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Electrician shortage in North Dakota: the licensed-supply numbers

What the North Dakota register actually shows, by tier and per capita, updated nightly.

As of 2026-08-09, North Dakota carries 8,813 licensed electricians on its state register, or 1124.2 per 100,000 residents.

8,813
licensed electricians
1124.2
per 100k residents
#4
density rank of 41
0.8
apprentice : journeyman

The apprentice-to-journeyman pipeline behind them runs at 0.8 in North Dakota, against 0.492 nationally, a read on whether the electricians supply is being replenished.

By credential tier

Every electrician license on the North Dakota register, normalized to one ladder.

TierLicensedShare
Apprentice3,12936%
Journeyman3,89944%
Master1,78520%

Against comparable states

States nearest North Dakota on licensed electricians per capita.

StateLicensed electriciansPer 100k
North Dakota8,8131124.2
Wyoming9,8971694.5
Massachusetts92,0161314.3
Idaho24,4941246.7
Maine14,7341055.7
New Hampshire14,1921012.2
Minnesota48,637847.6
Counts, not a capacity opinion. We publish the licensed supply and the pipeline ratio; whether a market can absorb a given project is a judgement for the reader, not a claim we make.

Frequently asked

Is there an electricians shortage in North Dakota?
Reporting on the shortage rarely states how many are actually licensed. North Dakota carries 8,813 licensed electricians on its register as of 2026-08-09, or 1124.2 per 100,000 residents. Readers can weigh that supply against demand directly.
How many licensed electricians does North Dakota have?
8,813 on the state register as of 2026-08-09, including 1,785 at master level.
Where does the shortage narrative come from?
Industry analyses project national shortfalls of hundreds of thousands of skilled-trades workers against data-center and electrification demand. Those are demand-side estimates; the figure here is the licensed supply on the register today.

Related

Count
How many electricians in North Dakota
Market
North Dakota licensed trades supply
Corridor
Electricians and the data-center buildout
Track North Dakota licensed supply as it moves.

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