BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

06/11/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/11/2026 09:12

County Employment and Wages in Minnesota — Fourth Quarter 2025

News Release Information

26-804-CHI
Thursday, June 11, 2026

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County Employment and Wages in Minnesota - Fourth Quarter 2025

Employment declined in 5 of the 8 largest counties in Minnesota from December 2024 to December 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Dakota County (-1.0 percent) had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Minnesota, December 2025
County Percent change, December 2025

Olmsted

0.9

Ramsey

0.3

Anoka

0.1

Hennepin

-0.4

Washington

-0.4

Stearns

-0.5

St. Louis

-0.9

Dakota

-1.0

Hennepin County (919,300) had the highest employment level in Minnesota in December 2025. Together, the eight largest counties accounted for 66.4 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter 2025

Average weekly wage changes in 4 of 8 large counties in Minnesota were above the national average of 4.2 percent. (See chart 2.) Stearns had the largest gain (+5.5 percent), followed by Anoka (+5.4 percent). Over-the-year wage changes among the other six large Minnesota counties ranged from 4.6 percent to -3.5 percent.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Minnesota, fourth quarter 2025
County Percent change, fourth quarter 2025

Stearns

5.5

Anoka

5.4

Ramsey

4.6

Washington

4.4

Hennepin

3.4

St. Louis

3.1

Dakota

0.5

Olmsted

-3.5

Weekly wages in 3 of the 8 largest counties in Minnesota were above the national average of $1,569: Hennepin ($1,776), Ramsey ($1,586), and Olmsted ($1,579). Average weekly wages among the other five large counties ranged from $1,473 in Dakota to $1,225 in St. Louis.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 79 smaller counties in Minnesota, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 78 of the 79 smaller counties were below the national average. Stevens reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,591) among the smaller counties. Fillmore reported the lowest average weekly wage ($924) in the state.

Among all 87 Minnesota counties, 9 reported average weekly wages less than $1,000, 13 had wages from $1,000 to $1,074, 25 had wages from $1,075 to $1,149, 22 had wages from $1,150 to $1,224, and 18 had average weekly wages of $1,225 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Minnesota, fourth quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,569)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 28, 2026.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the eight largest counties in Minnesota, fourth quarter 2025
Area Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
December
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		Fourth quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
fourth quarter
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,428.4 156,700.2 0.2 -- 1,569 -- 4.2 --

Minnesota

215.2 2,948.0 0.0 -- 1,505 14 3.7 37

Anoka

8.8 133.0 0.1 152 1,349 207 5.4 60

Dakota

11.9 188.2 -1.0 307 1,473 133 0.5 343

Hennepin

43.8 919.3 -0.4 221 1,776 38 3.4 251

Olmsted

4.0 105.8 0.9 65 1,579 86 -3.5 350

Ramsey

15.2 331.6 0.3 125 1,586 83 4.6 120

St. Louis

5.5 94.4 -0.9 297 1,225 304 3.1 280

Stearns

4.7 87.4 -0.5 236 1,319 223 5.5 54

Washington

7.1 96.9 -0.4 221 1,247 289 4.4 138

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Minnesota, fourth quarter 2025
Area Establishments Employment December 2025 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,428,415 156,700,218 1,569

