Sources & References
Metro Job Market Pulse · Fargo, ND-MN MSA · October 2026
Every advertised-pay, job-posting and industry figure in this briefing comes from WageScape's own database of active job postings. The sources below back the external facts cited in the written analysis.
Sources cited in this report
Key Indicators
North Dakota statewide labor force declined by ~1,400 workers
North Dakota Governor's Workforce Summit — September 23 workforce summit findings
This Month's Takeaways
National average hourly earnings grew 3.0% vs 3.4% inflation
Bureau of Labor Statistics — September 2026 employment situation report
Local Economic Conditions
Fargo MSA unemployment rate was 2.6% in July 2026
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Fargo ND-MN MSA
Cass County employment decreased 1.0% year-over-year
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — County Employment and Wages (QCEW), Cass County
Cass County average weekly wage rose 3.1% to $1,328
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — QCEW Q3 2025 wage data
Looking Ahead
North Dakota filed 5 WARN notices affecting 599 workers year-to-date
LayoffAlert.org — WARN Act tracking, North Dakota, 2026 year-to-date
How the numbers are calculated
- Advertised pay is the median of the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro. It is not survey or payroll data.
- Percent changes compare the latest six full months with the six months before that, for the same metro and sector.
- Sectors group postings by the employer's industry (NAICS) classification into ten sectors. Where a metro has too few postings in a sector, the state figure is used instead.
- Role pay trends use the same comparison windows. "Stable" means a change of less than 3%; "moderate" 3–10%; "significant" more than 10%.
Official data for comparison