North Dakota’s safety and EHS managers earn an estimated median of about $88,000 a year — a number pulled up by the Bakken oil region’s premium pay, in a state with one of the smallest populations in the country.
North Dakota’s estimated median for a safety or EHS manager is about $88,000 a year, with most roles between $68,640 and $118,800, scaled from the BLS OES national median of $83,910 for occupational health & safety specialists (SOC 19-5011, May 2024) to the state’s wage level. That figure is higher than you might expect for a state with fewer than a million residents, and the Bakken shale-oil region in the western part of the state — centered on Williston — is the main reason why: oil and gas extraction is a genuinely high-hazard industry, and operators there have historically paid a real premium for experienced safety staff. Away from the oil patch, North Dakota’s economy runs heavily on agriculture — wheat, soybeans and sugar beets among the major crops — which employs safety staff at a smaller scale and lower average pay. Cost of living in most of North Dakota is low, though Williston and the surrounding oil counties saw costs spike sharply during the height of the Bakken boom and remain somewhat elevated relative to the rest of the state.
North Dakota has not adopted its own OSHA State Plan, so workplace safety — including the oil and gas operations in the Bakken region — is enforced directly by federal OSHA rather than a state agency.
Fargo (the state’s largest city, with a broader mix of manufacturing, healthcare and logistics) and Bismarck (state government and energy-adjacent business) anchor the eastern and central part of the state, while Grand Forks adds a smaller market of its own. The Williston area in the northwest, though not among the state’s largest cities, punches well above its weight for safety-manager pay given its concentration of oil and gas operations.
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What’s the median safety manager salary in North Dakota?
About $88,000 a year, with a typical range of $68,640 to $118,800 depending on industry, experience, employer size and certification — an estimate anchored on BLS OES data scaled to North Dakota’s wage level.
Does North Dakota have its own OSHA program?
No. North Dakota has not adopted an OSHA State Plan, so workplace safety statewide, including the Bakken oil fields, is enforced directly by federal OSHA.
Why does North Dakota pay more than you’d expect for its size?
The Bakken shale-oil boom in the western part of the state created strong, well-paid demand for safety managers in a genuinely high-hazard industry, which pulls the statewide figure up relative to what agriculture alone would support.
How can I increase my North Dakota safety salary?
Get the BCSP CSP, target oil and gas operators in the Williston/Bakken region rather than general agriculture, and build experience in high-hazard extraction environments. The free salary estimator can model your own number.
Salary figures are estimates derived from BLS national OES data scaled to state wage levels — not a guarantee or an offer. Verify current local data with BLS and employers. ← All states · Home