Minnesota

215,243 2,947,969 1,505

Aitkin

481 4,362 1,008

Anoka

8,811 133,022 1,349

Becker

1,120 15,111 1,160

Beltrami

1,321 20,730 1,145

Benton

1,061 16,742 1,181

Big Stone

223 1,699 1,248

Blue Earth

2,156 42,373 1,178

Brown

903 13,426 1,139

Carlton

791 12,913 1,205

Carver

2,851 40,506 1,430

Cass

941 9,977 954

Chippewa

416 5,104 1,134

Chisago

1,389 16,089 1,221

Clay

1,496 19,607 1,096

Clearwater

236 2,580 1,246

Cook

327 2,539 1,023

Cottonwood

440 4,951 1,020

Crow Wing

2,360 30,246 1,138

Dakota

11,931 188,188 1,473

Dodge

516 5,981 1,206

Douglas

1,476 19,552 1,178

Faribault

485 4,325 1,107

Fillmore

801 6,115 924

Freeborn

829 11,748 1,115

Goodhue

1,365 21,910 1,264

Grant

257 1,926 1,080

Hennepin

43,831 919,284 1,776

Houston

485 5,216 995

Hubbard

678 5,896 1,036

Isanti

976 11,257 1,037

Itasca

1,339 16,441 1,137

Jackson

360 4,764 1,026

Kanabec

368 4,212 1,081

Kandiyohi

1,441 23,154 1,140

Kittson

202 1,499 1,060

Koochiching

415 4,136 1,130

Lac qui Parle

242 2,208 973

Lake

381 3,822 1,090

Lake of the Woods

180 1,511 1,003

Le Sueur

785 8,225 1,170

Lincoln

225 1,683 939

Lyon

855 13,625 1,137

McLeod

1,045 15,920 1,166

Mahnomen

122 2,031 1,104

Marshall

360 2,397 1,155

Martin

721 8,612 1,189

Meeker

703 7,807 1,107

Mille Lacs

801 9,480 960

Morrison

1,103 10,861 995

Mower

899 17,038 1,393

Murray

331 2,910 1,106

Nicollet

861 15,049 1,152

Nobles

648 10,225 1,151

Norman

267 1,899 1,156

Olmsted

4,049 105,758 1,579

Otter Tail

1,881 22,080 1,090

Pennington

416 9,452 1,191

Pine

731 7,891 959

Pipestone

389 4,206 1,090

Polk

1,050 12,105 1,149

Pope

381 4,302 1,177

Ramsey

15,217 331,612 1,586

Red Lake

126 965 946

Redwood

575 6,106 1,128

Renville

587 5,571 1,282

Rice

1,774 26,695 1,276

Rock

326 3,859 1,103

Roseau

479 7,753 1,234

St. Louis

5,529 94,427 1,225

Scott

3,995 64,608 1,323

Sherburne

2,521 28,595 1,214

Sibley

399 3,595 1,215

Stearns

4,673 87,433 1,319

Steele

1,162 19,182 1,217

Stevens

391 5,681 1,591

Swift

371 3,573 1,108

Todd

625 7,129 1,171

Traverse

149 1,046 1,038

Wabasha

603 6,432 1,023

Wadena

445 5,422 1,045

Waseca

529 5,281 1,093

Washington

7,072 96,913 1,247

Watonwan

333 4,536 1,001

Wilkin

206 1,667 1,160

Winona

1,254 24,002 1,096

Wright

4,019 48,873 1,154

Yellow Medicine

379 3,709 1,006

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, fourth quarter 2025
State Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
December
2024-25 		Fourth quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
fourth quarter
2024-25 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,428.4 156,700.2 0.2 1,569 -- 4.2 --

Alabama

167.4 2,135.3 0.5 1,301 36 3.7 37

Alaska

25.3 317.3 -0.3 1,497 16 4.7 14

Arizona

227.4 3,278.3 0.0 1,446 20 3.0 47

Arkansas

113.0 1,318.2 0.4 1,213 49 5.0 8

California

2,013.7 18,351.7 0.6 1,954 4 4.6 16

Colorado

258.5 2,896.4 -0.6 1,683 8 5.6 3

Connecticut

149.8 1,706.5 0.1 1,801 6 5.0 8

Delaware

47.3 481.0 0.1 1,502 15 4.7 14

District of Columbia

51.0 726.1 -4.5 2,587 1 4.1 24

Florida

886.2 10,013.2 0.3 1,471 17 4.8 12

Georgia

398.7 4,925.4 0.1 1,440 21 3.5 40

Hawaii

63.0 650.0 -0.2 1,411 25 5.0 8

Idaho

104.3 875.7 1.8 1,303 35 5.8 2

Illinois

387.7 6,089.5 -0.1 1,588 11 3.3 42

Indiana

195.6 3,211.2 0.1 1,276 40 4.5 17

Iowa

110.6 1,560.0 -0.2 1,282 39 3.7 37

Kansas

101.8 1,443.2 -0.1 1,268 44 4.1 24

Kentucky

161.3 2,008.7 -0.1 1,235 46 3.8 34

Louisiana

159.2 1,927.3 -0.5 1,267 45 3.2 44

Maine

67.6 644.7 -0.1 1,332 33 4.2 21

Maryland

199.5 2,754.6 -1.1 1,616 10 3.0 47

Massachusetts

298.5 3,625.5 -0.9 1,980 2 4.9 11

Michigan

316.9 4,412.7 0.0 1,427 23 4.2 21

Minnesota

215.2 2,948.0 0.0 1,505 14 3.7 37

Mississippi

92.2 1,180.9 0.3 1,075 51 5.1 7

Missouri

259.9 2,920.8 -0.1 1,324 34 4.4 18

Montana

62.3 512.3 -0.1 1,296 38 3.3 42

Nebraska

78.5 1,024.0 -0.2 1,275 42 4.0 31

Nevada

111.0 1,592.1 1.7 1,395 27 3.2 44

New Hampshire

67.9 688.8 -0.6 1,652 9 4.8 12

New Jersey

343.1 4,343.1 0.2 1,691 7 3.9 33

New Mexico

69.7 875.3 -0.3 1,275 42 4.1 24

New York

719.1 9,907.5 0.4 1,975 3 5.4 4

North Carolina

392.1 4,991.1 0.9 1,409 26 3.8 34

North Dakota

37.0 430.4 -0.2 1,350 31 2.7 49

Ohio

348.5 5,554.4 0.0 1,358 30 4.1 24

Oklahoma

129.3 1,717.1 0.1 1,217 48 4.1 24

Oregon

177.9 1,975.8 -1.0 1,468 19 3.2 44

Pennsylvania

398.1 6,094.8 0.2 1,470 18 4.0 31

Rhode Island

49.1 500.3 -0.1 1,429 22 6.0 1

South Carolina

192.4 2,344.7 1.5 1,276 40 4.3 20

South Dakota

41.2 458.9 -0.2 1,230 47 4.1 24

Tennessee

225.2 3,281.6 -0.3 1,424 24 3.8 34

Texas

860.8 14,255.2 0.8 1,549 13 4.2 21

Utah

144.6 1,761.6 1.4 1,389 28 4.1 24

Vermont

34.5 309.3 -0.9 1,378 29 5.3 5

Virginia

324.0 4,166.9 0.5 1,585 12 2.6 50

Washington

242.1 3,590.3 -0.3 1,948 5 2.4 51

West Virginia

62.8 698.3 -0.6 1,203 50 3.5 40

Wisconsin

213.9 2,946.2 -0.1 1,346 32 5.3 5

Wyoming

31.7 278.4 -0.8 1,297 37 4.4 18

Puerto Rico

53.5 974.7 -0.2 735 (3) 2.8 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.0 34.7 0.3 1,068 (3) 2.7 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on June 11, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 11, 2026 at 15:12 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]