Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a forklift operator make in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN?

In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area, forklift operators earned a median of $49,740 a year ($23.91 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 4,880 of these jobs there. That is 16% below the $59,320 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $39,940 and $73,870; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Minnesota tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $40,287 in take-home pay.

Forklift operator pay in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN at a glance

Median salary

$49,740$23.91 per hour · $4,145 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$39,940$19.20/hr
25th percentile$44,150$21.23/hr
75th percentile$60,610$29.14/hr
90th percentile$73,870$35.51/hr
Jobs in this metro4,880Location quotient 0.50 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here16% belowAll-jobs median $59,320
Against Minnesotaabout the same asStatewide median $49,740
Against the U.S.7% aboveNational median $46,420

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Forklift operator salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN after taxes

$49,740
$15,000$100,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$49,740
Net 81%
Fed 8%
MN 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$40,287After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,357Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,550Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate19%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,789 / yr
Minnesota state income tax$1,859 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,805 / yr

Forklift operators pay range in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What forklift operators earned in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (MN)
10th percentile$19.20/hr$3,328$39,940$32,954
25th percentile$21.23/hr$3,679$44,150$36,111
MedianMedian$23.91/hr$4,145$49,740$40,287
75th percentile$29.14/hr$5,051$60,610$48,282
90th percentile$35.51/hr$6,156$73,870$57,298

Is $49,740 a good salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for forklift operators next to both.

Median household income$99,833Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)104.84.8% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household49.8%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Forklift operator pay in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: common questions

What is the median salary for forklift operators in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

The BLS median annual wage for forklift operators in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area was $49,740 in May 2025, about $4,145 a month or $23.91 an hour. Statewide, the Minnesota median for this job is $49,740, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for forklift operators in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

The median hourly wage for forklift operators in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI was $23.91 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $19.20 an hour and one in ten earned more than $35.51.

How many forklift operators work in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

BLS estimated 4,880 jobs for forklift operators in the metro in May 2025, or 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.50 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for forklift operators in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

BLS wage estimates for forklift operators in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI run from $39,940 at the 10th percentile to $44,150 at the 25th, $60,610 at the 75th, and $73,870 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do forklift operators take home after taxes in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

On a median gross salary of $49,740, an estimated $40,287 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,550 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Minnesota in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $9,453 (an effective rate of 19%).

How much do forklift operators make per month in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

On the median annual salary of $49,740, gross monthly income is $4,145. After federal, FICA, and Minnesota state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,357 per month (or $1,550 every two weeks).

Is $49,740 a good salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

At $49,740, the median salary for forklift operators is 49.8% of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI median household income ($99,833). It is 16% below the $59,320 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 104.8, so prices here run 4.8% above the U.S. average.