LEADING EMPLOYERS
Soaring Businesses
PICTURE YOURSELF AS A LEADING EMPLOYER
Can your company benefit from the top employers in Grand Forks? These North Dakota businesses and organizations have thrived in our community. We can list leading employers by number of staff but we also have some of the top employers in North Dakota in terms of cutting-edge manufacturers, nationally recognized UAS hubs, engineering innovators, and more.
Want to learn more about key industries in Grand Forks, ND? Discover our diverse industry base, from tech to agribusiness.
FAST FACTS
| Rank | Employer | Industry |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Dakota | Education |
| 2 | Altru Health System | Health Care |
| 3 | Express Employment Solutions | Staffing Services |
| 4 | Grand Forks Air Force Base | Government |
| 5 | Grand Forks Public Schools | Education |
| 6 | Valley Senior Living | Health Care |
| 7 | Walmart | Retail/Food |
| 9 | City of Grand Forks | Government |
| 8 | GE Vernova | Manufacturing |
| 10 | Cirrus Aircraft | Manufacturing |
| 11 | J.R. Simplot | Food Processing |
| 12 | Hugo’s (5 locations) | Retail/Food |
| 13 | Development Homes | Health Care |
| 14 | Rydell GM Auto Center | Motor Vehicle/Parts Dealer |
| 15 | Ralph Engelstad Arena | Amusement/Recreation |
| 16 | Grand Forks County | Government |
| 17 | Acme Tools | Building Material/Garden Supply |
| 18 | Grand Forks Park District | Government |
| 19 | Minnkota Power Cooperative | Utilities |
| 20 | McDonalds | Food Services |
| 21 | Scheels All Sports | Retail/Sporting Goods |
| 22 | Winland Foods (Philadelphia Macaroni) | Food Manufacturing |
| 23 | Retrax | Manufacturing |
| 24 | Skies 322 & The Olive Ann Hotel | Food Services & Hospitality |
| 25 | Ideal Aerosmith | Manufacturing |
Sources: Job Service North Dakota Labor Market Information 2025, and 2025 EDC Annual Client Survey Information
Updated: September 2026 by Mark Maliskey, Marketing & Communications Manager
Creation at its Best
Check out our top employers in manufacturing and food processing.
- GE Vernova
https://www.lmwindpower.com/ - J.R. Simplot
https://www.simplot.com/ - American Crystal Sugar
https://www.crystalsugar.com/ - Cirrus Aircraft
https://cirrusaircraft.com/ - Philadelphia Macaroni (Winland Foods)
https://www.philamacaroni.com/ - North Dakota Mill & Elevator
https://www.ndmill.com/ - Retrax
https://retrax.com/ - Steffes Corporation
https://www.steffes.com/ - Northern Valley Machine
https://www.northernvalleymachine.com/
Perfect Place for a Home Base
Many companies choose to set up headquarters in Grand Forks, thanks to our ideal location, robust workforce, and low cost of doing business. See who chooses Grand Forks below.
- Alerus Financial
https://alerus.com/ - Edgewood Management Group
https://www.edgewoodhealthcare.com/ - Amazon.com
https://www.aboutamazon.com/ - AE2S
https://ae2scommunications.com/ - EAPC Architects, Engineers
https://www.eapc.net/ - JLG Architects
https://jlgarchitects.com/ - Minnkota Power Cooperative
https://www.minnkota.com/ - Acme Tools
https://www.acmetools.com/ - Black Gold Farms
https://blackgoldfarms.com/ - Airtonomy
https://www.airtonomy.ai/ - NASA Space Grant Consortium
https://ndspacegrant.und.edu/about/index.html - VANTIS
https://www.vantisuas.com/
On the Rise
Grand Forks is a leader in Unmanned and Autonomous Systems. Take a look at our top employers below to prove it.
- Northrop Grumman
https://www.northropgrumman.com/ - General Atomics
https://www.ga.com/ - Grand Forks Air Force Base
https://www.grandforks.af.mil/ - University of North Dakota
https://und.edu/ - Northern Plains UAS Test Site
https://www.npuasts.com/ - iSight
https://isightdrones.com/
First-Class Transportation
The Grand Forks region has state-of-the-art utilities, abundant water, and is connected to the world through our multimodal transportation – making it the perfect location for logistics and distribution companies. Check out our top employers below.
- S&S Transport
https://www.sstransport.com/ - TP & L
https://tpandl.com/ - FedEx Ground
https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/ground.html - Acme Tools
https://www.acmetools.com/
From the Ground Up
Check out our top employers in construction.
- Industrial Contractors Inc
https://www.icinorthdakota.com/ - Construction Engineers
https://constructionengineers.com/ - Opp Construction
https://www.oppconstruction.com/ - McGough
https://www.mcgough.com/
STAY INFORMED
Stay up to date with the latest information from the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation.
CONTACT US
Want to learn more about leading employers in Grand Forks, ND? Reach out to our team for additional resources and answers to your questions.
Keith Lund
President & CEO
Phone: 701.746.2722
Email: KeithL@grandforks.org