Forklift operator pay in North Dakota after taxes: what you keep (2026)

The median forklift operator in North Dakota earned $46,800 a year in May 2024, which is $23 an hour for a full-time year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of the 1,010 forklift operators the BLS counts in North Dakota earned more than that and half earned less; the middle half of them sat between $39,960 and $51,530. That is the gross figure, before anyone takes anything. What you keep depends on North Dakota's tax, and North Dakota has a progressive state income tax with a top rate of 2.5%.

What the median forklift operator keeps in North Dakota

For a single filer on the median $46,800, taking the standard deduction and no other adjustments:

The state line is 1.8% of gross at this salary, approximated at 70% of the top bracket, which is where a middle income lands in most progressive states. Health insurance, retirement contributions and local taxes are not in it either; they vary by employer and by city.

Where North Dakota ranks for forklift operator pay

Of the 50 states, North Dakota ranks 26 of 50 on the gross median for forklift operators. The highest-paying state is New Mexico at $60,960 and the lowest is Tennessee at $40,760. Gross rank is not take-home rank: a state with no income tax climbs several places once the state line is applied, and a high-tax state drops.

Across the border

The same job in the states next to North Dakota, gross median and estimated take-home for a single filer:

None of North Dakota's neighbours beats it on take-home for forklift operators. South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota pay less once tax is counted. Pay is one line; rent is the other, and a higher median in a metro with higher rent can leave you with less.

Where the forklift operator jobs are in North Dakota

The BLS count of 1,010 forklift operators is statewide. The metros with the most of that work are Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks and Minot, which is where the median is set and where the upper quartile ($51,530 and above) is most often paid. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are listed on the North Dakota openings page; those filings are the ones already paying to bring people in, and housing or transport is often part of the offer.

What people get wrong about forklift operator pay in North Dakota

• Quoting the mean. The BLS mean for North Dakota is $24 an hour, pulled up by the top earners. The median ($23) is what the typical forklift operator makes.
• Comparing gross across states. A $46,800 offer in North Dakota is $38,769 in hand; the same number in a no-tax state is $39,588.
• Forgetting the employer's share of insurance. A job that pays $44,800 with full health coverage can beat one that pays $49,800 without it.
• Treating the statewide median as the metro median. Fargo pays differently from a rural county; ask for the figure for the place you are actually going.

Everything about North Dakota, on one page

The North Dakota page has the licence registries and boards, the state tax at three salaries, the programs that pay you to come, and the openings filed in North Dakota this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of North Dakota employers hiring from out of state.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates for Forklift operator. Tax lines are a single filer with the standard deduction, 2024 federal brackets, and the state rate in lib/us-states.ts; progressive states are approximated. Not tax advice.