Minnesota Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Minnesota does not publish its plumbing class figures online. Across the 26 states that do, the median typical premium is about $2.25 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Minnesota figure.

No official Minnesota figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.

Minnesota class code for plumbing

5183: Plumbing NOC & Drivers
5188 (Sprinkler Installation & Drivers)

Plumbing work involves back strain, cuts, burns from soldering and hot water, and work in crawl spaces and other confined spaces.

What comp costs per plumber in Minnesota

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 10,720 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in Minnesota (May 2025), the 16th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $45.39 an hour, 48% above the US median of $30.67.

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make up about the same share of Minnesota jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.21).

At the US median of $2.25 per $100 of payroll (Minnesota does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.02 for every hour worked, or $2,124 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $4,249 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Minnesota pay runs from $23.42 an hour at the 10th percentile to $58.20 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.53 an hour on a new hire and $1.31 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Minnesota

Coverage required: 1 employee; no hours or wage floor
Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors, partners, and certain closely-held owners excluded; may elect in
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 3 days; paid back only if disability continues 10+ days
Penalty for going without: Up to $1,000 per employee per uninsured week; willful failure is a gross misdemeanor

Minnesota's Special Compensation Fund pays injured workers of uninsured employers directly, then recovers from the employer; coverage must also be reported when getting or renewing a state license.

Minnesota vs neighboring states

Iowa: about $2.13 per $100 of payroll
North Dakota: about $2.00 per $100 of payroll
Wisconsin: about $2.21 per $100 of payroll

Minnesota does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, North Dakota is the cheapest for plumbing comp at about $2.00 and Wisconsin the most expensive at about $2.21 per $100 of payroll.

Working across the line into North Dakota needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.

What moves a plumbing comp bill

Plumbing rates sit in the middle of the construction classes; the swing comes from your experience mod. Trench and excavation injuries are the costly claims, so trench-safety training pays back quickly.
Some states split residential and commercial plumbing into different classes. If you do both, make sure the payroll for each is recorded so the cheaper work is not rated at the higher class.
Apprentices carry the same class rate as journeymen, but their lower wages mean less premium per hour. Your payroll mix matters as much as the rate.
Uninsured subs (excavators, drywall patchers) get added to your payroll at audit unless you collect certificates before they start.