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Cook County, MN · Painter
Painter prevailing wage in Cook County, Minnesota
$69.82an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$41.77 base wage + $28.05 fringe benefits
Cook County uses the same painter rates as 5 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On Minnesota public works in Cook County, a painter must be paid at least $69.82 an hour: a $41.77 base wage plus $28.05 in fringe.
DLI certifications of Nov 3 and Dec 22, 2025 (revised to Feb 9, 2026); this rate, effective May 4, 2026. 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.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $41.77 + $28.05
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) | $41.77 |
| Fringe benefits (one figure, not itemized) | $28.05 |
| Total hourly rate, as printed | $69.82 |
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.
Dated rates for this classification
DLI prints more than one dated line for PAINTERS (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS) (715). The one in force on October 25, 2026 leads this page; scheduled lines take effect on their date.
| Effective | Rate | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 22, 2025 | $66.82 ($38.77 + $28.05) | Earlier |
| May 4, 2026 | $69.82 ($41.77 + $28.05) | In force |
Davis-Bacon painter 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 | PAINTER (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS)SAMN2025-001 | $41.77 | $69.82 | MN20260042 Mod 2 |
| Highway, Heavy | PAINTER (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS)SAMN2025-001 | $50.50 | $79.59 | MN20260231 Mod 2 |
| Residential | PAINTER (PAPERHANGING; SPRAY; STEEL; TAPING; & LEAD BASE PAINT REMOVAL & ABATEMENT WITH OTHER THAN BASIC HAND TOOLS)PAIN0106-017 | $28.96 | $45.31 | MN20260026 Mod 1 |
| Residential | PAINTER (BRUSH; ROLLER; & LEAD BASE PAINT REMOVAL & ABATEMENT WITH BASIC HAND TOOLS SUCH AS SCRAPERS)PAIN0106-017 | $28.36 | $44.71 | 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 painter 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
Wage and fringe, nearby
- Cook Countybase $41.77$69.82
- Lake Countybase $41.77$69.82
- St. Louis Countybase $41.77$69.82
- Pine Countybase $48.25$77.34
Painter rates in nearby counties
Current DLI rates. Commercial rates are county by county, highway and heavy by area (Minn. R. 5200.1030, 5200.1035).
DLI's painter rates for Cook County are the same as in 5 other counties: Carlton, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, St. Louis.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Cook County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine County | PAINTERS (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS) (715) | $48.25 | $77.34 | +$7.52 |
| Cook County | PAINTERS (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS) (715) | $41.77 | $69.82 | |
| Lake County | PAINTERS (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS) (715) | $41.77 | $69.82 | same |
| St. Louis County | PAINTERS (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS) (715) | $41.77 | $69.82 | same |
| Carlton County | PAINTERS (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS) (715) | $41.77 | $69.82 | same |
| Itasca County | PAINTERS (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS) (715) | $41.77 | $69.82 | same |
| Koochiching County | PAINTERS (INCLUDING HAND BRUSHED, HAND SPRAYED, AND THE TAPING OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS) (715) | $41.77 | $69.82 | same |
More from DLI on this rate
- DLI DLI schedule, page 146
- DLI's prevailing wage rates
- DLI lists journeyworker rates. Registered apprentices get their program's rate; "trainee" or "helper" titles are not substitutes (Minn. R. 5200.1070).
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 May 4, 2026, page 146: 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