Couriers and Messengers in Minnesota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,644
after federal, FICA and Minnesota tax
Tax takes
$8,216
18.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$37,233
Minnesota costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Minnesota — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$44,860
Kept after tax
$36,644
Worth in national money
$37,233
State rank
8
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Minnesota is one of the better-paying states for couriers and messengers. The middle earner takes $44,860, which ranks 8 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 14.44% above the national middle.
- Measured against other jobs in Minnesota, this one sits low: 414 of 490 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $44,860 the take-home is $36,644, which is worth about $37,233 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $45,710, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Minnesota ranks 8 of 51 states publishing a median for couriers and messengers, at $44,860 — about 14.44% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Couriers and messengers occupies position 414 of 490 in Minnesota's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Minnesota's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for couriers and messengers on its $44,860 median: $36,644 retained after tax becomes $37,233 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $45,710 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Couriers and Messengers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,640 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,860 |
| Top tenth earn over | $58,480 |
| This salary | $44,860 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Minnesota | $36,644 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,225 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,103 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $42,892 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,544 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $44,860 as a midpoint for Minnesota, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $36,640 and the ninetieth is $58,480 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $36,644 take-home in Minnesota comes from $44,860. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 414 of 490.
- Two cautions on $37,233, the adjusted value of that $44,860 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Minnesota. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 414 of 490 locally.
- The Minnesota median of $44,860 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $36,640 to $58,480. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $36,644, from $44,860, assumes a single Minnesota filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 414 of 490 locally, and the state ranks 8 of 51 for it.
- This $37,233 adjusted figure, worked from $44,860, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 414 of 490 in the state. The occupation ranks 414 of 490 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $36,640 and the top tenth $58,480, so most people doing this work in Minnesota sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Minnesota is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $37,233 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Minnesota then takes its own share, leaving $36,644.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($36,640 to $58,480) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Minnesota rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Minnesota's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $37,233 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $36,644 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Minnesota income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.