Long before the COVID-19 pandemic forced us all to learn new household terms like “social distancing” and “flatten the curve” a different kind of medical crisis was threatening the U.S. medical system — lack of healthcare workers.
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Shortages have been projected for years in employment of healthcare workers, including nurses. While Minnesota was better off than most states and a dire situation was not expected, this was before coronavirus, so it’s anybody’s guess what the state is facing today.
We wanted to understand how attractive Minnesota is for a special subset of healthcare workers — those who have earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. This advanced degree can provide the foundation of work as a nurse practitioner, and it can lead to many other rewarding careers in the field.
SEE ALSO: Minnesota DNP Programs with Online Options
Average Doctor of Nursing Practice DNP Salaries in Minnesota
To create our analysis of Minnesota DNP salary and employment levels, we studied data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for a selection of six jobs that are common for DNP graduates — nurse practitioner, registered nurse, nurse anesthetist, nurse administrator, nurse midwife and postsecondary nursing instructor.
Four of the six DNP jobs on our list boast average annual salary rates that are upwards of $100,000 in Minnesota. Nurse anesthetists can expect to earn the highest wages in Minnesota, and this is true for every other state as well. On the flip side, postsecondary nursing instructors have the lowest wage of the six DNP jobs in Minnesota, though these professionals can expect to earn higher wages than the typical worker in the state, who makes about $56,000 per year.
How Much Does a DNP Make in Minnesota?
The average salary ranges from $74,090 to $192,290 in Minnesota.
Average annual Minnesota salary
| Nurse Anesthetists | $192,290.00 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $122,850.00 |
| Nurse Midwives | $121,980.00 |
| Nurse Administrators | $112,780.00 |
| Registered Nurses | $80,130.00 |
| Postsecondary Nursing Instructors | $74,090.00 |
Jobs for registered nurses are the most plentiful of the six jobs, according to the measure of employment per 1,000 jobs. In Minnesota, RNs are employed at a rate that’s nearly nine times higher than the next most common DNP job, which is nurse administrator. Minnesota ranks No. 5 for nurse anesthetist employment and No. 10 for nurse midwife employment, even though nurse midwife jobs are the least common of the six in Minnesota. The state also ranks No. 8 for RN employment rates.
Minnesota employment per 1,000 jobs
| Registered Nurses | 24.648 |
| Nurse Administrators | 2.891 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 1.379 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 0.658 |
| Postsecondary Nursing Instructors | 0.434 |
| Nurse Midwives | 0.077 |
In all five of the Minnesota cities with available data, average salaries across the six DNP jobs are upwards of $100,000. Rochester has the highest average DNP salary at $146,000, which is likely connected to the Mayo Clinic being located in that city. Rochester ranks No. 3 among the nearly 400 cities for which data was available.
Average salary by city, top 5
| Rochester | $146,000.00 |
| Duluth | $117,300.00 |
| St. Cloud | $115,850.00 |
| Grand Forks | $108,850.00 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $105,363.33 |
Jump to a Career
- Nurse Practitioner
- Registered Nurse
- Nurse Administrator
- Post Secondary Nurse Instructor
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Nurse Midwife
Minnesota Nurse Practitioner
The assumed career path for someone with a DNP degree is nurse practitioner, given that the name of the degree is right there in the job title. These jobs also are highly satisfying and generally well-paying, as nurse practitioners (NPs) are empowered to perform some of the same functions as a doctor, though rules vary by state. Minnesota has one of the least restrictive practice environments for NPs, which is another feather in the state’s cap. In every city and metro area with available data, average NP wages are more than $100,000, with Rochester leading the way. In some cases, metro areas span more than one state, such as La Crosse and Duluth, which both include areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Average annual nurse practitioner wage by city/metro area
| Rochester | $144,980.00 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $120,280.00 |
| St. Cloud | $118,150.00 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska | $115,390.00 |
| Duluth | $113,280.00 |
| Mankato-North Mankato | $112,060.00 |
| Fargo | $106,480.00 |
NPs are most likely to find employment in the Duluth area, followed by the Minneapolis metro, which includes portions of Wisconsin, and Fargo. The only city with a higher NP employment rate than Minnesota overall is Duluth.
Nurse practitioner employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area
| Duluth | 2.109 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 1.287 |
| Fargo | 1.274 |
| St. Cloud | 1.089 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska | 1.066 |
| Mankato-North Mankato | 0.758 |
Minnesota Registered Nurse
While it’s typically not necessary for registered nurses to have a DNP to secure employment, for those who complete DNP programs, RN roles may continue to be attractive given the level of direct patient care involved. However, it’s important to note that a DNP graduate in an RN position will certainly be able to command a higher salary. RNs in Minnesota make their highest average wage in Minneapolis, with St. Cloud close behind and Duluth coming in last of cities with available data.
