HR Assistant salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI
Minneapolis-St. Paul is a higher-paying market for HR assistants: the median of $56,670 a year1 is 3.9% above the Minnesota statewide median of $54,520, and 12.0% above the US median of $50,610. Nationally that is #26 of 384 areas, in the top tenth. With about 2,350 HR assistants, no area in Minnesota employs more.
BLS occupation 43-4161, 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 | $46,930 | $56,670 | $67,690 | |
| Minnesota | $43,730 | $54,520 | $66,930 | |
| United States | $37,340 | $50,610 | $68,280 |
The middle half of HR assistants in Minneapolis-St. Paul earns $49,420–$60,380. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $67,690, only 1.4 times the bottom tenth, against 1.8 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. The mean ($56,360) is no higher than the median, so few high earners skew the figures here. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $10,960 wide, against $11,000 across Minnesota and $15,770 nationally: employers in Minneapolis-St. Paul pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for an HR assistant here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,930 | $3,911 | $22.56 | $60,555 |
| 25th percentile | $49,420 | $4,118 | $23.76 | $63,768 |
| Median | $56,670 | $4,722 | $27.25 | $73,123 |
| 75th percentile | $60,380 | $5,032 | $29.03 | $77,910 |
| 90th percentile | $67,690 | $5,641 | $32.54 | $87,342 |
Local pay is bunched just above the median: the 75th percentile is only $3,710 over it, while the 25th sits $7,250 below. Moving an offer from the median to the 75th percentile costs about $4,787 more a year with benefits. 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 $50,610 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the Minnesota statewide median of $54,520 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Minneapolis-St. Paul
At the $56,670 median, a local hire costs about $73,123 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $16,453 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 HR assistants 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 #11 by median pay, between bookkeepers ($57,790) and administrative assistants ($54,080). Marketing Specialist is the highest at $97,910.
| Role | Median | vs HR assistant | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll Specialist | +11.3% | 1,920 | |
| Bookkeeper | +2.0% | 16,510 | |
| HR Assistant | this role | 2,350 | |
| Administrative Assistant | -4.6% | 19,180 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | -8.5% | 8,920 |
Measured against the US median, HR assistants rank #8 of the 17 roles we track in Minneapolis-St. Paul (+12.0%), between data entry specialists (+12.0%) and customer support specialists (+10.5%). The typical role here is at +10.5%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. HR assistants hold 1.1% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Minneapolis-St. Paul, 1.2% across Minnesota and 0.6% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Minnesota
Across the 9 areas of Minnesota with data for this job, the median runs from $48,210 in St. Cloud to $60,540 in Rochester, a gap of $12,330 a year. No other area in Minnesota has as many HR assistants, and 7 of the other 8 pay less.
| Area | Median | vs Minneapolis-St. Paul | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester, MN | +6.8% | 200 | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | this area | 2,350 | |
| Northeast Minnesota (Nonmetro) | -4.4% | 40 | |
| Mankato, MN | -4.9% | 50 | |
| Southwest Minnesota (Nonmetro) | -5.9% | 100 | |
| Northwest Minnesota (Nonmetro) | -10.4% | 140 | |
| Southeast Minnesota (Nonmetro) | -13.9% | 160 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Minneapolis-St. Paul is #4 of 382 US areas, one of the ten largest markets for this job. Outside Minnesota, New York-Newark and New Haven pay just above Minneapolis-St. Paul and Bremerton-Silverdale and Denver-Aurora just below. All four are within $570 a year of the median in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Of the three markets closest in size, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Minneapolis-St. Paul | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven, CT | +0.6% | 140 | pay | |
| New York-Newark, NY-NJ | +0.3% | 7,640 | pay | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | this area | 2,350 | ||
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA | -0.9% | 100 | pay | |
| Denver-Aurora, CO | -1.0% | 950 | pay | |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | -8.0% | 1,630 | jobs | |
| Philadelphia-Camden, PA-NJ | -10.3% | 1,630 | jobs | |
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN | -12.5% | 2,920 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an HR assistant in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI?
About $73,123 a year at the median, or $6,094 a month: $56,670 in pay plus about $16,453 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do HR assistants earn in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $56,670 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $46,930, the 90th $67,690, and the middle half earned $49,420 to $60,380.
Is Minneapolis-St. Paul cheaper than the rest of Minnesota for HR assistants?
No, it costs more: a median of $56,670 against $54,520 statewide. The next area up in Minnesota is Rochester at $60,540, the next down the Northeast Minnesota nonmetro area at $54,180.
How many HR assistants work in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
BLS counts about 2,350 in the May 2025 survey. No other area in Minnesota has as many.
Does an HR assistant cost more than an administrative assistant in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
Yes: $2,590 a year more at the median. The medians are $56,670 and $54,080.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4161: 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.