Central Minnesota is a manufacturing stronghold, with several global manufacturing firms operating there.
The region is especially well known for its expertise in food processing, printing, furniture manufacturing, appliances, machinery and heavy equipment manufacturing.
View our latest blogs on CareerForce. Want the freshest data delivered by email? Subscribe to our regional newsletters.
Central Minnesota’s labor market posted only modest overall growth from 2024 to 2025, but the regional story is far from uniform.
5/15/2026 1:18:28 PM
Luke Greiner
Central Minnesota's labor market posted only modest overall growth from 2024 to 2025, but the regional story is far from uniform. Total employment across all industries increased by just 300 jobs, or 0.1%, slightly slower than Minnesota (+0.3%), showing that the region was largely stable over the year. Beneath that small net gain, however, several industries saw notable growth while others experienced meaningful declines.
Among the strongest percentage gains were in Management of Companies and Arts, Entertainment and Recreation, both up 4.4% over the year. In terms of total job growth, Health Care and Social Assistance posted the largest increase, adding 1,177 jobs, or 2.3%. Other industries with gains included Construction (+206 jobs), Finance and Insurance (+79), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting (+76) and Utilities (+21).
At the same time, several industries lost jobs. The steepest percentage decline came in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, down 3.3% (-216 jobs), followed by Transportation and Warehousing, down 2.8% (-288 jobs) and Information, down 2.2% (-60 jobs). Administrative Support and Waste Management Services also fell 1.8% (-152 jobs), while Manufacturing declined by 1.5% (-638 jobs), representing one of the largest job losses by volume.
Figure 1. 2024-2025 Employment Change in Central Minnesota
Taken together, the data shows a regional economy that is still growing, but at an uneven and historically slow pace. The net gain of 300 jobs marks Central Minnesota's slowest year of employment growth since 2020, when the region saw employment fall by 5.4 percent during the Pandemic Recession, and before that, the slowest pace since 2010.
Some service-providing industries continue to add jobs, especially Health Care, while other sectors are facing ongoing headwinds. For employers, job seekers, and community leaders, this mix of gains and losses provides an important snapshot of where Central Minnesota's economy is gaining momentum and where additional challenges remain.
For more information about Central Minnesota's employment trends, contact Luke Greiner at Luke.Greiner@state.mn.us.
