Laborer prevailing wage in Cook County, Minnesota

$60.39an hour, base wage + fringe benefits

$35.22 base wage + $25.17 fringe benefits

On Minnesota public works in Cook County, a laborer must be paid at least $60.39 an hour: a $35.22 base wage plus $25.17 in fringe.

DLI certifications of Nov 3 and Dec 22, 2025 (revised to Feb 9, 2026); this rate, effective December 22, 2025. The rates "must be ascertained before the state asks for bids" and written into the contract, with their dated steps (Minn. Stat. 177.43). Checked against dli.mn.gov on October 25, 2026.

DLI lists 4 laborer rates for Cook County, from $52.75 to $72.41 an hour. See all of them.

Base wage and fringe benefits: $35.22 + $25.17

The base wage is the taxable hourly wage. DLI prints the fringe as one hourly figure, not itemized; it can go to health, pension, vacation and training plans, or be paid as cash where the state allows.

Base wage (taxable)	$35.22
Fringe benefits (one figure, not itemized)	$25.17
Total hourly rate, as printed	$60.39

When does this rate change?

Minnesota rates are set before bids and written into the contract, including their dated steps (Minn. Stat. 177.43, subd. 3–4). The schedule in your bid documents controls.
DLI certifies rates at least once a year from a survey of the previous 12 months, and may certify changes at any time (Minn. R. 5200.1020, 5200.1120). Highway/heavy was certified November 3, 2025 and commercial December 22, 2025, with revisions through February 9, 2026.

Every laborer rate in Cook County

As DLI lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.

PIPELAYER (WATER, SEWER AND GAS) (107)$72.41
LABORER, COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK) (101)$60.39
LABORER, SKILLED (ASSISTING SKILLED CRAFT JOURNEYMAN) (102)$60.39
UNDERGROUND AND OPEN DITCH LABORER (EIGHT FEET BELOW STARTING GRADE LEVEL) (109)Adjacent-county rate$52.75

Hourly rate of each laborer classification in Cook County, highest first, split into wage and fringe.

Classification	Base wage	Fringe benefits	Total rate	Effective
LABORER, COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK) (101)	$35.22	$25.17	$60.39	Dec 22, 2025
LABORER, SKILLED (ASSISTING SKILLED CRAFT JOURNEYMAN) (102)	$35.22	$25.17	$60.39	Dec 22, 2025
WATCH PERSON (105)Adjacent-county rate FOR RATE CALL 651-284-5091 OR EMAIL DLI.PREVWAGE@STATE.MN.US	—	—	—	—
BLASTER (106) FOR RATE CALL 651-284-5091 OR EMAIL DLI.PREVWAGE@STATE.MN.US	—	—	—	—
PIPELAYER (WATER, SEWER AND GAS) (107)	$46.08	$26.33	$72.41	Dec 22, 2025
UNDERGROUND AND OPEN DITCH LABORER (EIGHT FEET BELOW STARTING GRADE LEVEL) (109)Adjacent-county rate	$32.48	$20.27	$52.75	Dec 22, 2025

Davis-Bacon laborer rate in Cook County

Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a contract requires both the state rate and the Davis-Bacon rate, paying the higher of the two meets both. The contract documents say which apply.

We don't put a federal figure next to DLI's here, because this page leads with a classification the federal determinations don't list one to one. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.

