This page is built from the open postings on hospital and health-system career sites in North Dakota listed on Betterleap's job board: 795 open positions from 13 employers as of October 26, 2026, 0.4% of all open postings on the board, which ranks North Dakota #43 of 51 states. Registered nurses are 34.5% of the state's postings (173). Every figure below is a count or a posted pay range, never a job description; the method is at the end.
Where the jobs are in North Dakota
| # | City | Open postings | of which RN | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fargo, ND | 381 | 91 | 7 |
| 2 | Bismarck, ND | 164 | 44 | 3 |
| 3 | Mandan, ND | 79 | 13 | 2 |
| 4 | Grand Forks, ND | 30 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Park River, ND | 14 | 4 | 1 |
| 6 | Larimore, ND | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| 7 | Jamestown, ND | 12 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Hillsboro, ND | 9 | 0 | 1 |
Every city links to its live listings; the state's registered-nurse listings are at RN jobs in North Dakota.
Health systems hiring the most in North Dakota
Counted by open postings on the system's own career site, so a system that lists every unit and shift separately ranks higher than one that posts one evergreen requisition per role.
| # | Employer | Open postings in ND |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanford Health | 529 |
| 2 | Essentia Health | 168 |
| 3 | Kentfield Hospital | 40 |
| 4 | Universal Health Services | 23 |
| 5 | Encompass Health | 13 |
| 6 | My Site | 5 |
| 7 | University of Rochester Medical Center | 5 |
| 8 | DaVita | 3 |
Which roles North Dakota employers are hiring
| Role | Open postings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| registered nurses | 173 | 34.5% |
| certified nursing assistants | 84 | 16.7% |
| physicians | 77 | 15.3% |
| licensed practical nurses | 60 | 12% |
| patient care technicians | 34 | 6.8% |
| patient access representatives | 29 | 5.8% |
| food service workers | 25 | 5% |
| environmental services staff | 20 | 4% |
What nursing jobs pay in North Dakota
For reference, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 11,340 registered nurses employed in North Dakota with a mean wage of $40.19 an hour ($83,600 a year), OEWS May 2025.
Only 0.1% of North Dakota postings state a pay range with both ends: too few to publish a posted median (the rule is at least 100 postings and a median within a third of the BLS mean). The BLS figure above is the reliable reference for this state.
Licensing: working as a nurse in North Dakota
North Dakota is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) according to NCSBN's compact map (read September 26, 2026, which lists 40 member states). A nurse whose primary state of residence is North Dakota can hold a multistate license and practice in every other compact state without a new application, and a nurse with a multistate license issued elsewhere can accept a job in North Dakota without waiting for an endorsement. The state's board of nursing contact page is on NCSBN.
Licensing is issued by the state board of nursing: an approved nursing program, the NCLEX-RN (or NCLEX-PN), a background check and the board's application. The board's own pages are the source of truth for fees and timelines; this page does not restate them.
How this is built
- Scope: open postings on public hospital and health-system career sites, counted as of the date shown; job descriptions are never republished. Only postings whose location is in North Dakota count here; a posting listing several sites counts once, at its first site.
- Pay point: midpoint of the posted range, hourly (annual ÷ 2080), only where both ends and the unit are posted. The top of a posted range is never used as "the pay". A posted median is published only with at least 100 postings and within a third of the BLS mean.
- Freshness: counts are refreshed monthly and the page shows its date; a posting that leaves an employer's site drops out.
- References: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates; NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map data, read September 26, 2026.
Data as of October 26, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many open nursing jobs are there in North Dakota right now?
795 open postings from 13 hospital and health-system employers in North Dakota as of October 26, 2026, 173 of them for registered nurses. Fargo has the most (381), then Bismarck (164).
What do registered nurses earn in North Dakota?
The BLS OEWS May 2025 mean for registered nurses in North Dakota is $40.19 an hour, $83,600 a year, across 11,340 employed RNs. Too few open postings state a pay range for a posted median to be published for this state.
Is North Dakota a Nurse Licensure Compact state?
Yes. North Dakota is an NLC member per NCSBN's compact map (read September 26, 2026), so a multistate license issued by another compact state is valid there.
Which hospitals are hiring nurses in North Dakota?
By open postings on their own career sites: Sanford Health (529), Essentia Health (168), Kentfield Hospital (40) and 5 more listed above, as of October 26, 2026.
