Top 100 highest-paying jobs in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area, ranked by annual average salary. For each job, the table displays the number of employees with that job, as well as the job's entry-level salary. (The entry-level salary is calculated based on the 10% of paid workers with the lowest salaries.)

Based on the table, we see that the highest-paying jobs in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area are those of general dentist, with an average annual salary of $148,660. The second highest-paying jobs are those of industrial production manager, with an average salary of $147,400.

All of the shown salary and employment information for West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area has been computed using data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in April 2023. Notably, the highest-paying occupations change from year to year. Tables 2, 3, and 4 show the top 10 highest-paying occupations in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	General Dentists	$148,660	$79,750	60
2	Industrial Production Managers	$147,400	$82,970	80
3	Pharmacists	$130,100	$34,520	160
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$130,000	$99,000	30
5	Physician Assistants	$126,980	$104,160	90
6	Optometrists	$125,370	$75,120	50
7	Financial Managers	$124,170	$72,070	350
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$123,990	$92,180	50
9	Nurse Practitioners	$115,920	$94,960	130
10	Environmental Engineers	$112,850	$68,410	30
11	Gas Plant Operators	$110,660	$64,210	600
12	Sales Managers	$108,360	$63,950	50
13	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay	$105,400	$85,560	40
14	Medical and Health Services Managers	$104,520	$74,480	130
15	Mechanical Engineers	$104,320	$56,640	60
16	Electrical Engineers	$104,000	$76,920	70
17	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$103,560	$49,870	270
18	Chief Executives	$103,260	$95,880	60
19	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$103,170	$59,030	30
20	Industrial Engineers	$103,120	$48,790	60
21	Petroleum Engineers	$103,120	$80,850	200
22	All Other Managers	$102,980	$58,530	290
23	Power Plant Operators	$102,660	$61,620	150
24	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$102,120	$49,090	330
25	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$102,000	$71,340	60
26	Construction Managers	$101,960	$66,490	250
27	Lawyers	$101,060	$65,480	210
28	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$100,010	$75,310	280
29	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$100,000	$66,520	80
30	Human Resources Managers	$99,990	$75,210	30
31	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$99,890	$66,870	210
32	Software Developers	$99,850	$50,650	70
33	Engineers, All Other	$98,800	$64,360	40
34	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$98,180	$53,680	240
35	Veterinarians	$97,440	$78,930	90
36	General and Operations Managers	$97,340	$48,320	3,290
37	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$96,720	$62,780	580
38	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$95,320	$77,750	120
39	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	$95,180	$74,640	450
40	First-Line Supervisors of Fire Fighting and Prevention Workers	$93,720	$67,070	40
41	Civil Engineers	$91,040	$63,100	210
42	Project Management Specialists	$89,970	$59,870	300
43	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$89,730	$64,900	90
44	Compliance Officers	$89,600	$60,820	200
45	Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators	$88,910	$68,490	80
46	Facilities Managers	$88,660	$52,420	50
47	Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technicians	$88,360	$49,110	70
48	Geoscientists (Except Hydrologists and Geographers)	$84,770	$81,630	40
49	Other Biological Scientists	$84,610	$53,890	40
50	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$84,160	$55,330	200
51	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$83,710	$50,110	90
52	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$83,650	$58,480	2,180
53	Insurance Sales Agents	$83,570	$53,620	380
54	Postsecondary Business Teachers	$83,220	$60,630	50
55	Other Engineering Technicians	$82,040	$57,550	50
56	Loan Officers	$81,990	$47,070	340
57	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$81,430	$46,340	30
58	Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining	$81,340	$43,200	180
59	Dental Hygienists	$81,080	$59,730	190
60	Environmental Engineering Technicians	$81,040	$63,310	50
61	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$80,590	$49,620	50
62	Occupational Therapists	$80,350	$65,230	100
63	Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	$79,820	$43,010	420
64	Physical Therapists	$79,750	$71,310	170
65	Logisticians	$79,730	$60,200	50
66	Soil and Plant Scientists	$78,880	$44,320	60
67	Management Analysts	$78,690	$44,720	50
68	Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	$78,610	$51,480	60
69	Crane and Tower Operators	$78,400	$62,490	190
70	Other Postsecondary Teachers	$78,120	$48,870	40
71	Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	$78,070	$47,570	180
72	Social and Community Service Managers	$77,530	$52,440	50
73	Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents	$76,290	$39,180	60
74	Personal Financial Advisors	$75,980	$37,520	110
75	Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers	$75,870	$60,320	230
76	Instructional Coordinators	$75,710	$50,430	70
77	Postmasters and Mail Superintendents	$75,580	$47,400	40
78	Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas	$75,390	$56,230	190
79	Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians	$74,670	$41,470	70
80	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$73,990	$44,280	90
81	Sheet Metal Workers	$73,880	$46,510	120
82	Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers	$71,980	$59,340	40
83	Urban and Regional Planners	$71,910	$61,700	30
84	Construction and Building Inspectors	$71,400	$47,990	70
85	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	$70,350	$41,860	50
86	Cost Estimators	$70,010	$50,250	140
87	Computer Network Support Specialists	$69,990	$48,680	180
88	Other Business Operations Specialists	$68,900	$44,720	300
89	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$67,060	$37,890	870
90	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	$66,560	$42,050	720
91	Registered Nurses	$66,450	$58,770	1,620
92	Conservation Scientists	$65,720	$44,720	100
93	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$65,340	$49,680	960
94	Farm and Home Management Advisors	$65,090	$37,460	30
95	Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	$64,870	$48,310	810
96	Surveyors	$64,850	$52,140	90
97	Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists	$64,350	$49,470	410
98	Occupational Health and Safety Technicians	$64,340	$37,620	80
99	Electricians	$64,280	$39,420	1,300
100	Speech-Language Pathologists	$64,170	$53,860	130

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$158,560
2	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$149,920
3	Industrial Production Managers	$134,720
4	Chemical Engineers	$131,400
5	General Dentists	$131,280
6	Physician Assistants	$130,610
7	Pharmacists	$128,690
8	Optometrists	$128,460
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$126,980
10	Financial Managers	$120,740

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$191,180
2	General Dentists	$180,630
3	Optometrists	$158,300
4	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$148,310
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$129,280
6	Financial Managers	$125,680
7	Sales Managers	$125,680
8	Pharmacists	$124,190
9	Medical and Health Services Managers	$121,490
10	Chemical Engineers	$120,770

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$188,340
2	Optometrists	$148,780
3	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$145,470
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$137,180
5	Chief Executives	$123,820
6	Pharmacists	$122,200
7	Sales Managers	$119,980
8	Nurse Practitioners	$118,240
9	Financial Managers	$118,090
10	Physician Assistants	$117,950

Also see The most popular jobs in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area.

Also see The most popular jobs in North Dakota, The top paying jobs in North Dakota.