Construction	Federal classification	Base wage	Total rate	WD
Building	LABORER: COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK)SAMN2025-001	$35.22	$60.39	MN20260042 Mod 2
Building	LABORER: SKILLED (ASSISTING SKILLED CRAFT JOURNEYMAN)SAMN2025-001	$35.22	$60.39	MN20260042 Mod 2
Building	PIPELAYER (WATER, SEWER AND GAS)SAMN2025-001	$46.08	$72.41	MN20260042 Mod 2
Building	POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: COMMERCIAL GROUP 3 : ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE CRANES; CONCRETE PUMP 32-49 METERS/102-164 FEET; DERRICK (GUY & STIFFLEG); STATIONARY TOWER …SAMN2025-001	$52.08	$83.08	MN20260042 Mod 2
Building	POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: COMMERCIAL GROUP 5 : AIR COMPRESSOR 450 CFM OR OVER (TWO OR MORE MACHINES); CONCRETE MIXER; CONCRETE PUMP UP TO 31 METERS/101 FEET OF …SAMN2025-001	$48.52	$79.52	MN20260042 Mod 2
Building	POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: COMMERCIAL GROUP 7 : AIR COMPRESSOR 600 CFM OR OVER; BRAKEPERSON; CONCRETE PUMP/PUMPCRETE OR COMPLACO TYPE; FIREPERSON, TEMPORARY …SAMN2025-001	$35.50	$55.80	MN20260042 Mod 2
Building	POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: HIGHWAY/HEAVY GROUP 5 : BITUMINOUS ROLLER (UNDER EIGHT TONS); CONCRETE SAW (MULTIPLE BLADE) (POWER OPERATED); FORM TRENCH DIGGER …SAMN2025-001	$11.41	$18.41	MN20260042 Mod 2
Building	UNDERGROUND AND OPEN DITCH LABORER (EIGHT FEET BELOW STARTING GRADE LEVEL)SAMN2025-001	$32.48	$52.75	MN20260042 Mod 2
Highway, Heavy	BLASTERSAMN2025-001	$38.53	$61.20	MN20260231 Mod 2
Highway, Heavy	LABORER: COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK)SAMN2025-001	$42.58	$68.91	MN20260231 Mod 2
Highway, Heavy	LABORER: SKILLED (ASSISTING SKILLED CRAFT JOURNEYMAN)SAMN2025-001	$42.58	$68.91	MN20260231 Mod 2
Highway, Heavy	PIPELAYER (WATER, SEWER AND GAS)SAMN2025-001	$46.08	$72.41	MN20260231 Mod 2
Highway, Heavy	POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: HIGHWAY/HEAVY GROUP 2 : HELICOPTER PILOT; CONCRETE PUMP; ALL CRANES WITH OVER 135-FOOT BOOM, EXCLUDING JIB; DRAGLINE, CRAWLER, …SAMN2025-001	$48.71	$79.71	MN20260231 Mod 2
Highway, Heavy	POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: HIGHWAY/HEAVY GROUP 5 : AIR COMPRESSOR, 600 CFM OR OVER; BITUMINOUS ROLLER (UNDER EIGHT TONS); CONCRETE SAW (MULTIPLE BLADE) (POWER …SAMN2025-001	$44.06	$75.06	MN20260231 Mod 2
Highway, Heavy	UNDERGROUND AND OPEN DITCH LABORER (EIGHT FEET BELOW STARTING GRADE LEVEL)SAMN2025-001	$44.08	$70.41	MN20260231 Mod 2
Residential	LABORERS: GROUP 1 GENERAL; CARPENTER TENDER; CONCRETE LABORER; DAMP PROOFER BELOW GRADE; DRILL RUNNER TENDER; DUMPMAN - DIRT, ASPHALT, CONCRETE, CEMENT; HEATER …LABO1091-017	$29.92	$51.61	MN20260026 Mod 1

Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Minnesota Davis-Bacon changes

How Cook County compares

The main laborer rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and nearby. All bars use the same scale.

Every county in Minnesota

Cook $60.392625171312

$21.00Big Stone$74.12Anoka

CookNearby: Lake $60.39, St. Louis $60.39, Itasca $60.83Each column is a group of counties with about the same main rate; its height is how many. 61 counties pay more than Cook, 3 the same, 22 less.

Wage and fringe, nearby

Cook Countybase $35.22$60.39
Lake Countybase $35.22$60.39
St. Louis Countybase $35.22$60.39
Itasca Countybase $34.87$60.83

Laborer rates in nearby counties

Current DLI rates. Commercial rates are county by county, highway and heavy by area (Minn. R. 5200.1030, 5200.1035).

County	Classification	Base wage	Total rate	vs Cook County
Itasca County	LABORER, COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK) (101)	$34.87	$60.83	+$0.44
Koochiching County	LABORER, COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK) (101)	$34.87	$60.83	+$0.44
Cook County	LABORER, COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK) (101)	$35.22	$60.39
Lake County	LABORER, COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK) (101)	$35.22	$60.39	same
St. Louis County	LABORER, COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK) (101)	$35.22	$60.39	same
Carlton County	LABORER, COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK) (101)	$35.22	$60.39	same
Pine County	LABORER, COMMON (GENERAL LABOR WORK) (101)	$33.00	$36.22	−$24.17

Minnesota laborer prevailing wage by county, with a map

Are you being paid this rate?

Add your basic rate to what your employer pays into fringe plans for you, and compare it with the total. Contractors post the rates on site and give payroll copies to the contracting agency within 14 days of each pay period (Minn. Stat. 177.43). DLI Prevailing Wage: 651-284-5091.

Source

Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), DLI schedule DLI-C-16-2025-12-22, issued December 22, 2025, effective December 22, 2025, page 139: workplace.doli.state.mn.us/prevwage/report/consolidated/commercial.pdf

We read DLI's consolidated commercial and highway/heavy PDFs line by line and check every number with a second, separate reader. Basic plus fringe equals DLI's printed total on every priced row. How we check · Download Cook County as CSV · Report an error