Job Growth in Rochester Area Far Exceeds Other Minnesota Cities

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) – The monthly jobs report issued by the state shows the majority of the job growth in Minnesota over the past year has occurred in the Rochester area.

The data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development shows the Rochester Metropolitan Service Area, which includes portions of surrounding counties, has added more than 7800 jobs over the past 12 months. That works out to a very robust job growth rate of 6.3%.

By comparison, Minnesota’s largest population center, the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area has lost nearly 7000 jobs over the past year. All of the job growth in urban areas statewide since September 2023 has been in Greater Minnesota with Rochester leading the way. Fargo-Moorhead has added 3000 jobs, while St. Cloud and Mankato have each added between 900 and 1,000 jobs.

The state agency is reporting that Minnesota saw a net gain of 6300 jobs last month while the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.4%. That is the highest the rate has been since September 2021. A year ago, the statewide jobless rate was 2.8%

Year-over-year, the state has added about 37,500 jobs for a job growth rate of 1.3%. The national rate is 1.4%.