BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

11/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/13/2026 10:24

Business Employment Dynamics in North Dakota — First Quarter 2026

News Release Information

26-1628-CHI
Friday, November 13, 2026

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  • (312) 353-1138

Business Employment Dynamics in North Dakota - First Quarter 2026

From December 2025 to March 2026, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 23,909, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in North Dakota were 23,882, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 27 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2026. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 1,722. (See chart 1.)

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in North Dakota, March 2021-March 2026, seasonally adjusted
Period Gross job gains Gross job losses

Mar 2021

26,991 21,737

Jun 2021

22,577 21,027

Sep 2021

24,575 22,104

Dec 2021

25,458 21,537

Mar 2022

25,131 21,650

Jun 2022

23,096 21,906

Sep 2022

25,807 21,468

Dec 2022

21,699 22,680

Mar 2023

26,254 19,660

Jun 2023

24,048 23,604

Sep 2023

23,170 22,946

Dec 2023

23,479 22,050

Mar 2024

24,459 21,460

Jun 2024

23,403 23,364

Sep 2024

23,254 23,110

Dec 2024

22,897 23,442

Mar 2025

23,924 23,189

Jun 2025

22,570 24,156

Sep 2025

21,860 23,199

Dec 2025

24,572 22,850

Mar 2026

23,909 23,882
View Chart Data

Gross job gains

In the first quarter of 2026, gross job gains represented 6.8 percent of private-sector employment in North Dakota; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.5 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In North Dakota, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 19,013 in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 819 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 4,896 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 156 jobs from the previous quarter.

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and North Dakota, March 2021-March 2026, seasonally adjusted
Period North Dakota United States

Mar 2021

8.3 7.0

Jun 2021

6.9 6.8

Sep 2021

7.5 7.3

Dec 2021

7.6 7.7

Mar 2022

7.5 6.7

Jun 2022

6.9 6.6

Sep 2022

7.6 6.9

Dec 2022

6.3 6.3

Mar 2023

7.6 6.3

Jun 2023

6.9 6.2

Sep 2023

6.6 5.9

Dec 2023

6.7 5.9

Mar 2024

6.9 5.9

Jun 2024

6.6 5.8

Sep 2024

6.6 5.8

Dec 2024

6.5 5.9

Mar 2025

6.7 5.7

Jun 2025

6.4 5.7

Sep 2025

6.2 5.7

Dec 2025

6.9 6.0

Mar 2026

6.8 5.5
View Chart Data

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2026, gross job losses represented 6.7 percent of private-sector employment in North Dakota; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.5 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In North Dakota, contracting establishments lost 20,187 jobs in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 995 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 3,695 jobs, an increase of 37 jobs from the previous quarter.

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and North Dakota, March 2021-March 2026, seasonally adjusted
Period North Dakota United States

Mar 2021

6.7 5.5

Jun 2021

6.4 5.9

Sep 2021

6.7 6.0

Dec 2021

6.5 5.4

Mar 2022

6.4 5.5

Jun 2022

6.5 6.2

Sep 2022

6.3 5.9

Dec 2022

6.7 5.9

Mar 2023

5.7 5.5

Jun 2023

6.7 5.9

Sep 2023

6.6 5.9

Dec 2023

6.3 5.7

Mar 2024

6.0 5.5

Jun 2024

6.6 5.9

Sep 2024

6.5 5.8

Dec 2024

6.6 5.7

Mar 2025

6.5 5.5

Jun 2025

6.8 6.0

Sep 2025

6.6 5.7

Dec 2025

6.4 5.5

Mar 2026

6.7 5.5
View Chart Data

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 3 of the 5 published industry sectors in North Dakota in the first quarter of 2026. Construction had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 1,142 jobs. This was the result of 5,645 gross job gains and 4,503 gross job losses. Leisure and hospitality showed a net loss of 353 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2026 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 27, 2027, at 9:00 a.m. (CT).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

Data in this release contain annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. These revisions include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.


Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, North Dakota, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains and losses
(3 months ended)
Gross job gains and losses
as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Mar.
2025
June
2025
Sept.
2025
Dec.
2025
Mar.
2026
Mar.
2025
June
2025
Sept.
2025
Dec.
2025
Mar.
2026

Total private (1)

Gross job gains

23,924 22,570 21,860 24,572 23,909 6.7 6.4 6.2 6.9 6.8

At expanding establishments

19,907 18,357 17,662 19,832 19,013 5.6 5.2 5.0 5.6 5.4

At opening establishments

4,017 4,213 4,198 4,740 4,896 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.4

Gross job losses

23,189 24,156 23,199 22,850 23,882 6.5 6.8 6.6 6.4 6.7

At contracting establishments

19,471 20,027 19,590 19,192 20,187 5.5 5.6 5.6 5.4 5.7

At closing establishments

3,718 4,129 3,609 3,658 3,695 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.0

