Local Look blogs: Highlighting Manufacturing!

Each month, DEED's Regional Analysis & Outreach unit produces a series of blogs exploring local labor market information. Please contact your regional analyst for more information. 

With small, mid-sized and large operations blanketing the state, Minnesota's manufacturing sector is deep, wide and includes a mind-boggling array of industries. Each year during Manufacturing Week in October, we encourage communities, local and regional Chambers of Commerce, trade associations, companies and others to mark the time with special events recognizing the economic importance of the sector. This month's Local Look blogs explore the presence of manufacturing across the state. 

Central Minnesota: Manufacturing is the second largest industry in Central Minnesota, behind health care and social assistance. With 41,298 jobs at 1,156 firms, manufacturing accounts for 15.3% of all employment in the region. From 2011 to 2016, manufacturers in Central Minnesota added 4,500 new jobs, a strong 12.2% increase. 

Twin Cities Metro: With 169,482 jobs at 3,986 establishments, manufacturing is the second largest employing industry in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area planning region, behind only health care and social assistance. Manufacturing accounts for 9.9% of total employment in the Twin Cities, about 1.5% less concentrated than in the state as a whole, where 11.3% of total jobs are in manufacturing. 

Northeast Minnesota: Manufacturing is the sixth largest industry in Northeast Minnesota, behind health care and social assistance, retail trade, accommodation and food services, educational services and public administration. With 8,443 jobs at 337 establishments, manufacturing accounts for just 6% of total employment in the region. From 2011 to 2016, manufacturers in Northeast Minnesota lost just over 500 jobs, a decrease of 5.7%.  

Northwest Minnesota: In Northwest Minnesota, the manufacturing industry provided 28,471 jobs at 795 business establishments, making it the second largest industry in the region behind only health care and social assistance. From 2011 to 2016, manufacturers in Northwest Minnesota added over 2,000 net new jobs, an increase of 7.6%. That made it the largest growing industry in the region, accounting for almost one-fifth (18.5%) of the region's total job growth from 2011 to 2016.

Southeast Minnesota: Manufacturing is the second-largest industry in Southeast Minnesota, behind health care and social assistance. The industry provided 37,906 jobs at 656 firms in 2016 – and it accounts for 15.7% of total employment in the region – a 0.2% decrease from 2015. From 2011 to 2016, manufacturers in Southeast Minnesota added 1,683 new jobs, an increase of 4.6%.

Southwest Minnesota: With 31,211 jobs at 601 establishments, manufacturing is still the largest employing industry in the 23-county Southwest Minnesota region, just ahead of health care and social assistance. It is the only region in the state where manufacturing is still the leading industry. Manufacturing accounts for 17.6% of total employment in the Southwest region, making it over 6 percent more concentrated than in the state as a whole.