What Minnesota plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 292 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Minnesota, week of October 19, 2026. Each one shows how many postings it rests on; anything with too few is left out.
What most plant jobs ask for
The typical plant posting in Minnesota asks for 5+ years, and 52% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, Lean, Root cause.
- Team leadershipnamed in 37% of postingsTop
- Leannamed in 28% of postings
- Root causenamed in 28% of postings
- Six Sigmanamed in 16% of postings
- Automationnamed in 16% of postings
- PLCnamed in 15% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt18% of postings
- Travel stated17% of postings
Based on 292 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Minnesota do right now.
- Paid relocation30 postings (10%)
- Formal training program10 postings (3%)
- Stated promotion path67 postings (23%)
- Tuition help82 postings (28%)Top
- New plant or launch6 postings (2%)
- Hybrid or remote days19 postings (7%)
- Sign-on bonus18 postings (6%)
🔒 6 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Project Manager, Logistics Automation Engineer · 3M · Minnesota
Based on 292 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Minnesota.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Manufacturing Process Engineer · BAE Systems · Maple Grove, MN · $144k–$211k
Based on 72 postings. Link to this finding
Skills that come as a package
When a posting names Six Sigma, 87% of the time it also names Lean. Put pairs like these side by side on your résumé.
- Six Sigma → Lean87% (41 postings)Top
- PLC → Automation68% (30 postings)
- New product launch → Lean61% (25 postings)
- Six Sigma → Root cause57% (27 postings)
Based on 292 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
52% of plant postings in Minnesota require a degree outright. Highest in medical devices (69%), lowest in industrial (51%).
- Medical devices69% of 42 postingsTop
- Industrial51% of 184 postings
Based on 292 postings. Link to this finding
Off-shift and weekend coverage
28% of plant postings in Minnesota mention off-shift, weekend or on-call coverage. Highest in industrial (25%), lowest in medical devices (19%).
- Industrial25% of 184 postingsTop
- Medical devices19% of 42 postings
Based on 292 postings. Link to this finding
3 more findings for Minnesota
- Physical demands
- Clearance and export-control roles
- How much travel
See all 9 findings, with the numbers behind them
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Source and method
- Source
- ShopFloorJobs analysis of 292 live plant job postings from 97 manufacturers' own careers sites (Workday, SuccessFactors, Oracle, iCIMS, Greenhouse and others), not job boards.
- Collected
- Week of October 19, 2026. Postings are re-checked daily; closed roles drop out.
- Method
- Pay is the middle of each posting's listed range for engineer and senior engineer levels, compared within the same team so a different mix of teams can't create a gap. Rates count postings that state the item. Correlation, not cause; findings with too few postings are left out.
Cite this report
ShopFloorJobs, "What Minnesota plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=minnesota
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.