How much does a Paralegal make in North Dakota?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $59,910 for Paralegals in North Dakota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $50,100 and the 75th-percentile is $71,030.

How are North Dakota Paralegal salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

What does the top of the Paralegal pay scale look like in North Dakota?

The 90th percentile lands at $77,160. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $71,030.

How many Paralegals does North Dakota employ?

BLS OES counts 610 Paralegals employed in North Dakota in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Is North Dakota a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Paralegals?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $59,910 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $67,945. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Paralegals comparing offers across regions.

What are the limits of these Paralegal salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

How Much Do Paralegals Make in North Dakota? $60K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

North Dakota pays Paralegals a BLS median of $59,910 — the more useful number is $67,945, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
P25-P75 spread runs $50,100 to $71,030; P10 floor $41,870, P90 ceiling $77,160.
Low BEA RPP (88.2) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $8,035.
Paralegal ranking: #25 on the BLS table, #7 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — North Dakota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$41,870	$47,486
P25 (lower quartile)	$50,100	$56,819
P50 (median)	$59,910	$67,945
P75 (upper quartile)	$71,030	$80,557
P90 (top tier)	$77,160	$87,509
Mean	$59,800	$67,820
Employment	610 Paralegals in North Dakota

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	North Dakota index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	88.2
Goods	97.0
Services	75.0
Rents	69.3

North Dakota sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 69.3.

After-tax take-home — North Dakota (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Paralegal)	$59,910	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,051	8.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	0–2.5% (graduated, 2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,583	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$50,276	83.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$57,019	÷ (88.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the North Dakota state-tax burden means for Paralegal take-home

North Dakota's state tax is light at this income tier (~0.0% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 88.2), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $57,019.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $61,010 for Paralegals with mean pay of $66,510 and total employment of 367,220. North Dakota sits at #25 on nominal pay and #7 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Dakota climbs 18 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Paralegal make in North Dakota?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $59,910 for Paralegals in North Dakota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $50,100 and the 75th-percentile is $71,030.
How are North Dakota Paralegal salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the Paralegal pay scale look like in North Dakota?: The 90th percentile lands at $77,160. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $71,030.
How many Paralegals does North Dakota employ?: BLS OES counts 610 Paralegals employed in North Dakota in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Is North Dakota a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Paralegals?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $59,910 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $67,945. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Paralegals comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these Paralegal salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 23-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how North Dakota Paralegal pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.