- North Dakota ranks 13th of the 50 states with published figures for median pay in this trade.
- North Dakota pays more than 2 of its 3 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 560 powder coaters on payrolls in North Dakota.
- At the state median wage, a powder coating shop needs to bill about $113.67 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Powder Coater pay in North Dakota, bottom to top
BLS has no separate figure for powder coaters. These are its numbers for coating, painting and spraying machine setters, operators and tenders, the closest group: workers who set up and run the machines and lines that coat, paint or spray products. They count workers on a payroll, so owners who run their own coating shop are not in them.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.98 | $43,630 | $17.43 |
| 25th percentile | $22.17 | $46,110 | $19.52 |
| Median | $24.53 | $51,020 | $23.20 |
| 75th percentile | $32.78 | $68,180 | $28.69 |
| 90th percentile | $36.13 | $75,160 | $35.93 |
| Average (mean) | $27.14 | $56,460 | $25.30 |
Pay is bunched up in North Dakota. The top tenth earn $36.13 an hour or more, about 1.7 times the $20.98 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 2.1 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $20.98 against $17.43 at the bottom tenth, and $36.13 against $35.93 at the top.
The average wage, $27.14, sits 11% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical powder coater makes.
How North Dakota compares with other states
Over a full year, the North Dakota median of $51,020 is $2,770 more than the national $48,250.
In the state ranking, North Dakota sits 13th, between Massachusetts ($24.59) and Wyoming ($24.14). The range runs from $20.65 in West Virginia to $33.61 in Alaska.
Against its neighboring states, North Dakota is in the middle: Minnesota pays more, and Montana and South Dakota pay less.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in North Dakota. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
Every state ranked, with the national pay range: national powder coater salary by state.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against North Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | $24.53 | $51,020 | |
| Minnesota | $25.10 | $52,210 | +$0.57 an hour |
| Montana | $22.78 | $47,380 | −$1.75 an hour |
| South Dakota | $23.07 | $47,980 | −$1.46 an hour |
How many powder coaters work in North Dakota
About 560 powder coaters work on payrolls in North Dakota, 0.4% of the 158,740 nationwide, the 40th largest count among the states.
The trade is a bigger part of the local job market than it is nationally: 1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in North Dakota, 1.3 times the national share.
What a powder coating shop in North Dakota should charge
Higher wages in North Dakota go straight into the price. Take a powder coating shop in North Dakota paying the state median of $24.53 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $24.53 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $54,926 |
| Break-even rate | ($54,926 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $96.62 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $96.62 ÷ 0.85 | $113.67 |
That is $113.67 per billable hour, 4.6 times the wage, and $2.34 more than the $111.33 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $32.78 in North Dakota, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $128.16.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $22.17, the rate only drops to $109.52.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a powder coater in North Dakota
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how powder coating shops run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 51-9124, coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: powder coater salary by state.