North Dakota Workers' Compensation Cost Calculator
Key facts: workers' comp in North Dakota
- Who must be covered
- Mandatory starting at 1 employeeOfficial agency: WSI
- Average rate
- $0.50 per $100 of payrollRank #51 of 51 (#1 = most expensive), below the $1.09 national median
- Rating organization
- State fund (WSI)Exclusive state fund
- Verified from official records
- October 3, 2026Rates: Oregon DCBS study, June 2025
North Dakota requires nearly every employer to insure all employees, including part-time, seasonal and occasional workers, before they start work. WSI is the only provider of coverage: private insurers aren't allowed to write workers' comp in the state.
Rates in effect July 1, 2023 · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, 2024 study (June 2025) · Nothing you enter leaves your browser
2024 study rate for all industries in North Dakota. Edit it if your policy shows a different rate.
For the class you're pricing. Insurers rate each class code's payroll separately.
Printed on your experience rating worksheet or renewal. New or small employers that don't qualify for experience rating are rated at 1.00.
Estimated premium
$5,000
per year at an EMR of 1.00
At an average mod
$5,000
per year at an EMR of 1.00
Your EMR's impact
$0
no adjustment
Effective cost: $0.50 per $100 of payroll.
At an EMR of 1.00, your claims history neither raises nor lowers this premium.
Every claim from now on counts toward your next three renewals. IncidentLog makes the first step — a complete, same-day incident report — take about 90 seconds from a job-site QR code.
Create a free accountEstimate before schedule credits or debits, premium discounts, expense constants, state assessments and minimum premiums — your insurer's quote will differ.
Who must carry workers' comp in North Dakota?
Mandatory starting at 1 employee
It covers all employees, including part-time, seasonal and occasional workers, with limited exceptions.
Official agency
Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI)
Market: Exclusive state fund
North Dakota workers' comp rates by business type
Rate per $100 of payroll for common class codes in North Dakota, against the median of the 51 jurisdictions in the study.
| Business type (NCCI code) | North Dakota | U.S. median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and clerical staff (8810) | $0.07 | $0.11 | −36% |
| Retail store (8017) | $0.59 | $1.20 | −51% |
| Restaurant (full service) (9082) | $0.68 | $1.09 | −38% |
| Restaurant (fast food) (9083) | $0.68 | $1.09 | −38% |
| Hotel (all other employees) (9052) | $0.73 | $1.79 | −59% |
| Assisted living / retirement center (care staff) (8824) | $0.48 | $2.03 | −76% |
| Hospital (professional staff) (8833) | $0.33 | $0.82 | −60% |
| Electrical contractor (5190) | $0.99 | $2.37 | −58% |
| Plumbing contractor (5183) | $1.15 | $2.70 | −57% |
| Residential carpentry (up to 3 stories) (5645) | $7.34 | $8.71 | −16% |
| Roofing (5551) | $1.18 | $9.64 | −88% |
| Trucking (7219) | $1.35 | $5.72 | −76% |
North Dakota doesn't use NCCI class codes; the study maps each class to the closest North Dakota equivalent. Your insurer applies the rate for your own classes, then your EMR.
What a bad EMR costs in North Dakota
Take $500,000 of payroll at North Dakota's $0.50 index rate: $2,500 a year at an average mod of 1.00.
- EMR 0.85
- $2,125/yr
- EMR 1.25
- $3,125/yr
- Difference
- +$1,000/yr
A claim year usually stays in the mod for three renewals, so the gap adds up to about $3,000. The mod is built from claims, and the cheapest claim is the injury caught early.
IncidentLog lets crews report an injury or near miss from a job-site QR code in about 90 seconds, so you hear about it the same shift and see patterns on your OSHA 300 log before they become claims.
Create a free accountNorth Dakota workers' comp FAQ
Is workers' comp insurance mandatory in North Dakota?
Yes. North Dakota requires workers' compensation coverage from the first employee. It covers all employees, including part-time, seasonal and occasional workers, with limited exceptions. Source: Workforce Safety & Insurance.
How are workers' comp rates set in North Dakota?
North Dakota has an exclusive (monopolistic) state fund run by Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI), and the Oregon DCBS study lists that fund as the state's rating organization, so the fund sets the rates. Your own premium then depends on your class codes, your payroll and your experience modification rate (EMR).
What is the average workers' comp rate in North Dakota?
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services's 2024 study puts North Dakota's all-industry index rate at $0.50 per $100 of payroll for rates in effect on July 1, 2023, 45% of the study's national median of $1.09. That ranks North Dakota #51 of 51 jurisdictions, where #1 is the most expensive (unchanged from the 2022 study). Your own rate depends on your class codes.
Sources
Official texts behind this page (4 quotes)
“North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance 1600 E. Century Ave, Ste 1 Bismarck, ND 58503”
Coverage requirements — Workforce Safety & Insurance (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“North Dakota’s Workers’ Compensation law, with limited exceptions, requires all employers to insure all employees including full-time, part-time, seasonal, and occasional workers before employees begin working.”
Coverage requirements — Workforce Safety & Insurance (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“WSI is the sole provider and administrator of workers’ compensation in North Dakota.”
Coverage requirements — Workforce Safety & Insurance (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“North Dakota law does not allow private insurers to underwrite workers' compensation insurance in North Dakota.”
Coverage requirements — Workforce Safety & Insurance (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
An estimate for planning, not a quote, legal or insurance advice. IncidentLog is not an insurer or broker. Median rate across all industries: $1.09 per $100.