Data Entry Specialist salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI
Minneapolis-St. Paul is a higher-paying market for data entry specialists: the median of $46,320 a year1 is 4.6% above the Minnesota statewide median of $44,280, and 12.0% above the US median of $41,340. Only 31 of 394 US areas pay more for this job. With about 920 data entry specialists, no area in Minnesota employs more.
BLS occupation 43-9021, area Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Minneapolis-St. Paul against Minnesota and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | $35,340 | $46,320 | $74,310 | |
| Minnesota | $35,200 | $44,280 | $71,820 | |
| United States | $31,200 | $41,340 | $58,790 |
Pay is more spread out here than nationally: the top tenth earns $74,310 or more, 2.1 times the bottom tenth, against 1.9 times across the US. Two offers for the same title can sit far apart. The middle half of data entry specialists in Minneapolis-St. Paul earns $38,750–$57,810. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $19,060 wide, wider than in Minnesota as a whole ($17,120) and the US ($12,650), so what a data entry specialist earns in Minneapolis-St. Paul depends more on the employer.
What to budget for a data entry specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,340 | $2,945 | $16.99 | $45,600 |
| 25th percentile | $38,750 | $3,229 | $18.63 | $50,000 |
| Median | $46,320 | $3,860 | $22.27 | $59,768 |
| 75th percentile | $57,810 | $4,818 | $27.79 | $74,594 |
| 90th percentile | $74,310 | $6,192 | $35.73 | $95,884 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $11,490 over the median, the 25th only $7,570 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $14,826 a year in employer cost. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $41,340 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the Minnesota statewide median of $44,280 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Minneapolis-St. Paul
At the $46,320 median, a local hire costs about $59,768 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $13,448 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for data entry specialists we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Minneapolis-St. Paul
Of the 17 roles we track in Minneapolis-St. Paul, this one ranks #16 by median pay, between customer support specialists ($49,480) and virtual receptionists ($38,000). Marketing Specialist is the highest at $97,910.
| Role | Median | vs data entry specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Administrative Assistant | +12.0% | 8,920 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | +6.9% | 620 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | +6.8% | 38,630 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | this role | 920 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | -18.0% | 8,780 |
Measured against the US median, data entry specialists rank #7 of the 17 roles we track in Minneapolis-St. Paul (+12.0%), between office managers (+12.8%) and HR assistants (+12.0%). The typical role here is at +10.5%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Data entry specialists hold 0.4% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Minneapolis-St. Paul, 0.5% across Minnesota and 0.8% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Minnesota
Across the 4 areas of Minnesota with data for this job, the median runs from $41,630 in the Northwest Minnesota nonmetro area to $47,730 in St. Cloud, a gap of $6,100 a year. No other area in Minnesota has as many data entry specialists, and 1 of the other 3 pays less.
| Area | Median | vs Minneapolis-St. Paul | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Cloud, MN | +3.0% | 50 | |
| Southeast Minnesota (Nonmetro) | +0.2% | 30 | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | this area | 920 | |
| Northwest Minnesota (Nonmetro) | -10.1% | 50 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Minneapolis-St. Paul is #24 of 389 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. Outside Minnesota, Vallejo and Pittsfield pay just above Minneapolis-St. Paul and Riverside-San Bernardino and Worcester just below. All four are within $300 a year of the median in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Of the three markets with about as many data entry specialists, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Minneapolis-St. Paul | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsfield, MA | +0.6% | 30 | pay | |
| Vallejo, CA | +0.2% | 60 | pay | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | this area | 920 | ||
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | -0.2% | 1,130 | pay | |
| Worcester, MA | -0.6% | 150 | pay | |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | -15.5% | 910 | jobs | |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | -16.0% | 920 | jobs | |
| Pittsburgh, PA | -16.4% | 930 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a data entry specialist in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI?
About $59,768 a year at the median, or $4,981 a month: $46,320 in pay plus about $13,448 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for data entry specialists in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $46,320 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $35,340, the 90th $74,310, and the middle half earned $38,750 to $57,810.
Is Minneapolis-St. Paul cheaper than the rest of Minnesota for data entry specialists?
No, it costs more: a median of $46,320 against $44,280 statewide. The next area up in Minnesota is the Southeast Minnesota nonmetro area at $46,400, the next down the Northwest Minnesota nonmetro area at $41,630.
How many data entry specialists work in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
BLS counts about 920 in the May 2025 survey. No other area in Minnesota has as many.
Does a data entry specialist cost more than a virtual receptionist in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
Yes: $8,320 a year more at the median. The medians are $46,320 and $38,000.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-9021: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.