The local economy of North Dakota and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
2.2%
-0.4 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Dickey County 1.0%, highest Rolette County 6.5%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,333
+2.4%vs a year ago
420,702 jobs at 36,905 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
2,139
-14.1%this year vs last year
Most in Cass County 908, Burleigh County 278.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-671
-1.1 per 1,000residents
23,612 moved in and 24,283 moved out. Most newcomers came from Minnesota.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
North Dakota gas price
$4.15
+$1.28vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Cass County $3.91, highest McIntosh County $4.50. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, North Dakota, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
25K
+1.2%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
352K
+2.9%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (18.2%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$21.9B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$62,211
Highest sector: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction $124,502.
Per employee per year
Share of North Dakota's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 23,792 | $22,265 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 19,951 | $78,794 |
| Support Activities for Mining | 12,751 | $115,385 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 8,841 | $77,485 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 8,661 | $83,423 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 7,552 | $31,791 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 7,046 | $76,495 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) | 6,949 | $41,409 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 6,519 | $29,141 |
| Gasoline Stations | 6,064 | $34,822 |
| Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | 5,923 | $89,705 |
| Grocery Stores | 5,854 | $24,413 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for North Dakota, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for North Dakota is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for North Dakota, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in North Dakota was 2.2% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 2.6% a year earlier. 421,012 people were employed out of a labor force of 430,514. Among its counties, Dickey County had the lowest rate (1.0%) and Rolette County the highest (6.5%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in North Dakota was $1,333 in Q1 2026, up 2.4% from a year earlier, across 420,702 jobs at 36,905 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 248 new homes in North Dakota in August 2026 (193 single-family and 47 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 1,563, down 14.1% from the same months last year, and 2,139 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Cass County (908), Burleigh County (278), Grand Forks County (231) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 23,612 people moved to North Dakota and 24,283 moved away, a net loss of 671 (-1.1 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Minnesota, Texas, California, and most people who left went to Minnesota, Texas, Arizona.
Regular gasoline in North Dakota averaged $4.15 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.28 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.00. Among its counties, Cass County had the lowest regular price ($3.91) and McIntosh County the highest ($4.50).
Health Care and Social Assistance (64,188 employees), Retail Trade (45,791 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (34,052 employees) were the largest sectors in North Dakota in 2023. In all, 25,402 business locations employed 352,108 people at an average pay of $62,211 a year.