This MN Metro Is Adding Jobs Faster Than Anywhere Else In The State

ST. PAUL, MN — Mankato added jobs at a faster rate than any other metro area in Minnesota over the past year, according to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Employment in the Mankato area grew 3.9 percent from August 2025 to August 2026. Statewide, Minnesota added 45,041 jobs over the year, a 1.5 percent increase that outpaced national growth of 0.3 percent.

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Still, Minnesota's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent in August, above the national rate of 4.1 percent.

Here's how the numbers shook out.

Job growth by metro area, August 2025 to August 2026:

1. Mankato: up 3.9 percent (2,194 jobs)
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul: up 1.4 percent (27,540 jobs)
3. Rochester: essentially flat (up 43 jobs)
4. Duluth-Superior: down 0.1 percent (77 jobs)
5. St. Cloud: down 0.8 percent (876 jobs)

Fastest-growing industries statewide:

1. Mining and logging: up 5.2 percent
2. Construction: up 5.0 percent
3. Manufacturing: up 3.1 percent
4. Education and health services: up 3.0 percent

Education and health services added the most jobs of any industry, with 18,007.

Industries losing jobs statewide:

Information: down 5.0 percent (2,058 jobs)
Financial activities: down 3.3 percent (6,307 jobs)
Trade, transportation and utilities: down 0.6 percent (3,332 jobs)

In the Twin Cities:

Fastest growth: mining, logging and construction, up 6.7 percent (6,822 jobs)

Most jobs added: education and health services, up 11,025 jobs
Biggest decline: information, down 7.1 percent (1,796 jobs)
Retail trade: down 3,269 jobs
Financial activities: down 3,570 jobs

Paychecks lagging:

Average hourly earnings for Minnesota's private sector workers reached $39.67 in August, up just 14 cents, or 0.4 percent, from a year earlier. Over the same period, consumer prices rose 3.4 percent and private sector wages nationally grew 3.8 percent.

Metro and industry figures are not seasonally adjusted.