Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
9 metro areas in Minnesota publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 75,550 jobs. The three largest employers of registered nurses are Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington (43,600 jobs), Sioux Falls (7,680 jobs), Rochester (6,390 jobs), which hold 76.3% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $75,350 to $105,290 a year, against $101,510 for the whole state and $97,550 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $97,550 a year for registered nurses (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $68,940 and the highest-paid tenth over $137,470). Employment is projected to change by +5.6% between 2025 and 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: Bachelor's degree. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Registered nurses in Minnesota: the highest median pay is in the St. Cloud, MN area ($105,290 a year); the most jobs are in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area (43,600). Statewide the median is $101,510 with 70,110 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Cloud, MN | 2,910 | $105,290 | $80,030 | $114,920 | 1.29 | 12% | 87.6 |
| Mankato, MN | 1,570 | $103,400 | $82,880 | $127,510 | 1.29 | 12% | 91.0 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 43,600 | $103,040 | $82,180 | $133,450 | 1.03 | 17% | 104.8 |
| Rochester, MN | 6,390 | $101,660 | $81,960 | $127,540 | 2.39 | 15% | 90.8 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 2,920 | $98,370 | $79,820 | $120,220 | 1.59 | 13% | 91.8 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 4,410 | $96,940 | $77,460 | $125,980 | 1.63 | 12% | 88.8 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | 4,790 | $82,120 | $69,620 | $103,480 | 1.48 | 14% | 90.9 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | 1,280 | $79,070 | $66,380 | $97,850 | 1.13 | 15% | 86.7 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 7,680 | $75,350 | $54,040 | $97,330 | 1.98 | 16% | 90.6 |
National page: Registered nurses →Cities of Minnesota
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the St. Cloud, MN area, with a median of $105,290 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area, with 43,600 jobs.