Data Curation Specialist.
Minneapolis.
$107,000
median salary, 5% above the national average
$79,000 to $145,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
A Data Curation Specialist in Minneapolis earns a median of $107,000 in 2026. That is 5% above the national average. The range runs from $79,000 to $145,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Data curation specialists manage and organize training datasets for AI systems, with salary driven by domain expertise and data complexity.
Salary range
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How Minneapolis compares
Minneapolis, MN
$107,000
Cost of living: 5% above average
National Average
$102,000
Minneapolis is $5,000 above
What you should know
Here is what the Data Curation Specialist market actually looks like in Minneapolis. Minneapolis is a Fortune 500 powerhouse with Target, UnitedHealth Group, Best Buy, and 3M headquartered in the metro. The city's strong corporate base creates consistent demand across finance, healthcare, retail tech, and supply chain roles. Quality of life is high, and employers offer competitive salaries to offset the cold winters. Data curation specialists manage and organize training datasets for AI systems, with salary driven by domain expertise and data complexity. Specialists curating medical, legal, or financial datasets earn 15 to 25% more than those handling general web data. Experience with data governance frameworks and quality assurance methodologies further increases pay.
Entry-level data curation specialists earn $75,000 to $90,000. Specialists with 2 to 4 years and domain expertise reach $102,000 to $138,000. Senior specialists and curation team leads earn $142,000 to $185,000, while directors of data curation at large AI companies can command $190,000 to $250,000. In Minneapolis, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. AI companies offer equity of 5 to 15% of base salary for curation specialists. Annual bonuses range from 5 to 12%. Benefits often include professional development budgets of $2,000 to $5,000 for domain certification and data management training programs. And on the tax side: minnesota's top income tax rate is 9.85%, one of the highest state rates. There is no city income tax in Minneapolis, but the state burden significantly reduces take home pay. When someone quotes you $107,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Emphasize retention risk when negotiating. Minneapolis employers know that remote opportunities from warmer, lower tax states are a constant competitive threat. The range for Data Curation Specialists in Minneapolis runs from $79,000 to $145,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Top industries in Minneapolis
Negotiating in Minneapolis
Emphasize retention risk when negotiating. Minneapolis employers know that remote opportunities from warmer, lower tax states are a constant competitive threat.