🏆 2026 Job Rankings

Highest-Paying Tech Jobs in North Dakota (2026)

If you are comparing highest-paying tech jobs in North Dakota, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to focus on technology-heavy roles in North Dakota. It is designed to show where the strongest projected tech pay sits, how quickly compensation falls after the leader, and which roles still have enough hiring depth to matter.

From the current ranking, Computer and Information Systems Manager leads at $145,585/year, while Software Developer stands out for employment depth at about 1,510 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.

📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 North Dakota · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$146K est.
2
Database Architect
$119K est.
3
Information Security Analyst
$127K est.
4
Computer Network Architect
$114K est.
5
Software Developer
$105K est.
#1 Job
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$146K
Jobs Ranked
12
top roles
Data Layer
State
Careerclev salary model
Top Employment
650
employment estimate
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Highest-Paying Tech Jobs in North Dakota: Full Ranking

If you're targeting high-paying jobs in North Dakota, Computer and Information Systems Manager sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $145,585 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to Database Architect at $118,948, which helps show whether the pay curve drops quickly or stays fairly tight after the leader. On entry-level pages, Careerclev uses lower wage percentiles as a transparent proxy for starting pay, because the public source data does not offer a clean entry-level field for every role.

1
SOC 11-3021 · Management · 650 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
100% benchmark
$145,585
official baseline $146K
2
SOC 15-1243 · Technology · 50 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$118,948
official baseline $119K
3
SOC 15-1212 · Technology · 340 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$127,407
official baseline $127K
4
SOC 15-1241 · Technology · 280 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
vs #1
$113,929
official baseline $114K
5
SOC 15-1252 · Technology · 1,510 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$105,490
official baseline $105K
6
SOC 15-1211 · Technology · 180 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$99,370.0
official baseline $99.4K
7
SOC 15-2051 · Technology · 320 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$107,104
official baseline $107K
8
SOC 15-1251 · Technology · 230 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$88,278.0
official baseline $88.3K
9
SOC 15-1253 · Technology · 470 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$85,536.0
official baseline $85.5K
10
SOC 15-1244 · Technology · 920 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$86,661.0
official baseline $86.7K
11
SOC 15-2031 · Technology · 140 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$87,278.0
official baseline $87.3K
12
SOC 15-2041 · Technology · 40 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$83,583.0
official baseline $83.6K

What Computer and Information Systems Manager Does

Before the pay ranking means much, it helps to understand the work itself. Computer and Information Systems Manager sits at the top of this guide because it combines strong pay with the work profile described below.

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.

Computer and Information Systems Manager Salary Trend

Computer and Information Systems Manager leads this ranking on current pay, but the national salary trend helps show whether that pay ceiling is being reinforced by steady wage growth over time.

Careerclev's current 2026 estimate applies an annual modeled growth rate of -1.5% from the last confirmed BLS benchmark year, using wage history and employment outlook where available.

2026·$154KEstimated
$151K
2020
$159K
2021
$164K
2022
$170K
2023
$158K
2024
$156K
2025*
$154K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
20202026 trend (est.)
1.7%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model

* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($158K, 2024) is extended with recent wage trend history, employment outlook, and tech-market signals where available, then replaced when official data is published.

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Highest-Paying Jobs by Category

High pay in North Dakota is not concentrated in a single career path. The leading roles span Management, Technology . That mix helps show whether the local labor market rewards specialist clinical work, technical depth, executive management, or a broader spread of roles. Each row below shows the top-paying role within that actual SOC category rather than an assumed one.

CategoryTop JobSalaryEmploymentPrep Signal
ManagementComputer and Information Systems Manager$145,585650Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
TechnologyDatabase Architect$118,94850Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Entry-Level Pay Signals

A high median salary only tells half the story. What matters for career planning is where starting pay actually lands. Because BLS does not publish a clean entry-level label for every role, Careerclev uses lower wage percentiles as a transparent proxy. Computer and Information Systems Manager shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $113,018, compared with a long-run median of $145,585. In turn, that gap gives a better feel for both long-run upside and how quickly a role starts rewarding experience.

JobEntry ProxyMedian SalaryPrep PathTypical Education
Computer and Information Systems Manager$113,018$145,585Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Database Architect$105,591$118,948Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Information Security Analyst$101,536$127,407Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Computer Network Architect$100,746$113,929Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation NeededMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Software Developer$86,265.0$105,490Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Computer Systems Analyst$88,654.0$99,370.0Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Data Scientist$83,130.0$107,104Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Computer Programmer$72,422.0$88,278.0Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Jobs With Strong Demand

Pay ceilings matter more when the local labor market is deep enough to generate real openings. In North Dakota, Software Developer combines a salary of $105,490 with roughly 1,510 employed workers, which makes it one of the more accessible high-pay options on this list. By contrast, some specialties rank higher on salary but operate as narrower niches where openings are harder to find and entry paths are longer.

