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Manufacturing is vital to the Seven-County Twin Cities Metro Area’s labor market and economy.
9/15/2025 11:49:31 AM
Tim O'Neill
Manufacturing is vital to the Seven-County Twin Cities Metro Area's labor market and economy. /deed/data/current-econ-highlights/qcew-econ-highlights.jspWith nearly 173,000 jobs at about 4,000 establishments, it is the second largest-employing industry sector in the region. In fact, one in ten Metro Area jobs are in Manufacturing. With a total payroll of $16.2 billion in 2024, it was the second highest of all industries. With how large Manufacturing is, it's worth a closer look to see how diverse the industry is. How does Manufacturing employment breakdown by its specific industry subsectors? How concentrated are these industries in different parts of the Metro? What types of occupations are employed in these industries, and what pathways are available for career-seekers in these occupations? Let's take that closer look.
Zooming in, there are 21 industry subsectors in Manufacturing. With about 35,300 jobs, Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing is the largest employing of these sectors in the Metro Area. This is followed by Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing, with about 25,200 jobs, and Miscellaneous Manufacturing, with about 22,000 jobs (Figure 1). All Manufacturing subsectors are typically organized and defined by what products are being manufactured. A special note should be given to Miscellaneous Manufacturing, where most of its respective employment in the region is in Medical Equipment & Supplies Manufacturing.
Even at this level of industry analysis, we can see how varied Manufacturing is becoming in the Metro Area. And this variation continues as we zoom in on the Metro Area's counties. Here's a quick look at the top-employing Manufacturing subsectors in the seven counties (sorted by number of Manufacturing jobs):
While a select number of Manufacturing subsectors are common throughout the counties of the Metro Area, namely Computer & Electronic Product Manufacturing, each county has its own unique variety and concentration of Manufacturing employment. For example, where Anoka County has a high concentration of Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing, Dakota County has a high concentration of Food Manufacturing. And where Carver County has a higher concentration of Chemical Manufacturing, Washington County has a higher concentration of Wood Product Manufacturing.
Each of these Manufacturing subsectors, uniquely distributed among the Metro Area's counties, have their own unique concentration of occupational employment. Let's take the two largest-employing subsectors in the region, Computer & Electronic Product Manufacturing and Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing. According to staffing patterns from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupations with high concentrations of employment in Computer & Electronic Product Manufacturing include Electrical & Electronic Equipment Assemblers; Software Developers; Industrial Engineers; Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers & Weighers; and Electrical Engineers. Meanwhile, occupations with high concentrations of employment in Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing include Welders, Cutters, Solderers & Brazers; Machinists; First-Line Supervisors of Production & Operating Workers; CNC Tool Operators; and Cutting, Punching, & Press Machine Setters, Operators & Tenders.
The educational and career pathways available are unique for each of the occupations listed above. And that goes for every occupation in those two subsectors, as well as all Manufacturing subsectors throughout the Metro Area. In one example, an individual can pursue an apprenticeship in welding and go on to make a median annual wage of $61,190 in the Metro Area with little to no student loan debt. In another example, an individual can pursue a bachelor's degree to become an Electrical Engineer. Such engineers have a median annual wage of $107,322 in the region.
Manufacturing is big in the Metro Area. Zoom in on the industry, though, and you'll start to discover that it's also very diverse with countless possibilities for employment in the industry.
October is Manufacturing Month in Minnesota. You can find many Manufacturing Month resources, including information about career exploration and hiring events taking place throughout the month around the state at CareerForce.MN.gov/Manufacturing.
To discover more about Manufacturing in the Twin Cities Metro Area, contact Tim O'Neill, Labor Market Analyst, at Timothy.ONeill@state.mn.us.
