GeoFrame / Fargo, ND-MN

GeoFrame · Metro

Fargo, ND-MN

Population 200,945 · 71.5 people / sq mi

Median wage
$49,690
all occupations
Pay index
1.00×
vs national median
Cost of living
90.9
RPP · national = 100
Real earning power
1.10×
pay ÷ local cost

Real earning power — does pay outrun the cost of living?

1.10×

Pay here runs at 1.00× the national wage against a cost of living -9.1% vs the nation — a net earning advantage of +10.5%.

Pay premium
+0.4%
Cost-of-living premium
-9.1%
Net advantage
+10.5%

The geography at a glance

Median wage
$49,690
Pay index
1.00×
vs national
Cost-of-labor rank
#110
of 444 areas
Cost of living (RPP)
90.9
national = 100
Population
200,945
Density
71.5
people / sq mi

Occupations here

secondary

The occupations we can price in Fargo, ND-MN, ranked by pay — each with its premium over the occupation's national median and the employment growth BLS actually observed here. Jobs are associated context on GeoFrame; the geography is the anchor. Open any on JobFrame for the full role.

Employment growth 2019–2024, BLS OEWS
Across the 302 occupations Fargo, ND-MN published in both 2019 and 2024, employment moved +5.9% (123,240 → 130,490jobs). A matched basket, not the metro's total employment — occupations BLS suppressed in either year are left out rather than counted as zero.

OccupationMetro payvs nationalEmployment growth2019–2024Pay source
Human Resources Managers
11-3121
$128,430-8.3%+30.0%metroon JobFrame ›
Marketing Managers
11-2021
$123,460-23.3%+45.5%metroon JobFrame ›
Managers, All Other
11-9199
$119,640-12.4%—metroon JobFrame ›
Administrative Services Managers
11-3012
$110,760+2.2%—metroon JobFrame ›
Industrial Production Managers
11-3051
$110,390-9.1%+5.9%metroon JobFrame ›
Electrical Engineers
17-2071
$106,850-4.5%-55.6%metroon JobFrame ›
Lawyers
23-1011
$103,320-31.6%+2.8%metroon JobFrame ›
Software Developers
15-1252
$103,030-22.6%—metroon JobFrame ›
Data Scientists
15-2051
$97,490-13.4%—metroon JobFrame ›
Computer Systems Analysts
15-1211
$96,350-7.2%-62.5%metroon JobFrame ›
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
11-3071
$95,540-6.3%-11.1%metroon JobFrame ›
Civil Engineers
17-2051
$89,410-10.2%+17.8%metroon JobFrame ›
Engineers, All Other
17-2199
$89,410-24.1%-10.0%metroon JobFrame ›
Project Management Specialists
13-1082
$88,430-12.2%—metroon JobFrame ›
Industrial Engineers
17-2112
$84,180-16.8%+118.2%metroon JobFrame ›
Mechanical Engineers
17-2141
$84,020-17.9%+39.1%metroon JobFrame ›
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
15-1253
$81,750-20.3%—metroon JobFrame ›
Financial and Investment Analysts
13-2051
$80,060-21.0%—metroon JobFrame ›
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
13-1141
$79,240+2.9%+25.0%metroon JobFrame ›
Logisticians
13-1081
$76,910-4.9%-20.0%metroon JobFrame ›
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
41-3091
$74,540+12.5%-48.3%metroon JobFrame ›
Accountants and Auditors
13-2011
$72,550-11.2%+6.9%metroon JobFrame ›
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
51-1011
$70,230-1.3%+42.2%metroon JobFrame ›
Computer Occupations, All Other
15-1299
$67,870-37.7%-19.1%metroon JobFrame ›
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
13-1199
$67,490-17.0%—metroon JobFrame ›
Financial Specialists, All Other
13-2099
$67,140-16.3%—metroon JobFrame ›
Human Resources Specialists
13-1071
$65,880-9.6%+31.0%metroon JobFrame ›
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other
19-4099
$61,000+1.4%-33.3%metroon JobFrame ›
Computer User Support Specialists
15-1232
$60,420+0.1%-40.2%metroon JobFrame ›
Training and Development Specialists
13-1151
$60,110-8.7%-14.7%metroon JobFrame ›
Paralegals and Legal Assistants
23-2011
$59,680-2.2%+4.8%metroon JobFrame ›
Animal Caretakers
39-2021
$30,330-9.4%+47.8%metroon JobFrame ›

Compare metros

Fargo, ND-MN against its two nearest-cost peers and the nation — the metrics side by side.

Fargo, ND-MN
this metro
Springfield, MA
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
United States
Median wage$49,690$49,710$49,720$49,500
Pay index1.00×1.00×1.00×1.00×
Cost of living (RPP)90.996.196.9100.0
Real earning power1.10×1.05×1.04×1.00×
Population200,945464,151417,029—
Decide comp for this market → AnyComp Turn Fargo, ND-MN's cost-of-labor and real-earning-power signal into a defensible pay decision — strategy, priorities, and several scenarios, never one option.

Methodology

How to read this profile

Every number here is traceable — to a named source, a stated method, and an edition — and each value is labeled by how we know it: observed from data, computed by a formula, projected, or governed canon. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.

Where every number comes from

WhatSource & methodEditionState
All-occupation median wageBLS OEWS metropolitan-area all-occupation medianOEWS 2024observed
Pay indexMetro median ÷ national all-occupation medianOEWS 2024computed
Cost of living (RPP)BEA Regional Price Parities (all items), national = 100BEA RPP 2023observed
Real earning powerPay index ÷ (RPP ÷ 100) — pay against local costGeoFrame formulacomputed
Population & densityU.S. Census population estimates + land areaCensusobserved
Occupation pay by metroBLS OEWS occupational medians (metro; state fallback where metro is suppressed)OEWS 2024observed
Cost-of-labor rankRank of the metro cost-of-labor index across all areasOEWS 2024computed

The principles behind the numbers

Pay against local cost, not just pay
Real earning power divides the pay index by the cost of living, so a high wage in an expensive metro is scored honestly.
Observed where we can, computed where we must
Every value is labeled observed, computed, projected, or canon — so you always know how much to lean on it.
Metro grain, state fallback shown as such
When an occupation's metro figure is suppressed we fall back to the state and label the cell — we don't fabricate a metro number.
Gaps shown as gaps
A metro without a cost-of-living parity isn't given a made-up real-earning-power score — the block simply doesn't render.