StateRates

Duluth salaries

The median worker in the Duluth, MN-WI metro area earned $48,610 a year in 2024, about $23.37 an hour. That ranks #112 of the 391 metro areas published here, 1.8% below the national median.

Minnesota Wisconsin

Median pay $48,610 $23.37 per hour
Vs national -1.8% U.S. $49,500
Workers 124,530 wage and salary
Metro rank #112 of 391 by median pay

What this labour market looks like

Duluth pays 9.7% less than Minnesota as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.

Unusually concentrated here

Occupations against their national share, 2024
Occupation Concentration Employed Median
Social Workers, All Other 9.56× 500 $76,510
Bartenders 2.7× 1,630 $23,160
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant 2.55× 560 $34,350
Social and Human Service Assistants 2.5× 850 $44,390
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators 1.99× 760 $72,820
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 1.65× 5,300 $36,000
Construction Laborers 1.58× 1,350 $60,060
Registered Nurses 1.56× 4,140 $83,270
Industrial Machinery Mechanics 1.46× 500 $81,390
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 1.45× 1,610 $37,460
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 1.45× 1,800 $53,810
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1.41× 970 $34,040

Best paid occupations

Highest median pay in Duluth
Occupation Median Hourly Employed
Chief Executives $147,140 $70.74 250
Pharmacists $139,290 $66.96 290
Physician Assistants $129,670 $62.34 220
Nurse Practitioners $128,940 $61.99 450
Financial Managers $127,660 $61.38 450
Lawyers $118,860 $57.15 300
Sales Managers $108,590 $52.21 240
Construction Managers $104,840 $50.40 220
Computer Systems Analysts $103,360 $49.69 270
Medical and Health Services Managers $101,670 $48.88 510
Software Developers $100,530 $48.33 490
Civil Engineers $97,160 $46.71 240
Industrial Engineers $93,970 $45.18 470
Project Management Specialists $92,940 $44.69 460
Physical Therapists $88,980 $42.78 270
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $87,420 $42.03 280
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $85,990 $41.34 830
Mechanical Engineers $85,930 $41.31 240
Roofers $85,520 $41.11 240
Dental Hygienists $85,110 $40.92 270
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $84,230 $40.50 490
Electricians $83,970 $40.37 680
Registered Nurses $83,270 $40.03 4,140
Industrial Machinery Mechanics $81,390 $39.13 500
General and Operations Managers $80,230 $38.57 2,690
Management Analysts $80,130 $38.52 310
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $77,720 $37.37 540
Social Workers, All Other $76,510 $36.78 500
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians $75,350 $36.23 280
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $74,890 $36.00 450
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $74,780 $35.95 300
Social and Community Service Managers $74,320 $35.73 280
Accountants and Auditors $74,160 $35.65 960
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines $73,980 $35.57 380
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers $73,450 $35.31 230
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $72,820 $35.01 760
Compliance Officers $72,550 $34.88 230
Loan Officers $72,500 $34.86 250
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists $71,560 $34.40 360
Training and Development Specialists $70,760 $34.02 240
Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks $69,520 $33.42 230
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers $67,020 $32.22 210
Human Resources Specialists $66,390 $31.92 520
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants $66,380 $31.91 260
Business Operations Specialists, All Other $65,630 $31.55 610
Buyers and Purchasing Agents $65,540 $31.51 330
Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians $65,270 $31.38 270
First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $65,040 $31.27 360
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators $64,840 $31.17 220
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $64,250 $30.89 880
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $63,940 $30.74 390
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $61,620 n/a 660
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $61,510 $29.57 830
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $60,950 $29.30 270
Highway Maintenance Workers $60,590 $29.13 290
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $60,490 n/a 1,090
Carpenters $60,360 $29.02 540
Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs $60,280 $28.98 200
Construction Laborers $60,060 $28.88 1,350
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $59,900 n/a 450

Where most people work

Largest occupations in Duluth by employment
Occupation Employed Median Hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 5,300 $36,000 $17.31
Registered Nurses 4,140 $83,270 $40.03
Retail Salespersons 3,310 $33,480 $16.10
Cashiers 3,290 $30,150 $14.49
Fast Food and Counter Workers 2,950 $29,340 $14.11
General and Operations Managers 2,690 $80,230 $38.57
Office Clerks, General 2,640 $45,930 $22.08
Waiters and Waitresses 2,130 $22,570 $10.85
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 2,020 $58,960 $28.34
Customer Service Representatives 1,930 $44,420 $21.36
Stockers and Order Fillers 1,930 $34,310 $16.49
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1,820 $36,290 $17.45
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 1,800 $53,810 $25.87
Bartenders 1,630 $23,160 $11.13
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 1,610 $37,460 n/a
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 1,600 $41,040 $19.73
Nursing Assistants 1,540 $43,050 $20.70
Cooks, Restaurant 1,520 $36,190 $17.40
Construction Laborers 1,350 $60,060 $28.88
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1,260 $46,430 $22.32

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.

Other Minnesota metro areas

Duluth pay: common questions

What is the average salary in Duluth?

The median across all occupations is $48,610, or $23.37 an hour, covering 124,530 wage and salary workers. The mean is $59,120, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.

Does Duluth pay more than the rest of Minnesota?

No. The metro median of $48,610 is 9.7% below the Minnesota median of $53,810. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.

Which jobs pay best in Duluth?

Chief Executives ($147,140), Pharmacists ($139,290), Physician Assistants ($129,670). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.

What is Duluth unusually full of?

Social Workers, All Other, at 9.56× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.