GeraJobs / US Wage Premium / Ward County, ND
Ward County, North Dakota — Wages & Employment (2023)
Ranked #592 of 3,141 US counties by the Gera Local Wage Premium US (81.0, US = 100) — computed from real BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data.
What is the average wage in Ward County, ND?
Ward County, ND has a GLWP-US of 81.0 (rank #592 of 3,141), below the US average. Average weekly wage: $1127 (~$58,604/year, US = $1392/wk). Its highest-concentration sector is Mining, Quarrying & Oil and Gas Extraction (LQ 13.17x). Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
Gera Local Wage Premium US
Ward County's wage premium vs US average (rank #592 of 3,141). Below the US average.
How this is calculated$1,127
Avg weekly wage (2023)
$58,604
Approx annual pay
81.0
GLWP-US (US = 100)
#592 / 3,141
National rank
31,117
Average employment
$1,392
US avg weekly wage
Ward County vs US average — wage comparison
| Metric | Ward County | US Average | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg weekly wage | $1,127 | $1,392 | -$265 |
| Approx annual pay | $58,604 | $72,384 | -$13,780 |
| GLWP-US index | 81.0 | 100.0 | -19.0 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023, all industries, all ownership types. Annual pay = weekly wage × 52 (derived). GLWP-US = (county wage / US $1392/wk) × 100.
Ward County — top industries by employment concentration
Location Quotient (LQ) > 1.0 means the industry is more concentrated here than the US average. Private sector, BLS QCEW 2023.
| Industry (NAICS sector) | LQ | Avg Wk Wage (sector) |
|---|---|---|
| Mining, Quarrying & Oil and Gas Extraction | 13.17x | $2,340 |
| Retail Trade | 1.49x | $725 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1.30x | $1,630 |
| Construction | 1.24x | $1,315 |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 1.21x | $436 |
LQ = (county sector employment share) / (US sector employment share). Source: BLS QCEW 2023, agglvl_code=74, own_code=5 (private sector).
Ward County — GLWP-US breakdown
GLWP-US
81.0
US = 100
National Rank
#592
of 3,141 counties
Wage Premium
$265
vs US avg/wk
GLWP-US = 81.0 (rank #592 of 3,141, below the US average). Formula: ($1127/wk ÷ $1392/wk) × 100 = 81.0.
Explore US County Wage Premiums — Interactive
US average = $$1,392/wk (GLWP-US 100). Showing top 50 results.
| Rank | County | State | GLWP-US | Avg Wk Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #38 | McKenzie County | ND | 124.5 | $1,733 |
| #39 | Oliver County | ND | 123.7 | $1,722 |
| #46 | Williams County | ND | 120.3 | $1,675 |
| #58 | Dunn County | ND | 116.2 | $1,617 |
| #92 | Mercer County | ND | 108.7 | $1,513 |
| #136 | Mountrail County | ND | 102.5 | $1,427 |
| #178 | Stark County | ND | 97.6 | $1,359 |
| #207 | McLean County | ND | 95.7 | $1,332 |
| #230 | Sargent County | ND | 94.3 | $1,313 |
| #268 | Burke County | ND | 92.0 | $1,281 |
| #324 | Cass County | ND | 89.3 | $1,243 |
| #342 | Divide County | ND | 88.6 | $1,233 |
| #439 | Burleigh County | ND | 84.1 | $1,171 |
| #499 | Steele County | ND | 82.7 | $1,151 |
| #592 | Ward County | ND | 81.0 | $1,127 |
| #624 | Pembina County | ND | 80.2 | $1,117 |
| #692 | Grand Forks County | ND | 78.7 | $1,096 |
| #753 | Morton County | ND | 77.7 | $1,082 |
| #790 | Traill County | ND | 77.2 | $1,075 |
| #878 | McHenry County | ND | 75.9 | $1,057 |
| #899 | Cavalier County | ND | 75.7 | $1,054 |
| #905 | Walsh County | ND | 75.6 | $1,053 |
| #914 | Stutsman County | ND | 75.5 | $1,051 |
| #921 | Foster County | ND | 75.4 | $1,050 |
| #1,128 | Sioux County | ND | 72.8 | $1,014 |
| #1,138 | Hettinger County | ND | 72.6 | $1,011 |
| #1,169 | Richland County | ND | 72.3 | $1,007 |
| #1,262 | Bowman County | ND | 71.3 | $993 |
