Top Occupations in Minnesota by Political Donations

See which occupations donate the most in Minnesota. 100 occupations, $12.5M in donations from Minnesota.

The occupational breakdown of political donors in Minnesota reflects the state's economic makeup. This ranking shows which professions contribute the most to federal campaigns from within Minnesota, with both state-level and national totals provided for comparison. The mix of top occupations can differ substantially from one state to another based on local industries and workforce composition.

#OccupationMinnesota TotalNational Total
1FARMER$2.7M$31.0M
2BUSINESS OWNER$1.1M$38.3M
3RETAIL$1.1M$5.7M
4BUSINESS$858K$16.7M
5FILMMAKER$633K$9.2M
6EXECUTIVE CHAIR$514K$8.4M
7FARMING$490K$1.9M
8MARKETING$338K$13.0M
9DESIGNER$233K$11.0M
10REAL ESTATE INVESTOR$224K$13.8M
11EXEC$209K$6.1M
12IT$142K$3.9M
13FINANCIAL SERVICES$141K$2.8M
14CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD$138K$10.6M
15CO-OWNER$124K$3.2M
16BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE$108K$2.0M
17CEO PRESIDENT$101K$623K
18CTO$101K$4.3M
19TRUCK DRIVER$96K$2.8M
20GENERAL CONTRACTOR$93K$3.0M
21TRANSPORTATION$90K$1.2M
22FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN$89K$2.2M
23EDUCATION$86K$2.7M
24CHIEF OF STAFF$83K$2.0M
25INVESTING$80K$949K
26DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGIST$79K$1.0M
27EXECUTIVE VP$75K$1.2M
28ARBITRATOR$73K$684K
29CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER$72K$1.1M
30COMPUTER CONSULTANT$72K$509K
31DRIVER$72K$2.5M
32LECTURER$70K$1.6M
33PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER$63K$2.1M
34ADVISER$58K$234K
35COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER$57K$2.3M
36MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS$57K$391K
37DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR$54K$638K
38TRUSTEE$52K$5.1M
39ART DEALER$51K$2.1M
40INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY$50K$1.2M
41INDIAN TRIBE$46K$641K
42VP TAX$45K$179K
43RESTAURANT OWNER$44K$2.0M
44BUSINESS AGENT$44K$1.1M
45GRADUATE STUDENT$43K$605K
46RESEARCH DIRECTOR$43K$210K
47MARKETING CONSULTANT$42K$827K
48COMPLIANCE$42K$405K
49VP GEN MGMT$41K$126K
50PLANNER$41K$897K
51MECHANICAL ENGINEER$38K$931K
52CLERGY$38K$924K
53STAFF REPRESENTATIVE$38K$500K
54WEB DEVELOPER$37K$963K
55WRITER/EDITOR$36K$469K
56LITERARY AGENT$36K$810K
57PHYSICAN$35K$1.2M
58REAL ESTATE OWNER$35K$293K
59BUSINESS ANALYST$34K$964K
60INVESTMENT$34K$1.8M
61MGMT$33K$386K
62PRESIDENT/OWNER$33K$787K
63CARDIOLOGIST$32K$1.0M
64FINANCE DIRECTOR$32K$837K
65FILM PRODUCER$32K$3.2M
66MARKETING DIRECTOR$31K$811K
67PROFESSOR EMERITUS$31K$673K
68IT DIRECTOR$29K$680K
69OFFICE$28K$545K
70MACHINIST$27K$813K
71LMFT$26K$226K
72BIOSTATISTICIAN$26K$318K
73CHIEF$26K$113K
74GENERAL MANAGEMENT$24K$135K
75SR DIRECTOR$24K$358K
76SOFTWARE SALES$23K$201K
77FINANCE MANAGER$22K$1.1M
78MACHINE OPERATOR$22K$213K
79RABBI$22K$884K
80DISABLED$22K$779K
81ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE$22K$610K
82HLTH PLAN CEO$21K$322K
83MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST$21K$429K
84SECURITY ENGINEER$21K$345K
85CUSTOMER SERVICE$20K$759K
86BUSINESS MAN$20K$218K
87GENERAL INSURANCE AGENT$20K$526K
88LICENSEE$20K$454K
89EVENT PLANNER$19K$572K
90MEDICAL PHYSICIST$19K$365K
91COMMERCIAL_AND_INVESTMENT_BANKING$18K$88K
92CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER$17K$282K
93RADIATION ONCOLOGIST$17K$182K
94MONEY MANAGER$17K$8.5M
95LIFE INSURANCE$17K$157K
96WEB DESIGNER$17K$216K
97OBGYN$16K$273K
98FAMILY PHYSICIAN$16K$578K
99TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR$16K$339K
100PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT$16K$160K

Frequently Asked Questions

What occupations donate the most in Minnesota?

The top political donors by occupation in Minnesota typically include retirees, attorneys, executives, and physicians. Across 100 tracked occupations, Minnesota residents have contributed $12.5M to federal campaigns.

Does Minnesota's occupation mix differ from the national average?

Each state's occupational giving profile reflects its local economy. States with major financial centers see more banker and investor donations, while states with large university systems see more professor and researcher contributions. Compare the Minnesota and National Total columns to spot these differences.

How are occupation categories determined?

Donors self-report their occupation on FEC contribution forms. We normalize common variations (e.g., "ATTORNEY" and "LAWYER" are combined) to produce cleaner rankings, though some inconsistency remains due to the self-reported nature of the data.

More Minnesota Data

Minnesota Overview Top ZIP Codes Top Cities Top Employers