How much does an operations director make in North Dakota?

Estimated salary for an operations director in North Dakota ranges from about $46,903 at a small church to $85,529 at a large one, based on national church-comp data adjusted for North Dakota's cost of living.

Salary benchmarks › Operations Director › North Dakota

What does an operations director cost a church in North Dakota?

Q: What does an operations director cost a church in North Dakota?

In North Dakota, an operations director costs a church roughly $59,401 to $78,410 per year in total — about $68,311 at a mid-size church (250–499 attendance) — including employer payroll taxes, before benefits. Because this is a non-clergy staff role, the church also pays the employer share of payroll taxes (about 7.65%), so the real cost runs above the salary, before benefits.

The short answer

In North Dakota, an operations director costs a church roughly $59,401–$78,410 per year in total — about $68,311 at a typical mid-size church (250–499 attendance) — including employer payroll taxes, before benefits. Because this is a non-clergy staff role, the church also pays the employer share of payroll taxes (about 7.65%), so the real cost runs above the salary, before benefits.

The operations (or business) director keeps the church running underneath the ministry — finances, facilities, HR, and systems. Because the role maps closely to a nonprofit operations manager, its compensation follows both the local market and the complexity of what it oversees, and it becomes one of the most valuable hires a growing church makes.

North Dakota's cost of living runs below the national average, which pulls church salaries down accordingly (BEA prices North Dakota at 89 versus 100 nationally).

Operations Director cost in North Dakota, by church size

Church size (avg. attendance)	Est. salary	Est. cost to the church
Under 100	$46,903	$50,491
100-249	$55,180	$59,401
250-499	$63,457	$68,311
500-999	$72,838	$78,410
1,000+	$85,529	$92,072

"Cost to the church" = salary + employer payroll tax (≈7.65%) , before retirement, health, or other benefits. Add those — and an optional clergy Social Security allowance — in the calculator.

Salary figures represent estimated cash salary, before employer payroll tax, benefits (retirement, insurance), and any housing allowance.

Benchmarks built on 2024–2025 source data (BEA 2024, BLS May 2025).

These are state-level estimates — costs in North Dakota’s major metros can run meaningfully higher or lower. StaffClarity adjusts for your specific location.

Your church's real number

Estimates are a start. See your actual cost.

Plug in your operations director's salary, housing, and benefits and get the exact fully-loaded cost — clergy or staff — then plan your whole team.

Try the free calculator →Plan your whole team in StaffClarity →

Other roles in North Dakota

Senior Pastor in North Dakota Associate Pastor in North Dakota Executive Pastor in North Dakota Youth Pastor in North Dakota Worship Director in North Dakota Children's Ministry Director in North Dakota Communications Director in North Dakota

Operations Director in other states

Operations Director in Ohio Operations Director in Oklahoma Operations Director in New York Operations Director in Florida See all 50 states →

How these numbers are built: a national church-comp base for the role, scaled by church size and adjusted for state cost of living, then run through the same fully-loaded cost model our calculator uses. Sources: BEA Regional Price Parities (state cost of living, 2024); BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (May 2025); Lifeway Research / GuideStone SBC Church Compensation Study (biennial, free). Figures are planning estimates, not a guarantee — your church's real numbers depend on experience, scope, and benefits.