The top 25 occupations in North Dakota ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with North Dakota cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full North Dakota-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $427,800 | $556,100 | $705,800 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $351,900 | $457,500 | $580,700 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $322,100 | $418,800 | $531,500 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $226,900 | $295,000 | $374,400 |
| #5 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $204,100 | $265,400 | $336,800 |
| #6 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $193,500 | $251,500 | $319,200 |
| #7 | Investment Banker Finance | $175,500 | $228,100 | $289,500 |
| #8 | Dentist Healthcare | $166,700 | $216,700 | $275,100 |
| #9 | AI Engineer Technology | $165,900 | $215,700 | $273,800 |
| #10 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $151,800 | $197,300 | $250,500 |
| #11 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $148,300 | $192,700 | $244,600 |
| #12 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $143,000 | $185,900 | $235,900 |
| #13 | IT Manager Technology | $139,400 | $181,300 | $230,100 |
| #14 | Controller Finance | $136,800 | $177,800 | $225,700 |
| #15 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $136,800 | $177,800 | $225,700 |
| #16 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $135,500 | $176,100 | $223,500 |
| #17 | Product Manager Technology | $134,100 | $174,400 | $221,300 |
| #18 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $133,200 | $173,100 | $219,700 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $131,900 | $171,500 | $217,600 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $130,600 | $169,800 | $215,500 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $129,200 | $168,000 | $213,200 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $127,800 | $166,100 | $210,900 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $126,500 | $164,500 | $208,800 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $125,300 | $162,900 | $206,800 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $125,300 | $162,900 | $206,800 |
In North Dakota, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $427,800 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $705,800.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for North Dakota's cost-of-living index. The ranking shows median annual base pay (excluding bonuses, equity, and benefits).
Most of the top 25 highest-paying jobs in North Dakota typically require at least a bachelor's degree, and many require advanced degrees (medicine, law, engineering specializations). Trades roles are notable exceptions — they appear in some state rankings without requiring four-year degrees.