North Dakota comes in above the national median in healthcare administration salaries, with professionals here earning $110,940 versus $104,280 at the national level according to 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. It smokes the national average, $118,800, with its enviable $126,560 for healthcare administrators.
With the economy exploding in North Dakota, those numbers are only likely to increase, however. According to the North Dakota Department of Commerce, population growth in the state will hit almost two percent, making it the second-fastest growing state in the nation.
That growth brings new health care challenges. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, annual drug overdose deaths in North Dakota were up 49 percent in North Dakota for 2020, while the state has high prevalence of excessive drinking and occupational fatalities. With 73 hospitals in the entire state, it’s a heavy workload for healthcare administrators, and it commands a hefty salary in return.
Occupational Outlook and Employment Settings for Healthcare Administrators
North Dakota is one of the few states in the country where healthcare isn’t the fastest-growing sector in the market… according to the North Dakota Labor Market Information Center, it gets beat out by both business management and hospitality and tourism in the ten-year outlook.
But that doesn’t mean it’s growing slowly—at a 17.2 percent decade growth rate through 2028, it’s still a career expanding above the national rate. That will mean 100 job openings per year in the field across the state, from both new positions and attrition in existing jobs.
Healthcare Administration Salaries in North Dakota by Location
Rural West North Dakota leads the state in having the highest median salary at $121,490, followed by Fargo at $113,430. For the high-end healthcare administrators in the top 90th percentile, rural East North Dakota ranks above all other regions, offering $169,380.
Fargo
- 25th percentile: $82,830
- Median: $113,430
- 90th percentile: NA
Bismarck
- 25th percentile: $81,470
- Median: $98,940
- 90th percentile: $139,510
Grand Forks
- 25th percentile: $74,980
- Median: $93,300
- 90th percentile: $163,700
Although much of North Dakota is rural, medical administrators tend to be concentrated more heavily in the urban areas than most rural states, with only 220 positions outside the major cities.
2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Medical and Health Services Managers.
Job growth projections sourced from the North Dakota Labor Market Information Center and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2016-2026) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
Salary figures and job market projections represent state data, not school-specific information.
Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2021.