Net employment change (2)

735 -1,586 -1,339 1,722 27 0.2 -0.4 -0.4 0.5 0.1

Construction

Gross job gains

4,728 4,102 4,093 5,223 5,645 15.7 13.7 14.0 17.3 17.7

At expanding establishments

3,903 3,212 2,999 4,010 4,133 13.0 10.7 10.3 13.3 13.0

At opening establishments

825 890 1,094 1,213 1,512 2.7 3.0 3.7 4.0 4.7

Gross job losses

3,564 4,367 3,793 4,035 4,503 11.8 14.6 13.0 13.4 14.1

At contracting establishments

2,869 3,478 3,152 3,287 3,736 9.5 11.6 10.8 10.9 11.7

At closing establishments

695 889 641 748 767 2.3 3.0 2.2 2.5 2.4

Net employment change (2)

1,164 -265 300 1,188 1,142 3.9 -0.9 1.0 3.9 3.6

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains

1,124 1,025 1,066 1,039 1,136 4.6 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.8

At expanding establishments

967 908 897 855 953 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.6 4.0

At opening establishments

157 117 169 184 183 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.8 0.8

Gross job losses

1,129 1,325 1,147 1,274 1,048 4.6 5.5 4.8 5.3 4.4

At contracting establishments

976 1,136 1,027 1,102 884 4.0 4.7 4.3 4.6 3.7

At closing establishments

153 189 120 172 164 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.7 0.7

Net employment change (2)

-5 -300 -81 -235 88 0.0 -1.3 -0.4 -0.9 0.4

Retail trade

Gross job gains

2,832 2,157 2,523 1,982 2,321 6.1 4.7 5.5 4.3 5.1

At expanding establishments

2,359 1,976 2,206 1,810 2,133 5.1 4.3 4.8 3.9 4.7

At opening establishments

473 181 317 172 188 1.0 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.4

Gross job losses

1,995 2,689 2,307 2,490 2,160 4.4 5.8 5.0 5.4 4.7

At contracting establishments

1,783 2,477 2,094 2,294 1,979 3.9 5.3 4.5 5.0 4.3

At closing establishments

212 212 213 196 181 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4

Net employment change (2)

837 -532 216 -508 161 1.7 -1.1 0.5 -1.1 0.4

Professional and business services

Gross job gains

2,396 3,092 2,707 3,110 2,748 7.1 9.1 7.9 9.0 8.0

At expanding establishments

1,800 2,427 2,057 2,336 1,984 5.3 7.1 6.0 6.8 5.8

At opening establishments

596 665 650 774 764 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.2 2.2

Gross job losses

3,185 2,411 2,897 2,750 3,040 9.3 7.1 8.4 8.0 8.9

At contracting establishments

2,530 1,840 2,197 2,073 2,460 7.4 5.4 6.4 6.0 7.2

At closing establishments

655 571 700 677 580 1.9 1.7 2.0 2.0 1.7

Net employment change (2)

-789 681 -190 360 -292 -2.2 2.0 -0.5 1.0 -0.9

Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains

3,863 4,014 3,116 4,451 3,419 9.3 9.7 7.6 10.9 8.2

At expanding establishments

3,157 3,147 2,453 3,436 2,697 7.6 7.6 6.0 8.4 6.5

At opening establishments

706 867 663 1,015 722 1.7 2.1 1.6 2.5 1.7

Gross job losses

4,159 4,105 4,084 3,447 3,772 10.0 10.0 10.0 8.4 9.1

At contracting establishments

3,407 3,289 3,310 2,943 3,111 8.2 8.0 8.1 7.2 7.5

At closing establishments

752 816 774 504 661 1.8 2.0 1.9 1.2 1.6

Net employment change (2)

-296 -91 -968 1,004 -353 -0.7 -0.3 -2.4 2.5 -0.9

Footnotes:
(1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately.
(2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Gross job losses as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Mar.
2025
June
2025
Sept.
2025
Dec.
2025
Mar.
2026
Mar.
2025
June
2025
Sept.
2025
Dec.
2025
Mar.
2026

United States(1)

