Does Knife River pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Knife River employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Knife River. This rating has decreased by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Knife River?

80% of Knife River employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Knife River 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.4 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Knife River?

Truck Driver (7) , Class A Truck Driver (6) , Heavy Equipment Operator (6) , Equipment Operator (5) , Project Manager (5) , Quality Control Technician (5) , Laborer (4) , Dispatcher (3) , Administration (2) , Concrete Finisher (2) , Estimator/Project Manager (2) , Intern - Hourly (2) , Manager (2) , Mechanic (2) , Operator (2)

What are the pros of working at Knife River according to real employee reviews?

"Great benefits" ((in 15 reviews)); "Mechanics and crews on asphalt were great people." ((in 11 reviews)); "Great employees." ((in 4 reviews)); "first and safety oriented." ((in 4 reviews)); "Coworkers were amazing, stock shares." ((in 3 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Knife River according to real employee reviews?

"Long hours and travel a decent amount" ((in 11 reviews)); "Poor communication" ((in 6 reviews)); "Non consistent work, no work life balance" ((in 4 reviews)); "favorites get ahead." ((in 3 reviews))

What are employees saying about Knife River layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Knife River layoffs and their outlook for job security at Knife River in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Knife River locations?

Boise , Bryan , Williston , Waco , Bismarck , Casper , Stockton , Beaverton , Billings , Spokane , Tangent , Bend , Portland , Missoula , Beaumont , Sioux Falls , Saint Cloud , Sauk Rapids , Eugene , Central Point , Medford , Sherwood , Idaho Falls , Lewiston , Rexburg , American Fork , Belgrade , Bozeman , College Station , Houston

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Knife River

Knife River reviews

3.9

80% would recommend to a friend

(145 total reviews)

Brian Gray

79% approve of CEO

80% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

Compensation and benefits

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.5

Diversity & inclusion

3.5

Senior management

3.5

Career opportunities

3.4

Culture & values

Knife River has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 145 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Knife River employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Construction, Repair & Maintenance Services industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

145 reviews

5.0

Jul 9, 2026

Great team and culture, but pay could improve

Project engineer intern

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

great team and a great culture

Cons

Not the best paying internship

1.0

Jun 18, 2026

Toxic management and poor safety for injured workers

Truck driver

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Gall, dejong, most winkler are great at lying for work comp liberty mutual dont pay. Even the a i google says they lie together. to keep safty record. Sad but true. Was good till company went public. Management trest help like numbers. Met some nice co workers but most were smart and left.

Cons

Poor safty. Love to lie cheat injured workers. Jerk your hours around so they can cut you early or have come i. Late. 8 years i worked there got dollar raise each year but by end of year my hourz jacked around same pay. Was injured lied out of work comp along with liberty mutual.cause me finacial hard ship canceled my insurance. After research found they have history of doing this.

1.0

May 5, 2026

70 hour weeks - goodbye life outside of work

Heavy equipment operator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Experience and benefits. There is work year round, If you love to run equipment or shovel all day long this is the place to be at.

Cons

70 hour weeks, 6 days a week, day shift & night shift alternating. Little to no room for advancement. You will destroy your body here. Get the experience and get out. I don’t recommend working here unless there are no other options. People here will tell you there is nothing better out there.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 145 Reviews

Jobs at Knife River

Asphalt Roller Operator

Contract Administrator