Salary guide › North Dakota › Excavation and Paving
Excavation and Paving salary in North Dakota (2025)
Most excavation and paving workers in North Dakota earn $27.97 to $36.75 an hour.
The typical excavation and paving salary in North Dakota is $29.88 an hour, or $62,150 a year. That is 4% more than the national typical pay of $28.78. About 4,890 people do this work in North Dakota. BLS reports equipment operators and paving operators as two occupations. Both are shown. They are never averaged together.
Pay by job level
| Job | Hourly | Yearly | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $23.96 | $49,840 | Estimate: the lowest 10% of pay in this trade (BLS 10th percentile). BLS has no apprentice category. Apprentices often start near helper pay, then step up each year toward journeyman pay. Low |
| Journeyman | $29.88 | $62,150 | Typical pay in the trade. BLS does not split pay by license level. Medium |
| Foreman | $39.12 | $81,370 | BLS pay for construction supervisors across all trades. Medium |
| Superintendent | $49.07 | $102,070 | BLS pay for construction managers, the closest official category. Medium |
| Project Manager | $49.07 | $102,070 | BLS pay for construction managers, the closest official category. Medium |
| Estimator | $35.23 | $73,280 | BLS pay for cost estimators in all industries. Medium |
| Owner Operator | Depends on the business | There is no wage data for owners. They earn from business profit, not a wage. None | |
High exact government figure Medium closest government category Low estimate, method shown None no data
Best paying areas for excavation and paving workers in North Dakota
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
| Area | Typical hourly | Typical yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Minot, ND | $30.29 | $62,990 |
| Bismarck, ND | $29.88 | $62,150 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | $29.66 | $61,690 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | $29.58 | $61,520 |
Typical means the median: half earn more, half earn less. Only areas where the government publishes a figure are listed.
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See North Dakota exam prepUnion and prevailing wage pay for excavation and paving workers in North Dakota
Equipment operator, Cass County: $26.00 an hour + $3.82 benefits = $29.82 total. Medium
This is the legal minimum on federal building jobs here, set from a 2014 wage survey. It is not a union rate. It is below what 3 in 4 excavation and paving workers in North Dakota earn ($27.97 an hour or more, BLS).
Source: U.S. Department of Labor wage determination ND20260013 for Cass County. Other counties have their own rates, and North Dakota may set its own for state jobs (list of state laws).
Union and prevailing figures include benefits and apply to specific jobs. The typical pay above is wages only, for everyone in the trade. They are not directly comparable.
How to earn more
- Get licensed. A license lets you bid work in your own name. See North Dakota exam prep.
- Know the steps. Experience, application, exams and what comes after. How to get licensed in North Dakota.
- Run your own company. Many states also require a business and law exam. Business exam prep.
- Move up to foreman. Construction supervisors in North Dakota typically earn $39.12 an hour.
Common questions
How much does a excavation and paving make in North Dakota?
Typical pay is $29.88 an hour, or $62,150 a year, based on government data for May 2025. Most earn between $27.97 and $36.75 an hour. That includes union and non union workers.
What is the starting pay for a excavation and paving apprentice in North Dakota?
Expect about $23.96 an hour to start. That is the lowest 10% of pay in the trade, an estimate. Apprentice pay then rises each year. The local union or the North Dakota apprenticeship agency publishes the exact steps.
Do union excavation and paving workers make more in North Dakota?
We have no official union rate for this trade in North Dakota. Government pay figures mix union and non union workers, so they cannot answer this alone. Ask the local union for its wage sheet and compare wages plus benefits.
What is the prevailing wage for excavation and paving in North Dakota?
On federal building jobs in Cass County, the prevailing wage for the equipment operator classification is $26.00 an hour + $3.82 benefits = $29.82 total (wage determination ND20260013). Other counties differ, and North Dakota may set its own rate for state jobs.
What is the highest paying city for excavation and paving workers in North Dakota?
Minot, ND pays the most, with typical pay of $30.29 an hour, based on government data for May 2025. Smaller areas may be missing because the government does not publish a figure for them.
Ready to get licensed in North Dakota? Start your excavation and paving exam prep with Contractor Pathway.
See North Dakota exam prepSee the full numbers and sources
Excavation and Paving salary in North Dakota: full pay range
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $23.96 | $49,840 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| 25th percentile | $27.97 | $58,180 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| Median | $29.88 | $62,150 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| 75th percentile | $36.75 | $76,430 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| 90th percentile | $48.35 | $100,570 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
We could not find reliable data for this. BLS does not publish Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators pay for North Dakota. None
A percentile shows where pay falls: the 10th percentile means 10% earn less. BLS publishes hourly and yearly figures; yearly assumes 2,080 paid hours (40 hours times 52 weeks). $115.00+ means BLS reports it only as at least that amount.
What affects excavation and paving pay in North Dakota
- Metro area. Minot, ND pays a median of $30.29 an hour.
- Experience and skill. In North Dakota, the top 10% earn at least $48.35 an hour, while the bottom 10% earn $23.96 or less. That gap of $24.39 an hour reflects experience, specialty and responsibility.
- State market. The North Dakota median is 4% above the national median of $28.78 for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators.
- Overtime. BLS figures are straight time pay. Overtime, shift pay and bonuses are not included, so total earnings can be higher.
- Union status and public work. Union contracts and prevailing wage jobs set their own rates. Those are separate from the market figures above.
- License classification. A contractor license lets you bid and run your own jobs instead of earning a wage.
Comparing union, prevailing and market pay
These are not directly comparable. A union total package includes benefits, a prevailing wage applies only to covered public jobs, and the BLS market wage is straight time pay for everyone in the trade.
Methodology
Market figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, state and metro tables, May 2025. We never average across sources or occupations. Full methodology.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state, metro and national tables. bls.gov/oes/tables.htm
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination ND20260013 (Davis-Bacon, building), Cass, revision 2. sam.gov
- U.S. Department of Labor, state prevailing wage laws. dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/prevailing-wages
Salary information on Contractor Pathway is an estimate for educational purposes only. Figures come from public sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, state prevailing wage determinations, federal wage determinations, and published union wage sheets. Actual pay depends on your employer, experience, local market, license classification, overtime, benefits, and the date of the data. Market wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics includes both union and non union workers. Union, prevailing wage, and market figures come from different sources and are not directly comparable. Some positions do not have official wage data, and those figures are marked as estimates with the method shown. This tool does not guarantee any wage, job offer, or income. Always confirm current rates with your local union, your state labor agency, or a prospective employer before making career or business decisions. Contractor Pathway is not responsible for decisions made based on these estimates.