Illustration by Luke Lucas
We used the most recent data available; all figures are within the past few years.
Arts, Culture, & Media
Lee Gundersheimer
Managing Director, Great River Shakespeare Festival
$50,000
Jon McTaggart
President & CEO, American Public Media Group
$558,588
Michelle Moore
Managing Director of Inclusion & Community, American Public Media Group
$80,946
Kaywin Feldman
Director & President, Minneapolis Institute of Art
$436,744
Stacey Poirier
Artistic Director, Theatre Unbound
$7,238
Trish Santini
Director of External Relations, Guthrie Theater
$192,502
Equity Actor, Children’s Theater Company
$735/week (union minimum, 10 shows)
James Pagliarini
President & CEO, Twin Cities Public Television
$359,676
Steven Copes
Concertmaster & Violinist, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
$112,075
Maintenance Machinist, Star Tribune
$30/hour
Ticketing Representative, Science Museum of MN
$9/hour
Office Manager, Grand Marais Art Colony
$27,000–$30,000
Digital Strategy & Innovation Intern, Minnesota Public Radio
$20–$25/hour
Government
Richard Stanek
Sheriff, Hennepin County
$158,905
Andrew Baker
Medical Examiner, Hennepin County
$246,707
Susanne Gens
Executive Director, MN State Arts Board
$93,163
Suzanne Tuttle
Children & Families Services Manager, Anoka County
$89,489
Librarian, Dakota County
$75,279
Ed McDonald
Executive Director, Council on Black Minnesotans
$76,728
Marketing Manager, Explore Minnesota Tourism
$50,536
Micah Pace
Chef to Governor Dayton
$48,462
Sales Rep, MN State Lottery
$59,267
Allison O’Toole
Deputy Director, MNSure
$42,731
Bus Driver, Metro Transit
$119,092 (includes $63,684 of overtime pay)
911 Dispatcher, Ramsey County
$52,113
Research Consultant, MN House of Representatives
$62,724
Marcus Travis
Guest Services Manager, Mpls. Convention Center
$93,941
Bret Smith
Impound Lot Manager, St. Paul
$96,568
Probation Officer, Washington County
$42,188
Maintenance Technician, St. Paul Public Housing
$17.14/hour
Security Badging Supervisor, MSP Airport
$55,663–$76,829
Nonprofits
Gail Dorfman
Executive Director, St. Stephen’s Human Services
$34,408
Barbara Koch
Executive Director, Life Time Fitness Foundation
$139,500
James Blaha
Treasurer & CFO, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
$276,916
Mark Crea
CEO, Feed My Starving Children
$190,576
Patrick Plonski
Executive Director, Books for Africa
$143,123
Lee Sheehy
Program Director, Region & Communities, McKnight Foundation
$147,204
Holly Sampson
President, Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation
$142,375
Ray Aboyan
Chief Operating Officer, Animal Humane Society
$82,430
Gail Bjorge
President, Picket Fence Poodle Rescue
$0
Wayne Eller
Executive Director, East Central MN Habitat for Humanity
$3,600
Call Center Representative for Non-Profit Pledge Drive
$12/hour
Creative Arts Therapist, East Side Neighborhood Services
$21/hour
Event Staff, James J. Hill Center
$12–$14/hour
Event & Communications Intern, Arc Greater Twin Cities
$500 stipend
Education
Eric Kaler
President, University of Minnesota
$626,450
Adjunct Research Professor, University of Minnesota
$21,320
Steven Jay Rosenstone
Chancellor, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
$371,767
Substitute Teacher
$70-130 per day
Jenny Arneson
School Board Chair, Minneapolis Public Schools
$22,000
Susanne Griffin
Chief Academic Officer, Minneapolis Public Schools
$151,000
Dennis Peterson
Superintendent, Minnetonka Public Schools
$219,490
School Bus Driver, North St. Paul
$19/hour
Harvey Johnson
Superintendent, Laporte Public Schools
$36,650
Preschool Teacher, Minneapolis
$15/hour
College Prep Tutor, College Tutors
$12-18
Sports
Greg Cane
Soccer Coach, University of Minnesota Duluth
