Rochester Area Economy Nearly Erases April Employment Decline

Rochester, MN (KROC-AAM News) - The latest jobs report for the State of Minnesota shows the Rochester-area economy has recouped most of the job losses that occurred in April.

Rochester Area Recovers Most of April's Job Losses

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development data indicate the Rochester area experienced a year-over-year loss of 116 jobs last month. That works out to a negative job growth rate of one-tenth of a percentage point. The figure represents a significant improvement from April, when the jobs report showed the number of positions in the Rochester area was down by nearly 1,100 compared with April 2025.

Job Growth in Minnesota Metro Areas Anemic or Non-Existent

The report shows the Twin Cities area experienced a job growth rate of three-tenths of a percentage point, while the growth rate for Mankato was just one-tenth of a percentage point. The data indicates Duluth and St. Cloud each lost more than 1,100 jobs compared with May of last year, resulting in negative job growth rates of around 1%.

Minnesota Economy Adds Jobs While Unemployment Falls

Statewide, the annualized job growth rate was just over one-half of a percentage point last month, compared with the national rate of three-tenths of a percentage point. The report shows the overall number of jobs in Minnesota increased by nearly 20,000 over the past year.

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For the month of May, Minnesota's economy gained about 5,400 jobs, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.4%. The national unemployment rate remained steady at 4.3%.

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