5.7 5.7 5.7 6.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 5.7 5.5 5.5

Alabama

5.5 5.5 5.5 5.9 5.5 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.3 5.2

Alaska

10.4 10.0 7.4 11.9 9.6 8.3 9.9 10.0 9.4 9.4

Arizona

5.8 5.2 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.3 6.2 5.3 5.4 5.6

Arkansas

5.1 5.1 5.4 6.0 5.3 5.1 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.4

California

6.1 6.4 6.3 6.9 6.3 6.4 6.7 6.1 6.1 6.0

Colorado

6.4 6.5 6.5 6.3 6.0 6.6 6.7 6.4 6.2 6.5

Connecticut

5.7 5.8 5.4 5.5 5.3 5.2 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.4

Delaware

6.0 6.0 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.4 6.1 6.0 5.6 5.4

District of Columbia

4.9 5.7 4.6 5.5 5.0 5.8 6.1 6.0 5.1 4.9

Florida

5.8 5.7 6.0 5.9 5.3 5.5 5.8 5.9 5.6 5.5

Georgia

5.6 5.5 5.7 5.9 5.3 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.4 5.5

Hawaii

5.2 4.9 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.2 4.8 4.7 5.1

Idaho

7.5 7.6 6.7 8.0 7.7 7.3 7.1 7.6 6.3 7.0

Illinois

5.0 5.2 4.7 5.3 5.1 5.0 5.1 5.0 5.3 5.0

Indiana

5.4 5.1 5.1 5.5 4.9 5.1 5.4 5.1 5.1 5.1

Iowa

6.0 5.5 4.8 6.2 6.0 5.6 5.8 5.9 5.4 5.4

Kansas

5.5 5.4 5.8 5.8 5.4 5.4 6.3 5.8 5.4 5.3

Kentucky

5.3 5.0 5.3 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.3 5.6 5.1 5.3

Louisiana

5.8 5.6 6.0 6.0 5.7 5.7 6.2 5.9 5.9 5.4

Maine

7.3 7.1 6.4 6.8 6.4 6.4 7.3 7.0 7.0 6.3

Maryland

5.9 5.7 5.8 6.1 5.6 5.8 6.6 6.3 5.5 6.0

Massachusetts

5.0 5.5 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.1 5.7 5.9 5.5 5.3

Michigan

5.3 5.8 4.9 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.4 5.9 5.3 4.9

Minnesota

5.1 5.8 5.3 5.5 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.6

Mississippi

6.0 6.2 6.4 6.4 5.7 6.1 6.2 6.0 5.9 6.3

Missouri

5.4 5.6 5.7 6.2 5.6 5.2 6.1 5.9 5.4 5.3

Montana

8.0 7.7 7.1 8.4 7.8 7.6 8.3 7.9 7.4 7.0

Nebraska

5.3 5.4 5.6 5.7 5.4 5.3 5.5 6.0 5.3 5.4

Nevada

5.4 6.1 6.9 6.4 5.7 5.9 6.3 5.3 5.4 5.7

New Hampshire

6.6 6.3 5.6 6.3 6.1 6.1 6.7 6.8 5.7 6.3

New Jersey

5.4 5.7 5.3 5.8 5.3 5.5 5.6 5.8 5.4 5.5

New Mexico

6.1 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.0 5.8 6.0 6.4 6.0 5.9

New York

7.0 6.1 5.9 5.6 5.4 5.2 7.0 5.7 5.5 5.2

North Carolina

5.6 5.7 5.4 6.0 5.8 5.5 5.4 5.7 5.0 5.3

North Dakota

6.7 6.4 6.2 6.9 6.8 6.5 6.8 6.6 6.4 6.7

Ohio

5.2 5.3 5.2 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.4 5.3 5.0 5.1

Oklahoma

5.5 5.6 6.0 6.2 5.3 5.3 6.2 6.3 5.3 5.3

Oregon

6.1 6.1 5.7 5.9 5.7 6.1 6.4 6.6 6.0 5.9

Pennsylvania

5.0 4.9 5.0 5.1 4.7 4.7 5.1 5.1 4.7 4.8

Rhode Island

6.6 6.3 6.0 6.6 5.8 5.9 6.7 6.6 6.2 6.0

South Carolina

6.1 5.9 6.3 6.6 6.0 5.6 6.1 6.1 5.5 5.7

South Dakota

6.3 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.9 6.4 6.0 5.9 6.1

Tennessee

5.5 5.3 5.8 6.0 5.4 5.3 6.5 5.5 5.3 4.9

Texas

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.8 5.4 5.1 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.4

Utah

6.8 6.9 6.9 6.6 6.4 6.2 6.8 6.5 6.2 6.1

Vermont

7.0 6.9 6.7 7.0 6.6 6.8 7.4 7.7 7.0 6.5

Virginia

5.6 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.5 5.2 5.8 6.1 5.2 5.4

Washington

5.7 6.0 5.2 5.6 5.7 6.0 5.9 6.0 5.7 5.5

West Virginia

6.7 5.6 6.1 6.1 6.4 5.9 6.4 6.2 6.2 5.4

Wisconsin

5.1 5.3 4.9 5.5 5.4 5.0 5.4 5.6 5.1 4.9

Wyoming

8.1 8.3 7.7 9.0 8.8 8.8 8.9 8.4 8.0 8.2

Puerto Rico

6.5 7.0 5.2 4.6 4.6 5.2 6.0 5.4 5.3 4.6

Virgin Islands

6.1 11.9 6.9 8.4 7.3 8.8 9.2 7.5 5.7 7.1

Footnotes
(1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on November 13, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 13, 2026 at 16:24 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]