North Dakota Workers' Compensation Insurance Profitability (2023)
In 2023, Workers' Compensation insurers earned $6.0M in premiums in North Dakota and ran a 72.8% loss ratio — the 1st-highest of 51 states (one of the highest loss ratio for the line).
Source: NAIC 2023 Report on Profitability by Line by State. Loss ratio = incurred losses ÷ premiums earned.
Nationally, Workers' Compensation ran a 45.1% loss ratio in 2023, so North Dakota is above the national average. See how every state compares on the Workers' Compensation market page.
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A higher loss ratio means carriers paid out more of each premium dollar in claims, which tends to push North Dakota workers' compensation rates up and thin the field of carriers competing for the business; a lower one signals a more profitable, more competitive market. With a 20.4% underwriting loss, North Dakota carriers relied on investment income to make the line work in 2023 — a sign of rate pressure ahead. Counting investment income, carriers earned a -9.8% profit on workers' compensation insurance transactions in North Dakota in 2023 — NAIC's broadest profitability measure for the line. Either way, these are industry aggregates — your own workers' compensation rate depends on your business, and the only way to see it is to compare filed rates and real quotes.
North Dakota's $6M in workers' compensation premiums is the 50th-largest of the 51 states NAIC reports for the line. Across those states, loss ratios span from 72.8% in North Dakota — the toughest market for carriers — down to -3.9% in Ohio, the most profitable; North Dakota's 72.8% places it 1st of 51. For buyers, a state near the top of that spread usually means firmer workers' compensation pricing and fewer competing carriers, while a state near the bottom tends to run softer and more competitive. By premium, North Dakota is about 0.0% of the $50.5B national workers' compensation market, and its loss-ratio rank places it in the toughest quartile of states for carrier profitability — context that shapes how aggressively carriers compete for North Dakota workers' compensation business.
North Dakota is a monopolistic state-fund state. Private carriers cannot write workers' compensation here — employers buy from the state fund, Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI), or self-insure. The NAIC figures above therefore cover a residual private-carrier book, not North Dakota's workers' compensation market, and the loss ratio and rank shown should be read that way rather than as a signal of how carriers price North Dakota business.
This is one of the smallest workers' compensation markets NAIC reports. At $6M in premiums, a single large claim can move North Dakota's loss ratio by several points on its own, so read this figure as one year of a small book rather than as a settled signal about how carriers price the state.
Key takeaways
- North Dakota workers' compensation: $6M in 2023 premiums at a 72.8% loss ratio (NAIC).
- That ranks North Dakota 1st of 51 states by loss ratio for the line — carriers struggle here.
- These are industry aggregates, not a quote — your workers' compensation rate depends on your business; compare filed rates and real quotes.
Getting Workers' Compensation coverage in North Dakota
See recent North Dakota rate filings on the North Dakota rate page, learn how Workers' Compensation works in our Workers' Compensation guide, look up the filed loss cost for a specific class code in our workers' comp class code hub, see typical workers' comp costs, then compare real quotes for your business.
Compare North Dakota Workers' Compensation Quotes →