North Dakota · Salary guide
North Dakota CPA Salary
What CPAs and accountants earn in North Dakota — percentiles, top metros, and pay by role, compared to the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · North Dakota
$75,730
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$61K–$95.8K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$125K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
-9.5%
Ranks #42 of 51 states + DC
Verified BLS wage benchmark for North Dakota · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in North Dakota?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in North Dakota. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
-9.5%
North Dakota ranks #42 of 51 states + DC by BLS-measured median.
See the rankingLicensed CPA · modeled
$84,800
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the North Dakota median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$125K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this state — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your payBest ways to use this page
- 1View percentiles
Find your percentile
See where your pay lands in North Dakota's range — from entry level to the 90th percentile.
- 2Compare metros
Compare your metro
Big metros usually pay above the statewide median. Check the city closest to you.
- 3Open the calculator
Model your own number
Set your role, experience, license, and employer to get a tailored estimate — with equity and bonus broken out.
- 4Submit your pay
Add your salary
Anonymous, two minutes. Submissions are how role- and employer-level pay becomes real data.
North Dakota · Accountants & auditors
Verified$36.41/hr median hourly · $80,090 average
Percentiles in North Dakota
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,330 | $23.72/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $60,960 | $29.31/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $75,730 | $36.41/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $95,780 | $46.05/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $124,960 | $60.08/hr | Top earners |
Local pay
Explore North Dakota metro & local pay
Statewide pay hides big local gaps. Pick a metro to open its own mini salary report — median, typical range, top earners, and how it stacks up against North Dakota and the U.S.
Explore local pay across North Dakota
Pick a metro to open a local pay report — 4 BLS-measured markets.
4 markets
Median
$75,730
Typical range
$61K–$95.8K
Top earners
$125K+
vs. national
-9.5%
Across North Dakota, the typical accountant earns $75,730 — -9.5% below the U.S. benchmark. Metros usually pay above this line; pick one of the 4 markets above to see how far.
Cost of living
What North Dakota pay is worth
A higher headline median isn't automatically a better deal. Restating North Dakota's verified median in national-average price terms — using the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities (2024) — shows how far that pay actually stretches.
Nominal
$75.7K
Price level
89/100
Real pay
$85.1K
Local prices run 11% below the national average, so pay here stretches further than the headline suggests — North Dakota rises 22 places once adjusted for buying power.
Real pay · BEA-adjustedReal pay is a like-for-like buying-power comparison of gross wages, not take-home pay. It does not model federal or state taxes, housing choices, commuting, or benefits — no-income-tax states, for instance, can stretch a paycheck further than this adjustment alone shows.
Compare
North Dakota vs other states
Weighing an offer in two states? Compare the headline median and — the part that actually decides it — pay after local cost of living.
Comparison
North Dakota vs. national
How this state's accountant wages stack up against the U.S. benchmark — and where licensed CPAs sit above the broad-occupation median.
North Dakota — all accountants
verified state measurement
$75,730
-9.5%North Dakota — licensed CPA
modeled ~12% license premium · estimate
$84,800
+1.3%National — all accountants
verified benchmark
$83,680
base
North Dakota runs -9.5% vs the national median. Both accountant medians are direct BLS measurements; the CPA-license figure is a modeled estimate on top of the state median.
Metros
Biggest metros in North Dakota
Major metro areas typically pay above the statewide median. Each metro is a direct BLS wage measurement.
| Metro area | Median | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|
| Bismarck | $76,910 | $109,630 |
| Fargo | $76,420 | $126,000 |
| Grand Forks | $74,740 | $124,960 |
| Minot | $73,510 | $107,280 |
Direct BLS wage measurements for each metro. Larger, higher-cost metros typically pay above the statewide median.
By role
CPA roles in North Dakota
Median estimates by role, scaled to this state's wage level.
Median pay by role
In North Dakota, estimated pay runs from $107,500 (Accounting Manager) to $295,300 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $295,300 | ||
| Partner | $272,600 | ||
| Director of Finance | $185,500 | ||
| Senior Manager | $155,200 | ||
| Controller | $147,700 | ||
| Tax Manager | $117,400 | ||
| Audit Manager | $117,400 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $107,500 | ||
| Audit Senior | $83,300 | ||
| Tax Senior | $81,800 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $77,200 | ||
| Audit Associate | $62,900 | ||
| Tax Associate | $62,100 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $59,100 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
CPA pay by experience in North Dakota
The state median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $65,100 | $72,900 |
| 2–4 years | $72,700 | $81,400 |
| 5–7 years | $81,800 | $91,600 |
| 8–12 years | $90,900 | $101,800 |
| 13–20 years | $100,000 | $112,000 |
| 20+ years | $107,500 | $120,400 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in North Dakota
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at a manager-level base on the state median. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $131,500 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $123,300 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $115,000 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $108,000 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $122,100 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What affects CPA pay in North Dakota
North Dakota runs -9.5% vs the national median — these factors move pay within the state.
North Dakota market
North Dakota’s economy has been powered by Bakken-shale oil and gas alongside agriculture, producing low unemployment and steady demand for accountants around Fargo and Bismarck. A low cost of living gives the state some of the strongest real, buying-power-adjusted pay in the country.
Local market & cost of living
Pay tracks the local cost of labor — North Dakota's metros typically pay above the statewide median, smaller markets below it.
Employer mix
Big 4 and national firms pay a brand premium; regional/local firms, government, and nonprofits trail industry roles at the same level.
Role & experience
Pay roughly doubles from staff to controller. The CPA license adds a modeled premium and unlocks senior roles.
Remote & hybrid
Remote roles can pay to a national band rather than the local one, widening access to higher-paying employers.
How to use these figures
North Dakota figures here are a direct BLS wage measurement — but they cover accountants and auditors as a single occupation, so they are not specific to the CPA license, your role, or your employer. Use them as a local baseline, then model your own situation and submit a salary to sharpen the employer-level detail BLS does not publish.
Compare
How North Dakota compares
North Dakota ranks #42 of 51 states + DC by BLS-measured median. Jump to another state to compare.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a CPA make in North Dakota?
- The median wage for accountants and auditors in North Dakota is approximately $75,730 per year — -9.5% vs the national median of $83,680. CPAs typically earn above this. (This is the BLS-measured wage for accountants and auditors in North Dakota; BLS does not publish a CPA-specific figure, so the CPA premium is an estimate.)
- Is North Dakota a good state for CPAs?
- North Dakota pay runs below the national average for accountants. Factor in cost of living, the mix of public-accounting firms and industry employers, and remote opportunities when comparing.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Add your North Dakota salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. It takes two minutes and stays anonymous.