Network Engineer.
Minneapolis.
$137,000
median salary, 5% above the national average
$107,000 to $172,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Minneapolis is 5% more expensive than the national average. For Network Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $137,000, with the full range spanning $107,000 to $172,000. CCIE certification remains the single largest salary differentiator, adding 20 to 30% to base pay. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Network Engineer in Minneapolis, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $134,230 for Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241) in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area, based on 1,670 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$82,650
25th percentile
$104,010
Median
$134,230
75th percentile
$152,960
90th percentile
$171,700
Workers surveyed
1,670
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241) rather than Network Engineer specifically. The Minneapolis range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 15-1241Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $123,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$89,000
to $110,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$116,000
to $144,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$151,000
to $178,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$171,000
to $212,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $33,000 to the total package.
Base
$137,000
Equity
$18,000
Bonus
$12,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $170,000
How Minneapolis compares.
Minneapolis, MN
$137,000
Cost of living: 5% above average
National Average
$130,000
Minneapolis is $7,000 above
Network Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Minneapolis.
What you should know.
The Network Engineer landscape in Minneapolis is not what most salary sites will tell you. Minneapolis is a Fortune 500 powerhouse with Target, UnitedHealth Group, Best Buy, and 3M headquartered in the metro. The city's strong corporate base creates consistent demand across finance, healthcare, retail tech, and supply chain roles. Quality of life is high, and employers offer competitive salaries to offset the cold winters. CCIE certification remains the single largest salary differentiator, adding 20 to 30% to base pay. Engineers managing SD-WAN rollouts, hybrid cloud networking, or large-scale data center fabrics command premium rates. Telecom and financial services sectors consistently offer the highest compensation for network specialists.
Help desk and NOC technicians start at $50,000 to $65,000, advancing to network engineer at $78,000 to $135,000 in three to five years. Senior network architects earn $140,000 to $180,000, and director of network engineering roles reach $185,000 to $240,000. In Minneapolis, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Bonuses of 8 to 15% are standard, with on-call stipends adding $5,000 to $12,000 annually. Employers frequently cover CCIE lab fees and ongoing Cisco or Juniper certification renewals as part of retention packages. And on the tax side: minnesota's top income tax rate is 9.85%, one of the highest state rates. There is no city income tax in Minneapolis, but the state burden significantly reduces take home pay. When someone quotes you $137,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Emphasize retention risk when negotiating. Minneapolis employers know that remote opportunities from warmer, lower tax states are a constant competitive threat. The range for Network Engineers in Minneapolis runs from $107,000 to $172,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An AI Platform Engineer in Minneapolis earns $138,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Minneapolis is CTO at $321,000
Common questions.
Network Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Minneapolis.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Network Engineer Salary in Minneapolis, MN." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/network-engineer/minneapolis
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