Very Deep Market
Software Developer
$105,490
1,510 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Very Deep Market
Network and Computer Systems Administrator
$86,661.0
920 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Strong Market
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$145,585
650 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Strong Market
Software QA Tester
$85,536.0
470 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Strong Market
Information Security Analyst
$127,407
340 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Strong Market
Data Scientist
$107,104
320 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.

Salary vs Employment

The highest-paying job is not always the largest market, and that distinction changes the practical calculus. Computer and Information Systems Manager leads on salary at $145,585, while Software Developer supports roughly 1,510 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.

Computer and Information Systems ManagerSOC 11-3021
$146K
650
Database ArchitectSOC 15-1243
$119K
50
Information Security AnalystSOC 15-1212
$127K
340
Computer Network ArchitectSOC 15-1241
$114K
280
Software DeveloperSOC 15-1252
$105K
1,510
Computer Systems AnalystSOC 15-1211
$99.4K
180
Data ScientistSOC 15-2051
$107K
320
Computer ProgrammerSOC 15-1251
$88.3K
230

How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically

Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In North Dakota, the gap between Computer and Information Systems Manager at $145,585 and the early-pay signal from Computer and Information Systems Manager at $113,018 shows why access, market size, and training timelines belong in the same conversation as the headline number. That is where this page becomes more useful than a simple ranking list.

1
Match salary to access realistically
A high median means little if there are only a handful of openings per year. Check the employment estimate alongside the salary. A role with 1,510 workers in North Dakota is fundamentally easier to enter than one with a few hundred.
2
Factor in education and licensure timelines
Some of the highest-paying roles on this list sit in prep bands such as Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed and often pair that with expectations like most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.. Build that timeline into your planning before targeting the salary ceiling.
3
Separate entry pay from long-run upside
The entry proxy column in this guide gives you an early-career anchor. A role that starts at $113,018 and scales to $145,585 offers a very different career arc than one that starts and peaks near the same figure.
4
Check the work before chasing the pay
Compare the day-to-day work with the training path before you commit. A role can rank highly on pay and still be a poor fit if the work itself does not match the kind of problems, environment, or responsibilities you want.
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Next Pages to Read

High-pay rankings are most useful when you read them alongside the core salary guide, the career entry path, and a few nearby role comparisons. That turns this page from a ranking into a better decision route for computer and information systems manager.

FAQs

These questions cover the practical parts of the ranking: how entry pay is estimated, why wage fields sometimes differ by source, and how to compare the top salary with the real size of the job market.

What is the highest-paying job in North Dakota?
Computer and Information Systems Manager is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $145,585 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for North Dakota.
Is the entry-level pay data directly from BLS?
Not exactly. BLS publishes wage percentiles rather than experience-level labels, so Careerclev uses the 25th percentile (or the low-end wage where available) as an entry-pay proxy. It is a transparent approximation, not a direct label.
Is North Dakota a good market for Computer and Information Systems Manager?
North Dakota is a competitive state market for Computer and Information Systems Manager. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 650 workers locally, with a median salary of $145,585. A deeper employment count generally points to more active hiring, which improves access alongside the pay ceiling.
How much preparation does Computer and Information Systems Manager usually require?
Computer and Information Systems Manager is currently tagged as job zone four: considerable preparation needed in the O*NET prep model. The most common education signal is most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not., while the training path is described as employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training..
Does the top-paying job also have the most openings?
Not always. Software Developer may support a deeper employment market than the #1 salary role, which can make it more practical for job seekers despite a lower pay ceiling.
How should I compare salary with accessibility?
Use the ranking salary, entry-pay proxy, employment estimate, and preparation path together. The best target is usually the role that balances strong pay with a realistic path in.
Can a lower-ranked job be a better target than Computer and Information Systems Manager?
Yes. A lower-ranked role can be the better choice if it has a shorter prep path, stronger entry pay, more openings, or a work profile that fits you better than Computer and Information Systems Manager.
Why do some high-paying roles look hard to enter?
Many top-paying roles sit behind longer training, licensing, or related-experience requirements. That is why Careerclev shows preparation signals next to salary instead of treating all high-paying jobs as equally accessible.
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Data Sources & MethodologyRankings use Careerclev salary facts built from BLS OEWS wage data and extended through Careerclev's current salary projection model where applicable. National pages use U.S. aggregate data, state pages use state-level data, and city pages use the BLS metro dataset behind the largest-city public label. Category labels are derived from BLS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) major group codes, while prep-path notes come from imported O*NET job-zone and career requirement data where available.
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