$44,997
Michele Redman
Golf Coach, University of Minnesota
$85,000
Richard Pitino
Men’s Basketball Coach, University of Minnesota
1.6 million
Pam Borton
Women’s Basketball Coach, University of Minnesota
$425,000
Lindsay Whalen
Point Guard, Minnesota Lynx
$107,000 (WNBA maximum)
Athletic Equipment Manager, University of Minnesota
$69,680
Athletic Department A/V Media Producer, University of Minnesota
$63,240
Joe Mauer
First Baseman, Minnesota Twins
$23 million
Adrian Peterson
Running Back, Minnesota Vikings
$13 million
Ricky Rubio
Point Guard, Minnesota Timberwolves
$12.7 million
Zach Parise
Left Winger, Minnesota Wild
$9 million
Ted Mondale
Executive Director, Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority
$160,325
Minor League Baseball Player, St. Paul Saints
$1,400/month (average)
Health/Wellness
Associate Physician, Northpoint Health and Wellness
$164,567
Yoga Teacher
$20/hour
Bahram Akradi
CEO, Life Time Fitness
$6,442,310
Associate Professor, University of Minnesota Medical School
$360,328
Dentist, Community-University Health Care Center
$137,842
Laboratory Animal Veterinarian, University of Minnesota
$94,780
Systems Associate, YWCA of Minneapolis
$14–$17/hour
Activities Specialist, Rise Adult Day Care
$12–$13/hour
Gregory Dodd
Health & Fitness Coordinator, St. Paul Parks & Rec
$41,367
Service Sector
Nanny/Manny
$500-600/week, plus room & board
Window Cleaner
$13–25/hour
Crew Member, Jersey Mike’s
$9.25/hour plus tips plus half off subs
Massage Therapist, Sister Rosalind
$19–21/hour
Surrogate Mother
$30–35,000
Sperm Donor
$4,000 for six months
Pastry Chef, Bar La Grassa & Burch Steak & Pizza Bar
$12-13/hour
Kennel Attendant
$11-12/hour
Laundry Worker
$21,000
Management Trainee, Domino’s
$30,000
Business/Law
Lorie Gildea
Chief Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
$167,000
Lori Swanson
Minnesota Attorney General
$113,859
David Wippman
Dean, University of Minnesota Law School
$416,730
Brian Cornell
CEO, Target
$28,164,024
Cashier, Target
$9/hour
Kendall Powell
CEO, General Mills
$14,815,089
James Cracchiolo
CEO, Ameriprise Financial
$24,455,192
Omar Ishrak
Chairman & CEO, Medtronic
$40,500,470
Sally Smith
CEO, Buffalo Wild Wings
$4,898,032
Customer Service Agent, Ecolab
$16/hr
Mary Moriarty
Chief Public Defender, Hennepin County
$136,846
Court Payment Center Clerk, Judicial MN
$35,640
Welder, Quality Tool
$16–20/hour
Wage Gaps by Gender and Race
Women and minorities aren’t receiving equal pay.
On average, women in Minnesota make $0.81 per every dollar paid to men. In 2015, the average full-time salary for a woman in Minnesota was $42,066 while the average full-time salary for a Minnesota man was $51,625. If current trends continue, women in Minnesota will not see equal pay until the year 2054.
In 2014, Gail Boudreaux, the now former executive vice president of UnitedHealth Group, was the highest paid woman in Minnesota, earning $14.5 million. The highest paid male in Minnesota was
James Cracchiolo, CEO of Ameriprise Financial, who earned $97.4 million in 2014—more than six times as much as Boudreaux.
In 2014, the average national weekly income for all races was $795. Compared to the average, whites earned 103%, Asians 121%, African Americans 81%, and Hispanics/Latinos 73%.
Read More:
- Money For Nothing
- Oh Fer Help: Kickstarter Campagins
- Entrepreneur Spotlight: The Herbivorous Butcher
- Entrepreneur Spotlight: Lucy & Co.
- Entrepreneur Spotlight: RetraceHealth
- Financial Advice for Couples
- Life as a Freelancer
-
Easy Come, Easy Go
Digital Extra:
- Browse the 2015 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for Minnesota from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
