Minnesota / Minnesota Zoological Garden

Agency file

Minnesota Zoological Garden

Source file: Minnesota — State Employee Payroll / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Minnesota Zoological Garden is a government agency that delivers public services and programs within its jurisdiction.

In 2025, this agency had 487 employees with median total compensation of $46,651; the highest distinct record was $405,933.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $21.6M
Employees: 487
Median total: $46,651
Highest record: $405,933

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$389$129,641+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 487 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($46,651) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $42,388 (96%)
Overtime — $1,212 (3%)
Other — $716 (2%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$3,509

$7,460

$46,651

$69,092

$89,050

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $89,050 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $3,509. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Student Worker Clerical

78 · $4,293

Zoo Keeper

66 · $59,763

Interpret Naturalist 1

51 · $10,022

Customer Services Specialist

35 · $23,323

General Maintenance Worker

19 · $25,372

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2024	$19.6M —	500 —	$31,947 —
2025	$21.6M ▲ 10.1%	487 ▼ 2.6%	$46,651 ▲ 46.0%

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Scot Walstrom

Physical Plant Director/Minnesota Zoological Garden

2025 total comp

$116,549

Sub-department: Campus Planning & Management
Base pay: $116,533
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $16
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $116,549
Hire date: 2024-06-12
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 22
Union / bargaining unit: Middle Management Association
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Dakota

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E77
Bargaining Unit Number: 216
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Scot Walstrom holds the role of Physical Plant Director at Minnesota Zoological Garden within Campus Planning & Management. They have served since 2024 (about a year) as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $116,549. Union affiliation: Middle Management Association.

Kurt Heizmann

Zoo Conservation Manager/Minnesota Zoological Garden

2025 total comp

$116,046

Sub-department: CHCB Director Office
Base pay: $112,928
Overtime: $443
Other pay: $2,675
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $116,046
Hire date: 2023-03-15
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 15
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Dakota

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: E77
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Kurt Heizmann holds the role of Zoo Conservation Manager at Minnesota Zoological Garden within Chcb Director Office. Hired in 2023, they have about 2 years of service as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $116,046. Union affiliation: Manager.