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St. Louis County, MN · Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos Worker)
Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos Worker) prevailing wage in St. Louis County, Minnesota
$76.96an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$53.18 base wage + $23.78 fringe benefits
St. Louis County uses the same insulator rates as 11 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On Minnesota public works in St. Louis County, an insulator must be paid at least $76.96 an hour: a $53.18 base wage plus $23.78 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: $53.18 + $23.78
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) | $53.18 |
| Fringe benefits (one figure, not itemized) | $23.78 |
| Total hourly rate, as printed | $76.96 |
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 insulator rate in St. Louis 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.
For building work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is HEATING AND FROST INSULATOR at $76.96 ($53.18 base + $23.78 fringe), from MN20260098 modification 2, published July 30, 2026, rate SAMN2025-001. Against DLI's $76.96: The two totals are the same.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base wage | Total rate | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | HEATING AND FROST INSULATORSAMN2025-001 | $53.18 | $76.96 | MN20260098 Mod 2 |
| Highway, Heavy | HEATING AND FROST INSULATORSAMN2025-001 | $45.56 | $65.76 | MN20260231 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 St. Louis County compares
The main insulator 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
- St. Louis Countybase $53.18$76.96
- Lake Countybase $53.18$76.96
- Itasca Countybase $53.18$76.96
- Kanabec Countybase $59.39$93.24
Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos 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).
DLI's insulator rates for St. Louis County are the same as in 11 other counties: Aitkin, Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Cook, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca and 3 more. The closest county with a different rate is Kanabec County, at $93.24.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs St. Louis County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis County | HEATING AND FROST INSULATORS (701) | $53.18 | $76.96 | |
| Lake County | HEATING AND FROST INSULATORS (701) | $53.18 | $76.96 | same |
| Itasca County | HEATING AND FROST INSULATORS (701) | $53.18 | $76.96 | same |
| Carlton County | HEATING AND FROST INSULATORS (701) | $53.18 | $76.96 | same |
| Koochiching County | HEATING AND FROST INSULATORS (701) | $53.18 | $76.96 | same |
| Aitkin County | HEATING AND FROST INSULATORS (701) | $53.18 | $76.96 | same |
| Cook County | HEATING AND FROST INSULATORS (701) | $53.18 | $76.96 | same |
More from DLI on this rate
- DLI DLI schedule, page 626
- 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-69-2025-12-22, issued December 22, 2025, effective December 22, 2025, page 626: 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 St. Louis County as CSV · Report an error