Average annual registered nurse wage by city/metro area
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $84,400.00 |
| St. Cloud | $81,560.00 |
| Rochester | $77,480.00 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska | $72,870.00 |
| Mankato-North Mankato | $70,760.00 |
| Fargo | $68,110.00 |
| Duluth | $68,040.00 |
RN jobs are far and away the most common DNP jobs, and this tends to hold true across the state of Minnesota. RN employment rates are highest in the La Crosse-Onalaska area, followed by Duluth, and both metro areas include portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Both communities also rank in the top 15 nationally (ninth and 13th, respectively) compared to all cities and metro areas in the U.S.
Registered nurse employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area
| La Crosse-Onalaska | 39.124 |
| Duluth | 36.715 |
| Fargo | 30.473 |
| St. Cloud | 28.303 |
| Mankato-North Mankato | 28.051 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 21.12 |
Minnesota Nurse Administrator
While it’s typical for DNP graduates to stick with jobs where they can work directly with patients, many nursing professionals pursuing this advanced degree may be interested in making a major career shift. Jobs in healthcare leadership, such as nurse administrator, are very popular for DNP graduates, and many programs offer coursework that focuses on management and leadership. It’s not hard to see why, with most cities and states offering average wages for nurse administrators that exceed $100,000. The North Dakota city of Fargo, with a metro area that includes portions of Minnesota, has the state’s highest average wage for nurse administrators, while the Mankato area’s average is the lowest.
Average annual nurse administrator wage by city/metro area
| Fargo | $132,090.00 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $119,740.00 |
| Grand Forks | $108,850.00 |
| St. Cloud | $108,560.00 |
| Duluth | $100,410.00 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska | $87,650.00 |
| Mankato-North Mankato | $87,320.00 |
Nurse administrator jobs are typically the most readily available after RN positions, and the Duluth area has the highest concentration of nurse administrator employment in Minnesota, followed by St. Cloud and La Crosse. All other cities with available data have nurse administrator employment rates that fall below the overall state rate.
Nurse administrator employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area
| Duluth | 3.425 |
| St. Cloud | 3.108 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska | 3.103 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 2.761 |
| Grand Forks | 2.657 |
| Mankato-North Mankato | 2.573 |
| Fargo | 2.197 |
Minnesota Postsecondary Nursing Instructor
If Minnesota hopes to keep up with increased nurse retirement and an aging population, it will be necessary to educate thousands more nursing professionals. Postsecondary nursing instructors will be in especially high demand both for training DNP students and as potential careers for DNP graduates. While limited data was available for cities in Minnesota, wages are slightly higher in St. Cloud than in Duluth.
Average annual postsecondary nursing instructor wage by city/metro area
| St. Cloud | $71,320.00 |
| Duluth | $70,630.00 |
It’s a small sample size, but nursing instructors will be more likely to find work in the Fargo area, which includes portions of North Dakota and Minnesota, than in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, which also includes portions of Wisconsin.
Postsecondary nursing instructor employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area
| Fargo | 0.534 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 0.319 |
Minnesota Nurse Anesthetist
Nurse anesthetists are by far the highest-paid DNP professionals on our list, and all of the Minnesota cities with available data are home to wages that exceed $175,000. Duluth’s average wage is the highest, at more than $234,000, which ranks the metro area No. 6 among all cities with available data.
Average annual nurse anesthetist wage by city/metro area
| Duluth | $234,140.00 |
| Rochester | $215,540.00 |
| St. Cloud | $199,660.00 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $185,680.00 |
Little data was available, so geographic comparisons are difficult for nurse anesthetist employment rates, but Minneapolis and Duluth have very similar rates of employment for nurse anesthetists.
Nurse anesthetist employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 0.689 |
| Duluth | 0.659 |
Minnesota Nurse Midwife
Nurse midwifery, or assisting through the process of pregnancy and labor, is an increasingly popular specialty, and many DNP programs offer a degree track in the area. Data on salaries and employment rates for nurse midwives in Minnesota was only available for Minneapolis-St. Paul, where the average nurse midwife makes $122,080.
Conclusion
As America and Minnesota continue to age, the demand on the healthcare system will continue growing, which is why it’s crucial to attract DNP students and graduates, as these advanced nurses can make a tangible difference for the entire medical system.
Resources
Our analysis of BLS data covered a total of six jobs that are commonly available with a DNP degree, though that’s not a complete listing of every potential DNP career. We used the May 2019 data, which the agency released in April 2020.