Payroll Specialist salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI
Minneapolis-St. Paul is a higher-paying market for payroll specialists: the median of $63,060 a year1 is 2.8% above the Minnesota statewide median of $61,320, and 8.2% above the US median of $58,260. Only 38 of 486 US areas pay more for this job. With about 1,920 payroll specialists, no area in Minnesota employs more.
BLS occupation 43-3051, 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 | $50,250 | $63,060 | $80,450 | |
| Minnesota | $49,270 | $61,320 | $79,370 | |
| United States | $39,500 | $58,260 | $81,350 |
The middle half of payroll specialists in Minneapolis-St. Paul earns $54,680–$73,720. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $80,450, only 1.6 times the bottom tenth, against 2.1 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $19,040 wide, between the figure for Minnesota ($17,740) and the US figure ($21,610).
What to budget for a payroll specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,250 | $4,188 | $24.16 | $64,839 |
| 25th percentile | $54,680 | $4,557 | $26.29 | $70,555 |
| Median | $63,060 | $5,255 | $30.32 | $81,368 |
| 75th percentile | $73,720 | $6,143 | $35.44 | $95,123 |
| 90th percentile | $80,450 | $6,704 | $38.68 | $103,806 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $10,660 a year in pay and about $13,755 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $8,380 in pay. 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 $58,260 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the Minnesota statewide median of $61,320 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Minneapolis-St. Paul
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $18,308 to the $63,060 median and brings it to $81,368 a year. 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 payroll 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 #9 by median pay, between paralegals ($76,220) and bookkeepers ($57,790). Marketing Specialist is the highest at $97,910.
| Role | Median | vs payroll specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Development Representative | +22.3% | 14,070 | |
| Paralegal | +20.9% | 5,990 | |
| Payroll Specialist | this role | 1,920 | |
| Bookkeeper | -8.4% | 16,510 | |
| HR Assistant | -10.1% | 2,350 |
Measured against the US median, payroll specialists rank #11 of the 17 roles we track in Minneapolis-St. Paul (+8.2%), between sales development representatives (+10.2%) and e-commerce order specialists (+7.3%). The typical role here is at +10.5%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Payroll specialists hold 0.9% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Minneapolis-St. Paul, 1.0% across Minnesota and 1.0% nationally. That is close to the national mix.
Other areas in Minnesota
Across the 9 areas of Minnesota with data for this job, the median runs from $55,910 in the Northeast Minnesota nonmetro area to $63,550 in Rochester, a gap of $7,640 a year. No other area in Minnesota has as many payroll specialists, and 7 of the other 8 pay less.
| Area | Median | vs Minneapolis-St. Paul | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester, MN | +0.8% | 80 | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | this area | 1,920 | |
| St. Cloud, MN | -6.5% | 100 | |
| Mankato, MN | -6.7% | 60 | |
| Southwest Minnesota (Nonmetro) | -7.4% | 100 | |
| Southeast Minnesota (Nonmetro) | -7.4% | 110 | |
| Duluth, MN-WI | -8.4% | 110 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Minneapolis-St. Paul is #16 of 482 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 Spokane-Spokane Valley pay just above Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago-Naperville and Napa just below. All four are within $340 a year of the median in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Of the three markets with about as many payroll specialists, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Minneapolis-St. Paul | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma, WA | +5.7% | 1,980 | jobs | |
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA | +4.4% | 2,000 | jobs | |
| Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA | +1.8% | 1,850 | jobs | |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | +0.5% | 230 | pay | |
| Vallejo, CA | +0.2% | 190 | pay | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | this area | 1,920 | ||
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN | -0.2% | 4,170 | pay | |
| Napa, CA | -0.2% | 100 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a payroll specialist in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI?
About $81,368 a year at the median, or $6,781 a month: $63,060 in pay plus about $18,308 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do payroll specialists earn in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $63,060 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $50,250, the 90th $80,450, and the middle half earned $54,680 to $73,720.
Is Minneapolis-St. Paul cheaper than the rest of Minnesota for payroll specialists?
No, it costs more: a median of $63,060 against $61,320 statewide. The next area up in Minnesota is Rochester at $63,550, the next down St. Cloud at $58,960.
How many payroll specialists work in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
BLS counts about 1,920 in the May 2025 survey. No other area in Minnesota has as many.
Does a payroll specialist cost more than a bookkeeper in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
Yes: $5,270 a year more at the median. The medians are $63,060 and $57,790.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-3051: 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.