| #1,437 | Bottineau County | ND | 69.7 | $970 |
| #1,451 | Barnes County | ND | 69.5 | $967 |
| #1,463 | Benson County | ND | 69.4 | $966 |
| #1,515 | Rolette County | ND | 69.0 | $960 |
| #1,516 | Slope County | ND | 69.0 | $960 |
| #1,572 | Ramsey County | ND | 68.6 | $955 |
| #1,650 | Billings County | ND | 68.0 | $946 |
| #1,667 | Adams County | ND | 67.8 | $944 |
| #1,668 | LaMoure County | ND | 67.8 | $944 |
| #1,681 | Renville County | ND | 67.7 | $943 |
| #1,813 | Emmons County | ND | 66.6 | $927 |
| #1,814 | Towner County | ND | 66.6 | $927 |
| #1,831 | Pierce County | ND | 66.5 | $926 |
| #1,845 | Ransom County | ND | 66.4 | $924 |
| #1,862 | Wells County | ND | 66.2 | $922 |
| #1,979 | Dickey County | ND | 65.3 | $909 |
| #2,120 | Kidder County | ND | 64.2 | $894 |
| #2,155 | Grant County | ND | 63.9 | $889 |
| #2,184 | Golden Valley County | ND | 63.6 | $885 |
| #2,207 | Griggs County | ND | 63.4 | $882 |
| #2,402 | McIntosh County | ND | 61.8 | $860 |
| #2,491 | Nelson County | ND | 60.9 | $848 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023 Annual Single File, US public domain. GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage ÷ US avg $1,392/wk) × 100. Top sector LQ = employment location quotient (private sector). Computed by GeraJobs.
Ward County wages — FAQ
- What is the GLWP-US score for Ward County, ND?
- Ward County, ND has a Gera Local Wage Premium US (GLWP-US) of 81.0 (US average = 100), ranking #592 of 3,141 US counties. This puts it below the US average. Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
- What is the average weekly wage in Ward County, North Dakota?
- The BLS QCEW 2023 data shows the annual average weekly wage in Ward County, North Dakota is $1127, equating to approximately $58,604/year. The US average is $1392/wk ($72,384/year). GLWP-US: 81.0 (US = 100).
- How many people are employed in Ward County?
- In 2023, Ward County, North Dakota had an annual average employment of 31,117 workers covered by unemployment insurance, per the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. This covers private-sector and government workers across all industries.
- What industries are most concentrated in Ward County?
- Based on BLS QCEW 2023 employment Location Quotients, the most concentrated private-sector industries in Ward County, North Dakota are: Mining, Quarrying & Oil and Gas Extraction (LQ 13.17x, avg $2340/wk); Retail Trade (LQ 1.49x, avg $725/wk); Wholesale Trade (LQ 1.30x, avg $1630/wk); Construction (LQ 1.24x, avg $1315/wk); Accommodation & Food Services (LQ 1.21x, avg $436/wk). An LQ above 1.0 means the county has a higher share of that industry than the US overall.
- How does Ward County's wage compare to North Dakota overall?
- Ward County has a GLWP-US of 81.0 vs the US average of 100. To see how Ward County compares to other counties in North Dakota, explore the full GeraJobs US Wage Premium rankings. The GLWP-US is computed from BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data covering all industries and ownership types.
How the Gera Local Wage Premium US is calculated
GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage / US avg weekly wage) × 100. US average $1392/wk in 2023 → US = 100 by construction. Data: BLS QCEW 2023 annual singlefile, all industries, all ownership. Suppressed cells excluded. No imputation. Full methodology · Licence: US public domain.
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Other counties in North Dakota by GLWP-US
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW 2023 Annual Single File (data.bls.gov/cew/data/files/2023/csv/2023_annual_singlefile.zip). US public domain. Area title from BLS area_titles.csv. FIPS: 38101. No figure is modelled or estimated.