Employment Reaches New Record High in Rochester in July
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester area set a new record for total employment last month.
Data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development shows employment in Olmsted County rose to an all-time high of 91,784 in July. That exceeded the previous record, set in June, by more than 600 jobs.
The state data also shows the size of the workforce in the Rochester area was among the largest on record. The labor force grew to 94,158 last month. It was the fourth-largest labor force total for Olmsted County. The all-time record for the size of the local labor force was reached in July 2020 at nearly 95,500.
The unemployment rate for Olmsted County dipped by a tenth of a percentage point in July to 2.5%. A year ago, the rate was 2.1% and the statewide seasonally adjusted jobless rate last month was 3%.
Olmsted County's 2.5% jobless rate was tied with Houston County as the lowest in the region, where every county reported a modest drop in their unemployment rates. The highest rate was found in Mower County at 3.2%, which was down two-tenths of a point from June.