Certifications With Highest, Lowest Salaries In MN: List

MINNEAPOLIS — Completing a postsecondary certificate will generally raise your lifetime earning power in Minnesota.

Graduates from certificate programs employed in Minnesota seven years later earned a median annual wage of $50,588, well above the state's median individual income of $37,320.

However, the individual salary of a certificate holder depends greatly on what program they graduated from.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development recently shared statistics showing annual median wages seven years after graduation (2015). The data is divided up by degree level and program.

For a certificate degree, here are the programs with the highest earning power over seven years:

1. Computer Science — $118,000
2. Civil Engineer Technologies/Technicians — $94,000
3. Plumbing/Water Related Services — $90,000
4. Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maninece Technologies — $84,000
5. Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions — $81,000

These certificate programs pay the lowest amount over seven years, according to state data:

1. Film/Video and Photographic Arts — $23,000
2. Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services — $30,000
3. Health and Physical Education/Fitness — $33,000
4. Somatic Bodywork — $33,000
5. Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services — $34,000

The cost of living in Minnesota is $31,000, according to DEED. The cost of living for a household of two adults and one child is about $61,000.

See data on all types of degree programs on the DEED website.