Median pay · North Dakota
$37,160A year, or $18 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $33,800 | $16 |
| 25th percentile | $35,800 | $17 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $37,160 | $18 |
| 75th percentile | $43,880 | $21 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $46,830 | $23 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $39,540 | $19 |
Wage survey · BLS May 2025
How we got this
- Median wage in North DakotaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of the people in this job were paid more than this, half less.$37,160
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$17.87
- Take-home after federal and FICA tax$2,670 a month at an effective rate of 13.8%.$32,038 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in North Dakota sit at 89 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$41,772
- Against the national medianThe national median is $38,150.2.6% below
- Jobs countedA concentration of 0.77 against the nation's 1.00.270
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
What lands in the bank
Tax year 2026 · InteractiveEstimated on the median salary of $37,160 in North Dakota, for a single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026. Explore other wage levels and filing statuses below.
Run the numbers on your own pay
Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.
What $37,160 is worth in North Dakota
Prices in North Dakota sit at 89 against a national average of 100, so $37,160 earned here buys what $41,772 buys at national average prices.
- Rents. 71.4 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
- Against local households. The median household in North Dakota takes in $76,657, so this occupation's median is 0.49 times that, on one income.
- How common the job is here. 23% less concentrated in North Dakota than in the country as a whole.
Reading the numbers
What stands out for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in North Dakota
Rents in North Dakota index at 71.4 (U.S. = 100) while prices overall index at 89, a gap of -17.5 pts. For a renter, housing moves the local cost of living more than anything else.
Prices in North Dakota index at 89 (U.S. = 100), so the $37,160 median buys roughly what $41,772 would at national prices, $4,612 more.
Pay is tightly grouped: the 90th percentile ($46,830) is only 1.4 times the 10th ($33,800), so most veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers here earn within a narrow band.
The median for this job is 0.5 times the median household income in North Dakota ($76,657). Many households have two earners, so one paycheck at this level falls short of what a typical local household brings in.
Common questions
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers pay in North Dakota, answered
How much do veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers make in North Dakota?
The median wage for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in North Dakota is $37,160 a year, or $17.87 an hour.
Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.
What is the average Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers salary in North Dakota?
BLS’s mean (average) wage for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in North Dakota is $39,540 a year. The median is $37,160.
The mean sits higher when a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up. For a typical paycheck, the median is the better middle.
What is the hourly pay for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in North Dakota?
The median hourly wage is $17.87. At a full-time year that lines up with about $37,160 a year.
BLS May 2025; hourly and annual figures come from the same survey.
What is the starting salary for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in North Dakota?
BLS does not publish starting pay. The closest figure it does publish is the low end of the range: in North Dakota, the lowest-paid 10% of veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers earn under $33,800 a year and a quarter earn under $35,800 ($16.25 and $17.21 an hour).
New hires often start somewhere in that band, but the May 2025 survey does not record experience, so read it as a floor to compare an offer against rather than a typical first salary.
What is the salary range for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in North Dakota?
The overall salary range for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in North Dakota spans from $33,800 for the bottom 10% to $46,830 for top earners.
The middle 50% earn between $35,800 and $43,880 a year, with the overall median at $37,160.
What is the take-home pay for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in North Dakota?
On the median wage of $37,160, a single filer taking the 2026 standard deduction keeps an estimated $32,038 a year, or roughly $2,670 a month.
That is after federal and FICA tax, an effective rate of 13.8%.
Estimated state income tax is $0 for this income and filing setup. A zero estimate does not mean the state has no income tax.
How much does veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers make a month in North Dakota?
On the median annual salary of $37,160, estimated take-home pay is roughly $2,670 a month after federal, state, and FICA taxes.
For workers paid on a standard biweekly schedule (26 pay periods per year), each paycheck is approximately $1,232 net.
Do veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers earn more in North Dakota than in the rest of the country?
No. The median in North Dakota is 2.6% below the national median of $38,150.
Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in North Dakota sit at 89 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.
Is $37,160 a good salary in North Dakota?
It is 0.49 times the median household income of $76,657. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.
Prices in North Dakota run at 89 against a national average of 100, with rents at 71.4, so $37,160 here buys about what $41,772 buys at national average prices.
What do the highest-paid veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers earn in North Dakota?
The top tenth earn $46,830 a year or more. The 10th-percentile wage is $33,800.
Experience, specialty, employer and the part of North Dakota someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.
How many veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers are there in North Dakota?
The survey counted 270 of these jobs in North Dakota for May 2025.
That makes the occupation 23% less concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.