- The middle half earn between $24.79 and $51.38 an hour.
- Minnesota ranks 13th of the 50 states with published figures for median pay in this trade.
- Minnesota pays more than 3 of its 4 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 2,980 sheet metal workers on payrolls in Minnesota.
- At the state median wage, a sheet metal or HVAC business needs to bill about $132.19 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Sheet Metal Worker pay in Minnesota, bottom to top
Sheet metal workers fabricate and install ductwork, flashing, gutters and metal roofing parts, in a shop and on site.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.85 | $47,520 | $18.57 |
| 25th percentile | $24.79 | $51,570 | $22.99 |
| Median | $35.08 | $72,970 | $29.71 |
| 75th percentile | $51.38 | $106,870 | $39.24 |
| 90th percentile | $56.24 | $116,990 | $50.79 |
| Average (mean) | $37.70 | $78,420 | $32.62 |
Pay is bunched up in Minnesota. The top tenth earn $56.24 an hour or more, about 2.5 times the $22.85 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 2.7 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $22.85 against $18.57 at the bottom tenth, and $56.24 against $50.79 at the top.
The average wage, $37.70, sits 7% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical sheet metal worker makes.
How Minnesota compares with other states
Over a full year, the Minnesota median of $72,970 is $11,170 more than the national $61,800.
In the state ranking, Minnesota sits 13th, between Oregon ($35.46) and West Virginia ($34.81). The range runs from $22.03 in Arkansas to $47.38 in Washington.
Against its neighboring states, Minnesota is in the middle: Wisconsin pays more, and Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota pay less.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in Minnesota. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $35.08 | $72,970 | |
| Iowa | $31.95 | $66,460 | −$3.13 an hour |
| North Dakota | $31.34 | $65,180 | −$3.74 an hour |
| South Dakota | $22.98 | $47,800 | −$12.10 an hour |
| Wisconsin | $37.38 | $77,760 | +$2.30 an hour |
How many sheet metal workers work in Minnesota
About 2,980 sheet metal workers work on payrolls in Minnesota, 2.5% of the 119,770 nationwide, the 16th largest count among the states.
The trade is a bigger part of the local job market than it is nationally: 1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in Minnesota, 1.3 times the national share.
What a sheet metal or HVAC business in Minnesota should charge
Higher wages in Minnesota go straight into the price. Take a sheet metal or HVAC business in Minnesota paying the state median of $35.08 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $35.08 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $78,548 |
| Break-even rate | ($78,548 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $112.37 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $112.37 ÷ 0.85 | $132.19 |
That is $132.19 per billable hour, 3.8 times the wage, and $9.43 more than the $122.76 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $51.38 in Minnesota, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $160.82.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $24.79, the rate only drops to $114.12.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 47-2211, sheet metal workers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: sheet metal worker salary by state.