Minnesota / State Auditor

Agency file

State Auditor

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

The State Auditor manages public finances — collecting revenue and taxes, budgeting, accounting, and financial oversight.

In 2025, this agency had 92 employees with median total compensation of $82,941; the highest distinct record was $175,485.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $7.7M
Employees: 92
Median total: $82,941
Highest record: $175,485

What the records show

Compensation analytics

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

Salary distribution

$445$159,725+

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

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 92 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($82,941) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $79,551 (95%)
Overtime — $1,835 (2%)
Other — $2,463 (3%)
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

$39,146

$56,762

$82,941

$105,743

$137,037

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $137,037 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $39,146. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Local Government Auditor

13 · $38,772

Local Government Audit Senior

11 · $97,955

Local Government Audit Inter

11 · $86,436

State Auditor Office Management Lvl 2

9 · $128,520

Local Government Audit Director

5 · $140,295

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	$6.8M —	78 —	$85,024 —
2025	$7.7M ▲ 13.3%	92 ▲ 17.9%	$82,941 ▼ 2.4%

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Belinda Sarff

Human Resources Consultant 1/State Auditor

2024 total comp

$99,663

Sub-department: Special Investigations
Base pay: $99,663
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $99,663
Hire date: 2007-10-31
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 16
Union / bargaining unit: Confidential
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2024: Yes
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 217
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Belinda Sarff is a Human Resources Consultant 1 at State Auditor within Special Investigations. Their tenure dates to 2007, about 17 years, working full-time. 2024 total compensation came to $99,663. Union affiliation: Confidential.

Nadine Kottom-Dale

State Auditor Office Management Lvl 2/State Auditor

2025 total comp

$99,611

Sub-department: State Auditors Office
Base pay: $99,611
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $99,611
Hire date: 2017-08-07
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 2
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Nadine Kottom-Dale is a State Auditor Office Management Lvl 2 at State Auditor within State Auditors Office. Their tenure dates to 2017, about 8 years, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $99,611. They are represented by Manager.

Aaron Ronkainen

Local Government Audit Senior/State Auditor

2025 total comp

$99,232

Sub-department: Audit Practice
Base pay: $96,856
Overtime: $2,376
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $99,232
Hire date: 2013-01-16
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: St Louis

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Aaron Ronkainen is a Local Government Audit Senior at State Auditor within Audit Practice. Hired in 2013, they have about 12 years of service, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $99,232. Union affiliation: MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Aaron Tri

Local Government Audit Senior/State Auditor

2024 total comp

$98,821

Sub-department: Audit Practice
Base pay: $94,073
Overtime: $4,748
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $98,821
Hire date: 2013-01-16
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2024: Yes
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Aaron Tri is a Local Government Audit Senior at State Auditor within Audit Practice. They have served since 2013 (about 11 years), working full-time. 2024 total compensation came to $98,821. Their bargaining unit is MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Thomas Karlson

State Auditor Office Management Lvl 2/State Auditor

2025 total comp

$98,670

Sub-department: Audit Practice
Base pay: $32,009
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $66,661
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $98,670
Hire date: 1979-10-29
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 2
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: No
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Thomas Karlson works as a State Auditor Office Management Lvl 2 for State Auditor within Audit Practice. Hired in 1979, they have about 46 years of service as a full-time employee. Thomas earned $98,670 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is Manager.

Adam Langhorst

Local Government Audit Senior/State Auditor

2025 total comp

$98,552

Sub-department: Audit Practice
Base pay: $96,862
Overtime: $1,690
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $98,552
Hire date: 2011-07-11
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: St Louis

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Adam Langhorst is a Local Government Audit Senior at State Auditor within Audit Practice. Hired in 2011, they have about 14 years of service, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $98,552. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Jonathan Richter

Local Government Audit Senior/State Auditor

2025 total comp

$97,955

Sub-department: Audit Practice
Base pay: $90,883
Overtime: $7,072
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $97,955
Hire date: 2005-01-13
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Blue Earth

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At State Auditor, Jonathan Richter serves as a Local Government Audit Senior within Audit Practice. Hired in 2005, they have about 20 years of service, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $97,955. Their bargaining unit is MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Nichole Bjornrud

Investigator Senior/State Auditor

2025 total comp

$97,734

Sub-department: Special Investigations
Base pay: $97,734
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $97,734
Hire date: 2008-01-09
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Nichole Bjornrud holds the role of Investigator Senior at State Auditor within Special Investigations. They have served since 2008 (about 17 years) as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $97,734. Union affiliation: MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Felicia Tri

Local Government Audit Senior/State Auditor

2025 total comp

$97,709

Sub-department: Audit Practice
Base pay: $97,615
Overtime: $94
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $97,709
Hire date: 2014-01-08
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Felicia Tri is a Local Government Audit Senior at State Auditor within Audit Practice. Their tenure dates to 2014, about 11 years, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $97,709. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Zachary Boucher

Local Government Audit Senior/State Auditor

2025 total comp

$93,489

Sub-department: Audit Practice
Base pay: $87,750
Overtime: $5,739
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $93,489
Hire date: 2015-05-27
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: G61
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Zachary Boucher works as a Local Government Audit Senior for State Auditor within Audit Practice. They have served since 2015 (about 10 years) as a full-time employee. Zachary earned $93,489 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is MN Assoc of Professional Empl.