Counties in Minnesota by average weekly wage (QCEW)

Hennepin County had the highest average weekly wage (QCEW) of 87 counties in 2015, at $1,271. Cass County had the lowest, at $558. The median was $728 and the figure for Minnesota was $1,029. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest1,271Hennepin County
Lowest558Cass County
Median72887 counties
Minnesota1,029History

Top 40 counties, 2015

Hennepin County: 1,271 USDHennepin County1,271Ramsey County: 1,148 USDRamsey County1,148Olmsted County: 1,080 USDOlmsted County1,080Carver County: 1,004 USDCarver County1,004Dakota County: 988 USDDakota County988Anoka County: 962 USDAnoka County962Scott County: 909 USDScott County909Mower County: 899 USDMower County899Goodhue County: 875 USDGoodhue County875Washington County: 845 USDWashington County845St. Louis County: 828 USDSt. Louis County828Stearns County: 827 USDStearns County827Rice County: 823 USDRice County823Lake County: 818 USDLake County818McLeod County: 810 USDMcLeod County810Stevens County: 804 USDStevens County804Pope County: 802 USDPope County802Dodge County: 793 USDDodge County793Sherburne County: 792 USDSherburne County792Lyon County: 787 USDLyon County787Chisago County: 785 USDChisago County785Pennington County: 780 USDPennington County780Roseau County: 777 USDRoseau County777Faribault County: 771 USDFaribault County771Itasca County: 771 USDItasca County771Clearwater County: 770 USDClearwater County770Blue Earth County: 769 USDBlue Earth County769Nicollet County: 769 USDNicollet County769Steele County: 768 USDSteele County768Carlton County: 767 USDCarlton County767Waseca County: 761 USDWaseca County761Wright County: 761 USDWright County761Douglas County: 759 USDDouglas County759Marshall County: 758 USDMarshall County758Nobles County: 756 USDNobles County756Koochiching County: 754 USDKoochiching County754Freeborn County: 749 USDFreeborn County749Winona County: 749 USDWinona County749Brown County: 746 USDBrown County746Benton County: 743 USDBenton County743
USD. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2015
USD
Change on 2014
1Hennepin County1,271+3.5%
2Ramsey County1,148+3.1%
3Olmsted County1,080+3.2%
4Carver County1,004+6.4%
5Dakota County988+3.6%
6Anoka County962+4.7%
7Scott County909+4.8%
8Mower County899+9.5%
9Goodhue County875+7.9%
10Washington County845+4.4%
11St. Louis County828+3%
12Stearns County827+4.7%
13Rice County823+5.5%
14Lake County818+2.9%
15McLeod County810+3.2%
16Stevens County804+1.5%
17Pope County802+7.9%
18Dodge County793+3.8%
19Sherburne County792+3.9%
20Lyon County787+5.9%
21Chisago County785+13.1%
22Pennington County780-0.4%
23Roseau County777-9.3%
24Faribault County771-12.7%
24Itasca County771+4.6%
26Clearwater County770+8%
27Blue Earth County769+2.9%
27Nicollet County769+3.9%
29Steele County768+1.7%
30Carlton County767+0.7%
31Waseca County761+4%
31Wright County761+3.8%
33Douglas County759+3.3%
34Marshall County758+1.7%
35Nobles County756+11%
36Koochiching County754+5.5%
37Freeborn County749+5.6%
37Winona County749+3.3%
39Brown County746+4.6%
40Benton County743+9.3%
41Renville County737+2.2%
42Le Sueur County736-5.6%
43Isanti County732+3.2%
44Martin County728+2.8%
45Beltrami County727+4.8%
45Clay County727+4.9%
47Sibley County725+4.5%
48Wilkin County718+3.9%
49Crow Wing County709+4.6%
49Polk County709+3.5%
51Kandiyohi County705+4.4%
52Big Stone County702+7.2%
52Kittson County702+2.3%
54Wadena County701+2.9%
55Otter Tail County700+4.2%
56Becker County693+2.5%
57Grant County691+4.7%
58Chippewa County688+3.5%
59Kanabec County687+7.2%
60Jackson County686+2.5%
61Cottonwood County680+4.9%
62Swift County679-0.3%
63Yellow Medicine County678+3.5%
64Hubbard County677+7.6%
65Wabasha County674+3.5%
66Norman County673+6%
67Rock County671+1.1%
68Meeker County669+2.1%
69Todd County668+4.2%
70Lac qui Parle County661+3.6%
71Redwood County655+4.8%
72Morrison County649+3.8%
73Murray County646+4%
73Pipestone County646+6.1%
75Traverse County642+2.2%
76Aitkin County636+5.3%
77Lincoln County635+1.9%
77Mahnomen County635+5%
79Mille Lacs County631+5.2%
80Red Lake County626+4.3%
81Watonwan County623+3.8%
82Fillmore County615+4.1%
83Houston County604+4.3%
84Lake of the Woods County591+8%
85Pine County572+4%
86Cook County571+1.4%
87Cass County558+6.9%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages paid during the year divided by the average number of covered jobs and by 52, in US dollars, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

In current dollars, not adjusted for inflation. An average per job, so part-time jobs pull it down and high earners pull it up; for the typical job use median_annual_wage. Wages include bonuses, stock options exercised, severance pay and tips, which makes counties with corporate headquarters stand out. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Minnesota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Minnesota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/minnesota-counties?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Minnesota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/minnesota-counties?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Minnesota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/minnesota-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Minnesota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/minnesota-counties?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Minnesota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/minnesota-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/minnesota-counties?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Hennepin County, with $1,271 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Cass County, with $558 in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average weekly wage (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Minnesota: more rankings