Minnesota vs Texas: Business Hiring Cost Comparison (2026)
A $60K employee costs $65,978 in Minnesota and $65,337 in Texas. Texas saves $641/year per hire.
Texas is $641 per year cheaper than Minnesota for a $60,000 employee in 2026, with total employer costs of $65,337 vs $65,978 including all mandatory payroll taxes.
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At a $60,000 salary
Texas saves $641/employee/year
$65,978 in Minnesota vs $65,337 in Texas
Minnesota
$65,978
1.1x salary
Texas
$65,337
1.09x salary
Shareable Insights
$6,410/yr for a 10-person team
Same salaries, same roles. Just Texas instead of Minnesota.
SUTA accounts for 48% of the gap
$305 difference in SUTA alone between these states.
Minnesota adds $198 in mandatory programs
Disability insurance and paid family leave that Texas doesn't require.
Cost Breakdown Comparison
Based on $60,000 annual salary
| Cost Component | MN | TX | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | $60,000 | $60,000 | — |
| Social Security (6.2%) | $3,720 | $3,720 | — |
| Medicare (1.45%) | $870 | $870 | — |
| FUTA (0.6%) | $42 | $42 | — |
| SUTA (State Unemployment) | $440 | $135 | +$305 |
| Workers' Compensation | $708 | $570 | +$138 |
| State-Mandated Insurance | $198 | $0 | +$198 |
| Total Employer Cost | $65,978 | $65,337 | +$641 |
Tax Rate Comparison
| Rate | Minnesota | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| SUTA Rate Range | 0.1% – 9.0% | 0.32% – 6.31% |
| SUTA Typical Rate | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| SUTA Wage Base | $44,000 | $9,000 |
| Workers' Comp Rate | 1.18% | 0.95% |
| State Income Tax | Yes | No |
| Paid Family Leave | 0.33% | Not required |
What This Means for Employers
For a business hiring at a $60,000 salary, choosing Texas over Minnesota saves $641 per employee per year in employer-side payroll costs alone. For a team of 10, that's $6,410 annually — enough to fund an additional hire or significantly offset operating costs.
The biggest difference comes from SUTA (state unemployment tax) — Minnesota charges 1.0% on the first $44,000 vs Texas's 1.5% on $9,000. The rate difference of 0.5 percentage points is significant because SUTA is levied on every employee and adjusts annually based on your unemployment claims history. Federal taxes — Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), and FUTA (0.6%) — are identical in both states and account for the majority of employer tax burden.
A notable difference between these states is mandatory benefit programs. Minnesota requires employer contributions to paid family leave programs that Texas does not mandate — adding $198 per employee annually.
These numbers reflect employer-side costs only and don't include benefits, overhead, or the employee's own tax burden. Use the interactive Employee Cost Calculator to model different salary levels and benefits packages.
Choosing Between Minnesota and Texas?
Cost alone favors Texas: At a $60K salary, you save $641 per employee — a real number that compounds across a growing team. At 20 employees, that's $12,820/year before factoring in any raises.
When Minnesota might still make sense: If your business depends on talent concentrated in Minnesota — tech workers, finance professionals, specialized trades — the labor market access may outweigh the payroll cost premium. Remote-friendly roles, however, make the $641/employee savings a strong argument for Texas-based registration.
What this comparison doesn't capture: State income tax (employee side) affects your offer competitiveness — employees in high-tax states need higher gross pay to net the same take-home. Minnesota has state income tax; Texas has no state income tax. This affects what salary you need to offer to attract equivalent candidates.
State Employment Profiles
Minnesota
Minnesota requires employers to contribute to both SUTA (on a $44,000 wage base) and a 0.33% paid family leave program, creating one of the higher employer tax burdens in the Midwest.
healthcare & medical devices (Medtronic), retail (Target, Best Buy), food processing (General Mills)
Minnesota's generous paid family leave program (24 weeks total) is a competitive recruiting tool that many Fortune 500 headquarters use to attract talent from lower-benefit states.
Texas
Texas has no state income tax, a minimal $9,000 SUTA wage base, and no paid family leave or disability insurance mandates — a primary reason it consistently ranks among the lowest employer-cost states.
energy & petrochemicals, technology (Austin/Dallas), financial services
Texas has absorbed massive corporate relocations from California (Tesla, Oracle, HP Enterprise); in Austin especially, California-level compensation expectations have followed these moves.
Employer Environment in Each State
Key factors that shape employer costs beyond the numbers above
- State income tax applies — factor into total compensation packages
- Low SUTA rate (1.0% on $44,000 wage base) — below-average unemployment insurance cost
- Workers' comp rate 1.18% — near national average, varies by industry classification
- State paid family leave program (0.33% employer share) — additional mandatory payroll cost
- No state income tax — employees keep more of their paycheck, a recruiting advantage
- SUTA rate 1.5% (wage base $9,000) — in line with national average
- Workers' comp rate 0.95% — near national average, varies by industry classification
Hiring Strategy Takeaway
The $641 per-employee cost gap at $60K salary is primarily driven by SUTA rates (MN: 1.0% vs TX: 1.5%). Texas's lack of state income tax gives it a recruiting edge — employees take home more pay for equivalent salaries. For a growing business, this difference compounds quickly — a 10-person team in Texas costs $6,410 less annually than the same team in Minnesota, before accounting for benefits, overhead, or salary-level differences.
Explore Each State
Cost Comparison at Different Salary Levels
How the gap changes from $30K to $150K
| Salary | MN Total | TX Total | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $33,090 | $32,757 | +$333 |
| $40,000 | $44,106 | $43,617 | +$489 |
| $50,000 | $55,062 | $54,477 | +$585 |
| $60,000 | $65,978 | $65,337 | +$641 |
| $75,000 | $82,352 | $81,627 | +$725 |
| $100,000 | $109,642 | $108,777 | +$865 |
| $125,000 | $136,932 | $135,927 | +$1,005 |
| $150,000 | $164,222 | $163,077 | +$1,145 |
Click any amount to see the full cost breakdown for that salary and state. Amounts shown from the perspective of MN.
What About Startup Costs?
Hiring is one piece. See what it costs to actually open in these states.
Minnesota
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