Compared with the local labor market
General Counsel 2 pay vs. Minnesota
Across all employers in Minnesota, the median wage for Lawyers — about 12,380 people — is $155,140. Commerce Department pays a median base salary of $166,159 for this role, 7% above that figure — about the 54th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Commerce Department sits in the local pay range
$79,820
$107,220
$155,140
$216,440
$341,170
Commerce Department median · $166,159
The bar is the range of annual wages for Lawyers across every employer in Minnesota, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Commerce Department’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Lawyers — about 754,500 people — is $159,670. Commerce Department’s median base salary is 4% above that national figure, about the 53rd percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$78,360
$102,990
$159,670
$221,370
$351,600
Commerce Department median · $166,159
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Minnesota range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Commerce Department is $167,159, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
General Counsel beyond Minnesota
This role is reported in 14 jurisdictions. In Minnesota, the median of $148,326 ranks #9 of 14. See General Counsel across all of Minnesota →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable General Counsel roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.