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Rice County, MN · Tunnel Worker
Tunnel Worker prevailing wage in Rice County, Minnesota
$53.85an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · TUNNEL MINER
$32.01 base wage + $21.84 fringe benefits · Adjacent-county rate
On Minnesota public works in Rice County, a tunnel worker working as tunnel miner must be paid at least $53.85 an hour: a $32.01 base wage plus $21.84 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.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $32.01 + $21.84
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) | $32.01 |
| Fringe benefits (one figure, not itemized) | $21.84 |
| Total hourly rate, as printed | $53.85 |
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.
Davis-Bacon tunnel worker rate in Rice 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 | TUNNEL MINERSAMN2025-001 | $32.01 | $53.85 | MN20260092 Mod 2 |
| Highway, Heavy | TUNNEL MINERSAMN2025-001 | $33.51 | $55.90 | MN20260236 Mod 2 |
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 Rice County compares
The main tunnel worker 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
- Rice Countybase $32.01$53.85
- Le Sueur Countybase $32.01$53.85
- Steele Countybase $28.88$48.95
- Scott Countybase $38.50$60.89
Tunnel Worker 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 Rice County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota County | TUNNEL MINER (108) | $45.50 | $71.62 | +$17.77 |
| Scott County | TUNNEL MINER (108) | $38.50 | $60.89 | +$7.04 |
| Rice County | TUNNEL MINER (108) | $32.01 | $53.85 | |
| Le Sueur County | TUNNEL MINER (108) | $32.01 | $53.85 | same |
| Goodhue County | TUNNEL MINER (108) | $32.35 | $51.99 | −$1.86 |
| Steele County | TUNNEL MINER (108) | $28.88 | $48.95 | −$4.90 |
| Waseca County | TUNNEL MINER (108) | $28.88 | $48.95 | −$4.90 |
Minnesota tunnel worker prevailing wage by county, with a map
Notes on this rate
DLI's notes, in DLI's words.
- * * Indicates that adjacent county rates were used for the labor class listed.
More from DLI on this rate
- DLI DLI schedule, page 594
- 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-66-2025-12-22, issued December 22, 2025, effective December 22, 2025, page 594: 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 Rice County as CSV · Report an error