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North Dakota: cities in the highest-paying counties

Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.

In short: North Dakota: Williston has the highest average pay in its county ($91,464) among the 30 largest places.
Fargo (131,627 residents)Bismarck (75,556 residents)Grand Forks (59,042 residents)Minot (47,791 residents)West Fargo (40,094 residents)Williston (28,056 residents)Dickinson (25,357 residents)Mandan (24,522 residents)Jamestown (15,787 residents)Wahpeton (8,010 residents)Devils Lake (7,308 residents)Valley City (6,541 residents)Watford City (6,039 residents)Minot AFB (4,878 residents)Horace (4,588 residents)Lincoln (4,381 residents)Grafton (4,102 residents)Beulah (3,040 residents)Casselton (2,953 residents)New Town (2,721 residents)Rugby (2,481 residents)Hazen (2,453 residents)Lisbon (2,259 residents)Bottineau (2,205 residents)Carrington (2,168 residents)Stanley (2,097 residents)Grand Forks AFB (1,987 residents)Mayville (1,976 residents)Oakes (1,858 residents)Langdon (1,782 residents)
Map of North Dakota: the 30 largest cities

Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.

Open the sortable tables of all 30 cities →

By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.

Williston#1
$91,464county average annual pay
30cities ranked
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Ranking

CITY (30 largest of North Dakota) Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · BLS QCEW 2024 · Data: ACS 2020–2024; QCEW 2024

Among the 30 largest places in North Dakota, Williston has the highest average pay in its county ($91,464), followed by Watford City and Beulah. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.

What the ranking shows

Across the 30 places in North Dakota that we cover, the median is $60,491 and the average $63,986; the figure runs from $91,464 (Williston) to $49,698 (Rugby). That is a spread of 1.8 times between the two ends.

How to use it

The first five are Williston, Watford City, Beulah, Hazen, New Town. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: read it together with the other measures on the city pages. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.

Sort:
# ⇅City ⇅County ⇅County average annual pay ⇅Population ⇅Median household income ⇅Median rent ⇅
1WillistonWilliams County$91,46428,056$79,381$1,122
2Watford CityMcKenzie County$90,9976,039$102,260$1,336
3BeulahMercer County$83,4763,040$76,848$1,075
4HazenMercer County$83,4762,453$79,609$918
5New TownMountrail County$77,6552,721$52,500$851
6StanleyMountrail County$77,6552,097$109,573$1,144
7DickinsonStark County$72,32025,357$82,696$957
8FargoCass County$66,805131,627$66,998$946
9West FargoCass County$66,80540,094$90,665$1,111
10HoraceCass County$66,8054,588$138,578$2,146
11CasseltonCass County$66,8052,953$73,259$814
12BismarckBurleigh County$63,46475,556$78,387$999
13LincolnBurleigh County$63,4644,381$87,652$950
14MinotWard County$60,49147,791$73,219$973
15Minot AFB (unincorporated)Ward County$60,4914,878$62,500$1,431
16Grand ForksGrand Forks County$59,53059,042$63,627$980
17Grand Forks AFB (unincorporated)Grand Forks County$59,5301,987$72,782$1,626
18MayvilleTraill County$58,7531,976$55,735$854
19MandanMorton County$58,64224,522$71,780$1,083
20CarringtonFoster County$57,3512,168$77,171$778
21GraftonWalsh County$57,2204,102$62,679$733
22LangdonCavalier County$56,9411,782$64,286$786
23JamestownStutsman County$56,48915,787$56,554$773
24OakesDickey County$54,2331,858$67,632$843
25WahpetonRichland County$54,1858,010$62,750$751
26BottineauBottineau County$52,6662,205$65,905$840
27Valley CityBarnes County$51,6256,541$60,339$780
28Devils LakeRamsey County$50,8227,308$43,220$711
29LisbonRansom County$49,7192,259$64,327$649
30RugbyPierce County$49,6982,481$50,365$853

Other rankings for North Dakota

Largest Cities · Cities With the Cheapest Rent · Cities With the Highest Household Income · Cities Where Rent Takes the Smallest Share of Income · Cities With the Lowest Unemployment · Most College-Educated Cities · Cities With the Most Homeowners · Cities With the Most Remote Work · Cities With the Shortest Commutes

Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. County figures describe the whole county where the city lies.

FAQ

Which North Dakota city has the highest average pay in its county?

Williston, with $91,464 (among the 30 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).

How many cities are ranked?

The 30 largest places in North Dakota by population.

Sources

Sources

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