Home / Wages / Rochester Rochester salaries The median worker in the Rochester, MN metro area earned $59,220 a year in 2024, about $28.47 an hour. That ranks #16 of the 391 metro areas published here, 19.6% above the national median.
Minnesota
Median pay $59,220 $28.47 per hour
Vs national +19.6% U.S. $49,500
Workers 121,610 wage and salary
Metro rank #16 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Rochester pays 10.1% more 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 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 6.01× 3,940 $48,080 Nurse Practitioners 5.62× 1,360 $122,820 Physician Assistants 4.32× 530 $133,000 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians 4.13× 730 $77,830 Registered Nurses 2.13× 5,510 $102,580 Medical and Health Services Managers 1.69× 760 $130,330 Bartenders 1.61× 950 $25,890 Childcare Workers 1.52× 630 $30,420 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1.4× 940 $36,830 Nursing Assistants 1.34× 1,470 $46,910 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 1.32× 1,430 $38,790 Software Developers 1.25× 1,630 $130,480
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Rochester Occupation Median Hourly Employed Computer and Information Systems Managers $170,990 $82.21 390 Chief Executives $163,490 $78.60 200 Pharmacists $154,610 $74.33 410 Financial Managers $150,730 $72.47 410 Sales Managers $134,810 $64.81 230 Physician Assistants $133,000 $63.94 530 Software Developers $130,480 $62.73 1,630 Medical and Health Services Managers $130,330 $62.66 760 Administrative Services Managers $126,060 $60.61 300 Nurse Practitioners $122,820 $59.05 1,360 Lawyers $118,300 $56.88 230 Construction Managers $111,130 $53.43 210 Management Analysts $105,530 $50.73 640 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $104,050 $50.02 370 Project Management Specialists $103,520 $49.77 470 Registered Nurses $102,580 $49.32 5,510 Financial and Investment Analysts $102,330 $49.20 280 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $99,400 $47.79 460 Diagnostic Medical Sonographers $99,150 $47.67 210 Industrial Engineers $96,060 $46.19 340 Dental Hygienists $96,020 $46.16 220 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $94,330 $45.35 500 Physical Therapists $94,320 $45.35 400 Buyers and Purchasing Agents $87,010 $41.83 300 Human Resources Specialists $83,130 $39.97 500 Social and Community Service Managers $82,640 $39.73 200 General and Operations Managers $82,540 $39.68 1,990 Accountants and Auditors $81,610 $39.23 730 Electricians $81,590 $39.23 490 Loan Officers $81,280 $39.08 200 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $81,070 $38.98 300 Occupational Therapists $80,880 $38.89 280 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $80,810 $38.85 530 Healthcare Social Workers $80,130 $38.52 240 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $79,740 $38.34 370 Social Workers, All Other $78,840 $37.90 390 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians $77,830 $37.42 730 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $77,830 $37.42 360 Public Relations Specialists $77,030 $37.04 200 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $76,200 $36.64 360 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $75,830 $36.46 410 Industrial Machinery Mechanics $74,630 $35.88 290 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $72,990 $35.09 690 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $72,500 $34.86 960 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers $68,420 $32.89 240 First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $66,300 $31.88 260 Special Education Teachers, Secondary School $65,400 n/a 250 Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School $64,730 n/a 220 Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $64,700 $31.10 410 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $64,230 n/a 900 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $64,130 n/a 770 Carpenters $64,120 $30.83 440 Billing and Posting Clerks $63,870 $30.71 480 Child, Family, and School Social Workers $63,810 $30.68 230 Computer User Support Specialists $63,740 $30.64 400 Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists $63,320 $30.44 230 Correctional Officers and Jailers $63,020 $30.30 210 Dental Assistants $62,990 $30.29 290 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $61,890 $29.76 1,260 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $61,460 $29.55 610
Where most people work Largest occupations in Rochester by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Registered Nurses 5,510 $102,580 $49.32 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 3,940 $48,080 $23.12 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 3,920 $36,880 $17.73 Cashiers 2,670 $33,770 $16.23 Retail Salespersons 2,620 $35,210 $16.93 Fast Food and Counter Workers 2,570 $30,720 $14.77 General and Operations Managers 1,990 $82,540 $39.68 Office Clerks, General 1,790 $48,450 $23.29 Waiters and Waitresses 1,700 $23,580 $11.34 Software Developers 1,630 $130,480 $62.73 Customer Service Representatives 1,600 $47,540 $22.86 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1,590 $43,100 $20.72 Nursing Assistants 1,470 $46,910 $22.56 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 1,430 $38,790 n/a Stockers and Order Fillers 1,420 $36,370 $17.49 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 1,390 $44,840 $21.56 Nurse Practitioners 1,360 $122,820 $59.05 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 1,260 $61,890 $29.76 Cooks, Restaurant 1,130 $37,920 $18.23 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1,030 $52,230 $25.11
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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington 1,931,660 workers $57,640 St. Cloud 103,600 workers $49,820 Fargo 147,570 workers $49,690 Duluth 124,530 workers $48,610 Grand Forks 51,240 workers $48,280 La Crosse-Onalaska 83,080 workers $48,060 Rochester pay: common questions What is the average salary in Rochester? The median across all occupations is $59,220 , or $28.47 an hour, covering 121,610 wage and salary workers. The mean is $78,320, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Rochester pay more than the rest of Minnesota? Yes. The metro median of $59,220 is 10.1% above 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 Rochester? Computer and Information Systems Managers ($170,990), Chief Executives ($163,490), Pharmacists ($154,610). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Rochester unusually full of? Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, at 6.01× 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.