Generator installation cost in Minnesota
In Minnesota, you pay about $11,669 to $17,069 installed for a 22 kW whole house generator that runs on natural gas. Electricians in Minnesota make $38.86 an hour, 13% above $34.37, the US average. That pay rate is what sets the electrician portion: $3,400 to $6,200.
Is 22 kW the right fit? Find your home's size in three questions.
Installed costs in Minnesota by size
Minnesota prices for fuel at half load. You can find a fuel table for each model from Generac. At 18 kW, 24 kW and 26 kW, the published rating is no more fuel burned per hour than the next size below. For that reason, fuel use per hour doesn't increase in direct proportion to kW.
| Size | Natural gas, installed | Gas at half load | Propane, installed | Propane at half load | Fuel figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kW | $8,919 to $14,319 | $1.43/h | $9,219 to $14,819 | $1.99/h | Generac Guardian 10 kW |
| 14 kW | $10,249 to $15,649 | $2.77/h | $10,549 to $16,149 | $3.71/h | Generac Guardian 14 kW |
| 18 kW | $11,069 to $16,469 | $2.40/h | $11,369 to $16,969 | $3.48/h | Generac Guardian 18 kW |
| 22 kW | $11,669 to $17,069 | $2.90/h | $11,969 to $17,569 | $5.19/h | Generac Guardian 22 kW |
| 24 kW | $12,089 to $17,489 | $2.88/h | $12,389 to $17,989 | $5.19/h | Generac Guardian 24 kW |
| 26 kW | $12,519 to $17,919 | $2.67/h | $12,819 to $18,419 | $4.22/h | Generac Guardian 26 kW |
What makes up the 22 kW price in Minnesota
The wage of $38.86 an hour ranks 11th of 51. At that rate, labor can cost up to $700 more than it does at US average pay.
| Line, 22 kW | Natural gas | Propane | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generator | $6,309 | $6,309 | List price Generac posts for the 22 kW bundle, without the switch |
| Transfer switch | $1,060 | $1,060 | the gap in Generac's listings with the switch versus without it |
| Electrician: switch, wiring, start-up | $3,400 to $6,200 | $3,400 to $6,200 | published install ranges based on Minnesota wages of $38.86 an hour (BLS) |
| Fuel line | $600 to $2,300 | $900 to $2,800 | gas line running from the meter; propane line running from the tank |
| Pad and permit | $300 to $1,200 | $300 to $1,200 | composite pad or slab, local fees |
| Installed | $11,669 to $17,069 | $11,969 to $17,569 | propane leaves out the tank |
What fuel costs in Minnesota
| Fuel | Price | 22 kW an hour | Three days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | $14.20 per 1,000 ft³ | $2.90 | $209 |
| Propane | $2.05 a gallon | $5.19 | $373 (182 gal) |
In Minnesota, gas is cheaper: at half load a 22 kW runs $2.90 an hour, while propane costs $5.19. For residential gas, this state ranks 8th cheapest of 51.
| Propane tank | Usable at 80% | 22 kW at half load | Fill at Minnesota price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 gal | 200 gal | 79 h | $410 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | 158 h | $820 |
Power outages in Minnesota
In 2025, Minnesota customers averaged 182 minutes with no power. The US figure was 269, so Minnesota's time out ranks 38th highest of 51. Major storms accounted for 49% of that time. For ordinary days, the outage figure was 93 minutes. The worst year of the past ten was 2016, at 309 minutes. Average over ten years is 177, so 2025 sat 5 minutes above that.
Each year since 2016
| Year | Minutes out, all events | Rank of 51 states | Without major storms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 182 | 38th | 93 |
| 2024 | 222 | 32nd | 92 |
| 2023 | 127 | 39th | 73 |
| 2022 | 275 | 24th | 81 |
| 2021 | 121 | 42nd | 82 |
| 2020 | 128 | 41st | 85 |
| 2019 | 149 | 40th | 80 |
| 2018 | 128 | 40th | 88 |
| 2017 | 130 | 41st | 72 |
| 2016 | 309 | 11th | 89 |
Minnesota utilities and their 2025 outages
| Utility | Customers | Minutes out | Outages each | Minutes per outage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | 1,375,763 | 226 | 1.38 | 164 |
| Connexus Energy | 148,632 | 54 | 0.55 | 98 |
| ALLETE, Inc. | 139,872 | 143 | 1.23 | 116 |
| Dakota Electric Association | 117,505 | 29 | 0.35 | 82 |
| East Central Energy | 68,191 | 97 | 1.03 | 94 |
In 2025, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota customers went 226 minutes without power, against 29 for Dakota Electric Association. Your street's utility counts more than the 182 minute state figure, at 7.9 to one. Across all utilities, weighted by customers, outages hit customers 1.18 times in the year, less often than the US figure of 1.35. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota outages lasted 164 minutes on average, or about 2.7 hours. That's $7.92 in gas for a 22 kW generator at half load.
Major FEMA disasters in Minnesota since 2016
In all, 10 major disasters were declared: 1 straight-line wind, 2 severe storms and 7 floods. The latest came in October 2025, and COVID-19 is not counted. Given 7 flood declarations, place the pad for the generator above the local flood level; the permit office can give you that level for your lot.
Places named in most of them: St. Louis County (5), Renville County (6), Nobles County (5), Blue Earth County (4), Chippewa County (4), Aitkin County (4), Big Stone County (4), Cass County (4).
| Declared | Disaster | FEMA number |
|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds | DR-4894 |
| June 2024 | Severe Storms and Flooding | DR-4797 |
| July 2023 | Severe Storms and Flooding | DR-4722 |
| August 2022 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | DR-4666 |
| July 2022 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | DR-4659 |
| July 2022 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | DR-4658 |
Minnesota and its neighboring states
| State | 22 kW on gas, installed | Wage | Minutes out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $11,669 to $17,069 | $38.86 | 182 |
| Iowa | $10,769 to $15,269 | $30.38 | 183 |
| North Dakota | $11,169 to $15,969 | $33.87 | 212 |
| South Dakota | $10,669 to $15,069 | $29.8 | 284 |
| Wisconsin | $11,269 to $16,369 | $35.49 | 264 |
Each neighboring state installs for less than Minnesota, and South Dakota begins $1,000 below it, at $10,669. Prices differ less than outages do: South Dakota recorded 284 minutes of outages in 2025, compared with 182 in Minnesota.
Sources: BLS wage figures (May 2025), gas data from EIA (March to August 2026), propane data from EIA (October 26, 2026), outage data from EIA, EIA-861, FEMA. All states.