Paulson, Forest
Engineer 2 GraduateTransportation DeptRamsey CountyFull-time
Design #5. Minnesota state employee pay history, from State of Minnesota salary data.
Pay by fiscal year
Total paid across all records in each year, overtime included, compared with consumer prices.
From FY 2023 to FY 2026, pay went up 671% while consumer prices went up 9%. After inflation, pay is up 605% (it beat inflation).
| Year | Paid | Change | Prices (CPI) | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 | $84,985 | +12.6% | +3.1% | +9.2% |
| FY 2025 | $75,470 | +10.7% | +2.6% | +7.9% |
| FY 2024 | $68,165 | +518.4% | +3.3% | +498.6% |
| FY 2023 | $11,023 | — | — | — |
Each change compares a year with the one before. Large swings usually come from a partial year, extra hours or a change of job rather than a raise. Prices: Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, U.S. city average) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, averaged July to June; FY 2026 uses 11 months because October 2025 was not published.
Compared with the same job title
FY 2026 · Engineer 2 Graduate
Paid more than 37% of the 123 people with this job title that year. The median was $87,916.
Uses the amount paid in the year, so partial years and part-time positions read low.
See everyone with this job titleEvery record
4 records, newest first
| FY | Agency | Job title | County | Base pay | Overtime | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Transportation Dept Design #5 | Engineer 2 Graduate Full-time | Ramsey | $43.09 /hr | — | $84,985 |
| 2025 | Transportation Dept Design #5 | Engineer 2 Graduate Full-time | Ramsey | $39.28 /hr | $765 | $75,470 |
| 2024 | Transportation Dept Golden Valley Central Res Off | Trainee-Graduate Engineer Full-time | Hennepin | $33.45 /hr | $2,174 | $68,165 |
| 2023 | Transportation Dept Signal Operations | Trainee-Graduate Engineer Full-time | Ramsey | $29.36 /hr | — | $11,023 |
The state reports one pay total per person per year, covering all of their positions, so it appears on one of that year’s lines and the others show no separate pay.
Highest paid in Transportation Dept
FY 2026, amount paid
- Fairbanks, Michael Joseph$207,651Engineer Administrative
- Wallace, Jean Marie$201,630Deputy Commr Transportation
- Daubenberger, Nancy Therese$197,945Commissioner-Transportation
- Severs, Sara V$196,965Deputy Commr Transportation
- Erickson, Daniel E$192,340Engineer Princ Admin Transp
- Beer, Michael G$188,409Transp Division Engineer
- Van Dyck, Karin L$188,262Transp Chief Admin Officer
- Solberg, Jon P$187,477Transp Asst Div Dir
Highest paid as Engineer 2 Graduate
FY 2026, amount paid
- Showers, Jennifer$100,194Health Department
- Spitael, Maria Susan$98,094Health Department
- Marcus, Austin Dean$98,053Transportation Dept
- Bah, Mohamed Alimu$96,354Transportation Dept
- Gagnon, Max$96,194Transportation Dept
- Chase-Geib, Garrett Michael$96,194Transportation Dept
- Heise, Dylan$95,705Health Department
- Novy, Catherine Callais$95,624Health Department