Mechatronics technician salary in Minnesota (2026)

How much does a mechatronics technician make in Minnesota?

The spread here is tighter than the national one. In Minnesota the middle 50% of mechatronics technicians earn between $54,770 and $75,950, so most of the field is clustered inside a $21,000 band. Even the bottom 10% start above $50,000, which means a green technician isn't walking into poverty wages. But the ceiling is lower than you'd want. The 90th percentile statewide is $82,220, while the national 90th percentile is $109,890. The top of the Minnesota market is capped well short of what a senior controls tech pulls in stronger states.

That location quotient of 1.36 is the number to sit with. On only about 400 jobs, Minnesota concentrates this occupation more heavily than most states, driven by med-device makers, aerospace shops, and packaging and food lines. High concentration usually bids wages up. Here it hasn't, which tells you the labor supply (grads out of the state's technical and community colleges) is keeping pace with demand. To actually reach the top decile, you need to be in the Twin Cities and running Allen-Bradley PLCs, VFDs, and robotic cells, not just doing general electro-mechanical maintenance.

Minnesota mechatronics salary: BLS vs Salary.com vs Indeed

The three sources land closer together than usual, which is a good sign. BLS puts the median at $61,670 and the mean at $65,990. Salary.com models a $60,078 average from HR survey data. Indeed reports $31.98 an hour, which annualizes to about $66,518, and that figure rests on 55 reported salaries, a healthy enough sample to take seriously. The gap between them comes from method: BLS is an employer survey of actual payroll, Salary.com is modeled HR benchmark data that tends to run conservative, and Indeed skews toward whatever roles are being posted and clicked on right now.

Because all three sit in the low-to-mid $60,000s, you can negotiate with confidence around that band. Lead with the BLS median of $61,670 as your anchor for a statewide role, and push toward the Twin Cities median of $75,940 if the job is in the metro or the employer runs advanced automation. Don't let anyone quote you the six-figure 'automation' averages floating around job boards. Those blend in engineers and are not the technician number.

Mechatronics technician pay by metro area in Minnesota

Location is doing most of the work in Minnesota. The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro pays a median of $75,940, about $14,000 above the statewide median and above the US median too. It also holds roughly 190 of the state's 400 mechatronics jobs, so nearly half the market is in the Twin Cities. The metro's 90th percentile hits $94,150, the only place in Minnesota where these technicians reliably clear the low six figures. If you can commute into or relocate to the metro, you're looking at a materially different paycheck than the outstate number implies.

Job outlook for mechatronics technicians in Minnesota

The state outlook is soft. Minnesota's own projection has this occupation shrinking from 320 jobs in 2024 to 310 by 2034, a 3.7% decline, while the national projection ticks up 0.7% over the same window. So Minnesota is running slightly against the national grain on headcount.

That said, a shrinking count doesn't mean no hiring. The state models about 20 openings a year, and nearly all of those come from turnover and retirements rather than new positions. On a base of 400 jobs, 20 openings a year is real churn, meaning seats open up regularly even as the total slowly contracts. You can check the underlying numbers at the Minnesota DEED projections tool.

How Minnesota compares with nearby states

Inside the Midwest, Minnesota sits near the bottom on pay despite its strong demand. Its $61,670 median trails most of its neighbors: Wisconsin pays $76,290, Illinois $79,400, and North Dakota tops the region at $82,820. The only nearby states Minnesota beats are Indiana at $47,440 and, barely, Michigan at $62,460. So a Minnesota technician is surrounded by better-paying markets, several of them a short move away.

Who hires mechatronics technicians in Minnesota

Minnesota's demand comes from a mix of powersports, food processing, aerospace, and its deep medical-device base. Arctic Cat, headquartered in Thief River Falls, hires automation technicians to set up and maintain its robotic and autonomous production systems. Richardson International runs automation technician roles at its New Hope facility, and Millerbernd Manufacturing hires them at its Sauk Rapids operation.

Newer capacity is coming online too. Consolidated Precision Products has been staffing an aerospace manufacturing facility in Mendota Heights, including automation maintenance technician roles to build out its reliability programs. Across these employers the recurring ask is the same: an associate degree in mechatronics, automation, or electrical technology, plus hands-on troubleshooting of PLCs and VFDs, especially Allen-Bradley systems.

How to earn more as a mechatronics technician in Minnesota

Get into the Twin Cities market

The single biggest lever in Minnesota is geography. The Minneapolis-St. Paul metro pays a $75,940 median versus $61,670 statewide, and its top decile reaches $94,150. If you're working outstate, a move into the metro or a metro-based employer is worth roughly $14,000 a year at the median, more than most certifications will get you.

Cross the border for a raise

Minnesota is boxed in by better-paying states. Wisconsin's median is $76,290 and North Dakota's is $82,820, both well above Minnesota's $61,670. If you're near the border or open to relocating, the same skills earn a five-figure premium a short drive away. Wisconsin in particular has both higher pay and far more of these jobs (about 580 versus Minnesota's 400).

Stack certs or step toward controls engineering

Reaching Minnesota's $82,220 top decile means specializing, not just maintaining. Build a stack around PLCs, robotics, and VFDs, and document it with credentials. See the mechatronics certifications guide for which ones employers actually pay for.

If you want past the technician ceiling entirely, the controls track is where the pay is. Review the controls engineer path and the full salary guide to plan the jump.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page come from four independent datasets, retrieved 2026-07-14. Where they disagree, the disagreement is shown rather than averaged away; the source-comparison section explains why each number differs.

• BLS OEWS, SOC 17-3024, May 2025 national and state estimates (state file oesm25st.zip). Employer-reported, the authoritative baseline.
• Salary.com, Mechatronics Technician in Minnesota, as of July 01, 2026. HR-reported and modelled averages.
• Indeed, mechatronics technician salaries in Minnesota, based on 55 reported salaries. Posting-derived.
• Projections Central, 2024–2034 state occupational projections produced by Minnesota's labor market agency (state source).
• Mechatronics Jobs in Minnesota (Indeed)
• Electro Mechanical Technician Jobs in Minnesota (Indeed)