construction jobs in North Dakota

Every construction occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in North Dakota. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single construction job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in North Dakota run 11.0% below the national average (2024), so a North Dakota salary is worth about 1.12× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in North Dakota.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find construction jobs in North Dakota

OccupationMedian, North Dakota · Employed

1Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining$90,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,440 – $123,880220
2Structural Iron and Steel Workers$82,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$57,410 – $99,840270
3First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$81,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$60,320 – $146,8604,350
4Brickmasons and Blockmasons$79,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,640 – $91,750150
5Construction and Building Inspectors$78,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$55,150 – $100,390180
6Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas$71,850
No formal educational credential
$63,380 – $80,040490
7Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas$71,280
No formal educational credential
$52,280 – $104,970230
8Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers$66,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,850 – $105,180260
9Electricians$65,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,440 – $101,0203,570
10Sheet Metal Workers$65,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,080 – $84,740290
11Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$63,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,520 – $83,5601,620
12Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$62,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,840 – $100,5704,890
13Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas$60,810
No formal educational credential
$37,600 – $88,4103,000
14Highway Maintenance Workers$60,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,400 – $78,5101,240
15Roustabouts, Oil and Gas$60,480
No formal educational credential
$38,850 – $78,2902,460
16Hazardous Materials Removal Workers$60,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$20,930 – $70,130170
17Roofers$59,740
No formal educational credential
$46,050 – $87,360290
18Insulation Workers, Mechanical$58,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,920 – $74,550400
19Carpenters$57,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,860 – $76,7602,360
20Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$57,710
No formal educational credential
$46,500 – $71,4401,190
21Painters, Construction and Maintenance$54,870
No formal educational credential
$36,840 – $78,290420
22Fence Erectors$49,310
No formal educational credential
$44,620 – $49,940190
23Construction Laborers$49,070
No formal educational credential
$38,990 – $71,2105,050
24Pipelayers$47,810
No formal educational credential
$47,200 – $59,240170
25Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall$46,450
No formal educational credential
$38,830 – $60,430260

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianNorth Dakota	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface MiningHigh school diploma or equivalent	$90,380	$50,440 – $123,880	220
2	Structural Iron and Steel WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$82,120	$57,410 – $99,840	270
3	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$81,370	$60,320 – $146,860	4,350
4	Brickmasons and BlockmasonsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,940	$51,640 – $91,750	150
5	Construction and Building InspectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$78,570	$55,150 – $100,390	180
6	Derrick Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$71,850	$63,380 – $80,040	490
7	Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$71,280	$52,280 – $104,970	230
8	Miscellaneous Construction and Related WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,450	$46,850 – $105,180	260
9	ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,710	$46,440 – $101,020	3,570
10	Sheet Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,180	$48,080 – $84,740	290
11	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,560	$45,520 – $83,560	1,620
12	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,150	$49,840 – $100,570	4,890
13	Service Unit Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$60,810	$37,600 – $88,410	3,000
14	Highway Maintenance WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,630	$47,400 – $78,510	1,240
15	Roustabouts, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$60,480	$38,850 – $78,290	2,460
16	Hazardous Materials Removal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,160	$20,930 – $70,130	170
17	RoofersNo formal educational credential	$59,740	$46,050 – $87,360	290
18	Insulation Workers, MechanicalHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,140	$46,920 – $74,550	400
19	CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,890	$43,860 – $76,760	2,360
20	Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersNo formal educational credential	$57,710	$46,500 – $71,440	1,190
21	Painters, Construction and MaintenanceNo formal educational credential	$54,870	$36,840 – $78,290	420
22	Fence ErectorsNo formal educational credential	$49,310	$44,620 – $49,940	190
23	Construction LaborersNo formal educational credential	$49,070	$38,990 – $71,210	5,050
24	PipelayersNo formal educational credential	$47,810	$47,200 – $59,240	170
25	Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and WallNo formal educational credential	$46,450	$38,830 – $60,430	260

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in North Dakota. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for North Dakota

Metro areas in North Dakota

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in North Dakota

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in North Dakota to rank honestly.

High paying construction jobs in North Dakota

More for North Dakota

Metro areas in North Dakota

By field in North Dakota

Without a degree

High paying construction jobs in each state