Skilled Wages

Trade pay in Minneapolis

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 27 trades ranked by median wage, with the union scale and the jobs trend.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

Every trade in Minneapolis, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60$80/hrElevator mechanic: $61.55 (cost-of-living adjusted $58.73)Elevator mechanic$61.55Construction manager: $61.02 (cost-of-living adjusted $58.23)Construction manager$61.02Plasterer: $52.00 (cost-of-living adjusted $49.62)Plasterer$52.00Lineman: $51.37 (cost-of-living adjusted $49.02)Lineman$51.37Boilermaker: $50.69 (cost-of-living adjusted $48.37)Boilermaker$50.69Construction supervisor: $49.66 (cost-of-living adjusted $47.39)Construction supervisor$49.66Plumber: $48.86 (cost-of-living adjusted $46.62)Plumber$48.86Crane operator: $47.86 (cost-of-living adjusted $45.67)Crane operator$47.86Brickmason: $47.10 (cost-of-living adjusted $44.94)Brickmason$47.10Ironworker: $47.03 (cost-of-living adjusted $44.88)Ironworker$47.03Heavy equipment operator: $40.07 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.23)Heavy equipment operator$40.07Electrician: $39.37 (cost-of-living adjusted $37.57)Electrician$39.37Millwright: $38.14 (cost-of-living adjusted $36.39)Millwright$38.14HVAC technician: $37.25 (cost-of-living adjusted $35.54)HVAC technician$37.25Roofer: $36.25 (cost-of-living adjusted $34.59)Roofer$36.25Carpenter: $35.61 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.98)Carpenter$35.61Diesel mechanic: $35.45 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.83)Diesel mechanic$35.45Sheet metal worker: $35.08 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.47)Sheet metal worker$35.08Cement mason: $34.98 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.38)Cement mason$34.98Tile setter: $34.50 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.92)Tile setter$34.50Glazier: $32.99 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.48)Glazier$32.99Drywall installer: $30.81 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.40)Drywall installer$30.81Machinist: $29.84 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.47)Machinist$29.84Construction laborer: $29.79 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.43)Construction laborer$29.79Welder: $29.75 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.39)Welder$29.75Painter: $29.26 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.92)Painter$29.26Insulation worker: $28.00 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.72)Insulation worker$28.00
Median hourly wage by trade, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 104.8).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Elevator mechanic$35.33$61.55$63.37$128,020380about the same as16% above
2Construction manager$38.47$61.02$95.43$126,9203,8803% above10% above
3Plasterer$48.10$52.00$52.00$108,1601005% above88% above
4Lineman$40.86$51.37$58.81$106,8401,1303% above12% above
5Boilermaker$41.80$50.69$53.29$105,430—10% above38% above
6Construction supervisor$30.05$49.66$62.58$103,2908,3106% above29% above
7Plumber$24.70$48.86$58.52$101,6306,7308% above59% above
8Crane operator$25.69$47.86$58.04$99,54018023% above46% above
9Brickmason$34.15$47.10$48.91$97,9608203% above58% above
10Ironworker$39.32$47.03$47.67$97,8107503% above56% above
11Heavy equipment operator$28.89$40.07$50.12$83,3404,2705% above39% above
12Electrician$23.54$39.37$59.25$81,8908,8105% above30% above
13Millwright$30.82$38.14$44.54$79,3402801% above21% above
14HVAC technician$23.39$37.25$48.39$77,4902,4201% above27% above
15Roofer$22.15$36.25$47.68$75,4001,2501% above36% above
16Carpenter$24.00$35.61$48.47$74,06010,20014% above22% above
17Diesel mechanic$24.71$35.45$45.25$73,7304,29010% above19% above
18Sheet metal worker$23.08$35.08$56.86$72,9702,340about the same as18% above
19Cement mason$24.19$34.98$48.65$72,7601,8809% above28% above
20Tile setter$28.53$34.50$39.18$71,7504502% above29% above
21Glazier$27.96$32.99$48.98$68,6203104% above20% above
22Drywall installer$18.98$30.81$44.00$64,0806805% above9% above
23Machinist$22.84$29.84$38.67$62,0709,4202% above6% above
24Construction laborer$21.09$29.79$46.48$61,97017,3303% above31% above
25Welder$23.25$29.75$36.85$61,8804,6003% above15% above
26Painter$17.91$29.26$44.71$60,8502,7106% above23% above
27Insulation worker$18.76$28.00$50.04$58,2408707% above19% above

Statewide figures for every trade are on the highest-paying trades in Minnesota page; county union scale is on the Minnesota prevailing wage page.

Union scale in the Minneapolis area

The highest Davis-Bacon Building-construction package among the counties in the Minneapolis metro, next to the metro market median from BLS.

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$39.37$61.39$37.99$99.38Survey13 of 15
Plumber$48.86$63.84$33.26$97.10Survey13 of 15
Carpenter$35.61$51.56$29.84$81.40Survey13 of 15
Construction laborer$29.79$46.25$27.87$74.12Survey13 of 15
Heavy equipment operator$40.07$54.21$31.00$85.21Survey13 of 15
Ironworker$47.03$49.50$37.86$87.36Survey13 of 15
Sheet metal worker$35.08$60.96$35.82$96.78Survey13 of 15
Painter$29.26$48.25$29.09$77.34Survey13 of 15

Not the official determination. County-level lookup on the Minnesota prevailing wage page.

Construction jobs in Minneapolis

107.3kConstruction jobs2026-09
+7.6%Change over 12 months
+17.4%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-202625k50k75k100k125k19901995200020052010201520202025107kSep 2026
Mining, logging and construction employment, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Minneapolis?

In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, elevator mechanics had the highest median wage at $61.55 an hour in May 2025, with 380 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in Minneapolis than the rest of Minnesota?

In Minneapolis, 25 of 27 trades pay above the Minnesota state median and 0 pay below it; the biggest premium is for elevator mechanics at $61.55.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA.
  • BLS CES metro employment.
  • BEA metro Regional Price Parities.
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations.