Office Manager.
Fargo.
$89,000
median salary, 18% below the national average
$69,000 to $121,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
An Office Manager in Fargo earns a median of $89,000 in 2026. That is 18% below the national average. The range runs from $69,000 to $121,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Office Manager compensation scales with team size under management, scope of organizational responsibility, and track record of hiring and retaining talent. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Office Manager in Fargo, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $106,370 for Administrative Services Managers (SOC 11-3012) in the Fargo, ND-MN metropolitan area, based on 130 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$73,110
25th percentile
$88,470
Median
$106,370
75th percentile
$140,690
90th percentile
$168,740
Workers surveyed
130
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Administrative Services Managers (SOC 11-3012) rather than Office Manager specifically. The Fargo range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 11-3012Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $80,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$58,000
to $71,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$76,000
to $93,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$98,000
to $116,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$111,000
to $138,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $22,000 to the total package.
Base
$89,000
Equity
$12,000
Bonus
$8,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $111,000
How Fargo compares.
Fargo, ND
$89,000
Cost of living: 15% below average
National Average
$108,000
Fargo is $19,000 below
Office Manager salary by city.
Salary by role in Fargo.
What you should know.
Here is what the Office Manager market actually looks like in Fargo. Fargo has a surprisingly strong technology sector, home to companies like Microsoft's campus and a growing startup ecosystem tied to North Dakota State University. The city's extremely low cost of living and emerging tech scene make it an increasingly attractive option for professionals seeking affordability. Office Manager compensation scales with team size under management, scope of organizational responsibility, and track record of hiring and retaining talent. Base salary carries most of the total compensation, with bonuses adding roughly 5% in a typical year. At the mid-management level, the scope of the organization under management ($10M budget vs $100M+) drives the largest compensation variance.
Office Managers progress Manager → Senior Manager → Director → Senior Director → VP → SVP → C-suite over 12 to 20 years. Each step adds org scope roughly 3x (manage 6 → 20 → 60 → 200 → 500+ people). The biggest inflection is Director → VP, which requires demonstrated P&L responsibility. In Fargo, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 15% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Total compensation for Office Managers runs roughly $82K at median when factoring base + typical bonus (~5% of base). Base salary carries most of the compensation; benefits (healthcare, 401(k) match, PTO) add an estimated 15–25% in imputed value on top. At management levels, variable compensation (bonus + LTIP) grows as a share of total — expect 30–50% variable at director and 50%+ variable at VP and above. And on the tax side: north Dakota has a very low income tax with a top rate of just 2.5%. Fargo has no city income tax. The minimal tax burden combined with low living costs creates excellent take home pay. When someone quotes you $89,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight willingness to work on site. Fargo tech employers struggle to recruit talent to the region and reward candidates who commit to living locally. The range for Office Managers in Fargo runs from $69,000 to $121,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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- A Physical Therapist in Fargo earns $88,000 (1% less)
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Common questions.
Office Manager salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Fargo.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Office Manager Salary in Fargo, ND." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/office-manager/fargo
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