Counties with the highest unemployment in Minnesota
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Minnesota using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in March 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Experts have mixed views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—up slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Minnesota.
#50. Watonwan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,771 people (232 unemployed)
#49. Kandiyohi County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,434 people (812 unemployed)
#48. Kittson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,251 people (82 unemployed)
#47. Lake of the Woods County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 2,426 people (88 unemployed)
#46. Pipestone County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,595 people (167 unemployed)
#45. Dodge County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,375 people (440 unemployed)
#44. Wright County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 77,559 people (2,775 unemployed)
#43. St. Louis County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 100,522 people (3,639 unemployed)
#42. Swift County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 5,002 people (183 unemployed)
#41. Pope County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,360 people (236 unemployed)
#40. Faribault County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,065 people (259 unemployed)
#39. Brown County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,959 people (513 unemployed)
#38. McLeod County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,419 people (729 unemployed)
#37. Sherburne County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 53,749 people (2,043 unemployed)
#36. Becker County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,479 people (756 unemployed)
#35. Roseau County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,344 people (334 unemployed)
#34. Meeker County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,044 people (572 unemployed)
#33. Beltrami County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,989 people (1,021 unemployed)
#32. Chisago County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,372 people (1,276 unemployed)
#31. Big Stone County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 2,361 people (101 unemployed)
#30. Lincoln County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,126 people (135 unemployed)
#29. Sibley County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,277 people (356 unemployed)
#28. Benton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,118 people (958 unemployed)
#27. Otter Tail County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,071 people (1,335 unemployed)
#26. Crow Wing County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,509 people (1,454 unemployed)
#25. Norman County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,231 people (142 unemployed)
#24. Carlton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,715 people (777 unemployed)
#23. Murray County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,616 people (209 unemployed)
#22. Koochiching County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 5,703 people (265 unemployed)
#21. Todd County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 14,110 people (648 unemployed)
#20. Mahnomen County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,342 people (111 unemployed)
#19. Grant County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,231 people (154 unemployed)
#18. Renville County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,042 people (389 unemployed)
#17. Pennington County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,791 people (439 unemployed)
#16. Waseca County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,374 people (424 unemployed)
#15. Isanti County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,171 people (1,127 unemployed)
#14. Red Lake County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,184 people (114 unemployed)
#13. Cook County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,773 people (154 unemployed)
#12. Le Sueur County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,325 people (911 unemployed)
#11. Itasca County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,804 people (1,230 unemployed)
#10. Marshall County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,513 people (315 unemployed)
#9. Hubbard County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,081 people (590 unemployed)
#8. Wadena County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,212 people (382 unemployed)
#7. Cass County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,536 people (887 unemployed)
#6. Morrison County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,979 people (1,102 unemployed)
#5. Aitkin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,535 people (487 unemployed)
#4. Pine County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,728 people (1,012 unemployed)
#3. Kanabec County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,432 people (669 unemployed)
#2. Mille Lacs County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,079 people (935 unemployed)
#1. Clearwater County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,639 people (394 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
