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News Release Information

25-945-CHI
Thursday, June 12, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

County Employment and Wages in Minnesota — Fourth Quarter 2024

Employment rose in 7 of the 8 largest counties in Minnesota from December 2023 to December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that Washington County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 2.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)


Among the eight largest counties in Minnesota, employment was highest in Hennepin (921,700) in December 2024. Together, the eight largest counties accounted for 66.4 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 369 largest counties comprise 73.3 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 2023.)

Large county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter 2024

All eight large Minnesota counties reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) Olmsted had the largest gain (+6.4 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Minnesota’s other seven large counties ranged from 5.7 percent to 2.1 percent.


Weekly wages in 3 of the 8 largest counties in Minnesota were above the national average of $1,507. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,720 in Hennepin to $1,188 in St. Louis.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2024

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 79 small counties in Minnesota, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2023. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all 79 smaller counties were below the national average. Stevens reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,488). Pine reported the lowest average weekly wage ($882) in the state.

Among all 87 Minnesota counties, 24 reported average weekly wages of less than $1,025, 24 registered wages from $1,025 to $1,099, 16 had wages from $1,100 to $1,174, and 23 had average weekly wages of $1,175 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Minnesota, fourth quarter 2024

(U.S. average = $1,507)

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.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

QCEW Moves to One Data Release Beginning with Fourth Quarter 2024 Publication

The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) is streamlining its release process. Beginning with the fourth quarter 2024 national release on June 4, QCEW will publish the national County Employment and Wages news release on the same date as the QCEW full data update. Revised news release dates are available online.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the eight largest counties in Minnesota, fourth quarter 2024
Area Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2024
(thousands)
Percent change,
December
2023–24 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
Fourth quarter
2024 ($)
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
fourth quarter
2023–24 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,265.4 156,202.9 0.8 -- 1,507 -- 5.0 --

Minnesota

215.1 2,945.4 1.1 -- 1,452 14 3.7 42

Anoka

8.9 133.9 1.6 51 1,272 221 2.1 335

Dakota

12.0 189.0 0.1 251 1,462 106 5.7 64

Hennepin

44.8 921.7 0.7 159 1,720 34 3.1 291

Olmsted

4.1 104.6 1.8 35 1,640 52 6.4 38

Ramsey

15.5 328.2 1.4 61 1,519 82 3.3 269

St. Louis

5.7 95.0 -0.3 301 1,188 295 5.2 101

Stearns

4.8 87.1 0.2 238 1,254 242 4.2 184

Washington

7.0 96.3 2.0 25 1,192 294 2.5 324

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 2024
Area Establishments Employment December 2024 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,265,395 156,202,874 1,507

Minnesota

215,119 2,945,434 1,452

Aitkin

480 4,270 937

Anoka

8,875 133,923 1,272

Becker

1,133 15,023 1,064

Beltrami

1,334 20,721 1,078

Benton

1,064 17,057 1,112

Big Stone

223 1,718 1,213

Blue Earth

2,154 42,161 1,136

Brown

903 13,267 1,124

Carlton

822 13,113 1,183

Carver

2,880 40,911 1,372

Cass

967 10,129 905

Chippewa

424 5,251 1,078

Chisago

1,404 15,934 1,137

Clay

1,523 19,701 1,072

Clearwater

234 2,520 1,215

Cook

331 2,475 919

Cottonwood

449 4,889 1,024

Crow Wing

2,383 30,498 1,057

Dakota

11,959 189,028 1,462

Dodge

507 5,974 1,177

Douglas

1,492 19,269 1,121

Faribault

498 4,519 1,077

Fillmore

809 6,249 893

Freeborn

837 11,958 1,060

Goodhue

1,388 21,439 1,205

Grant

262 1,844 1,043

Hennepin

44,783 921,739 1,720

Houston

478 5,135 965

Hubbard

681 5,951 932

Isanti

973 12,058 1,009

Itasca

1,358 16,407 1,076

Jackson

367 4,920 1,005

Kanabec

365 4,153 1,026

Kandiyohi

1,481 23,229 1,069

Kittson

199 1,460 1,080

Koochiching

424 4,191 1,082

Lac qui Parle

245 2,251 968

Lake

378 3,851 1,054

Lake of the Woods

187 1,576 933

Le Sueur

793 8,224 1,126

Lincoln

226 1,791 889

Lyon

859 13,781 1,016

McLeod

1,054 15,690 1,122

Mahnomen

125 1,976 1,144

Marshall

349 2,438 1,177

Martin

707 8,401 1,171

Meeker

711 8,082 1,096

Mille Lacs

794 9,329 937

Morrison

1,126 11,118 950

Mower

911 16,877 1,350

Murray

337 2,934 1,001

Nicollet

850 14,953 1,112

Nobles

640 9,924 1,078

Norman

261 1,706 986

Olmsted

4,075 104,640 1,640

Otter Tail

1,915 22,674 1,038

Pennington

423 9,463 1,125

Pine

734 7,717 882

Pipestone

401 4,313 1,032

Polk

1,032 12,191 1,098

Pope

385 4,479 1,133

Ramsey

15,474 328,226 1,519

Red Lake

126 1,000 963

Redwood

591 6,205 1,130

Renville

593 5,704 1,198

Rice

1,783 26,416 1,284

Rock

327 3,718 1,065

Roseau

475 7,793 1,205

St. Louis

5,664 94,954 1,188

Scott

4,008 64,120 1,264

Sherburne

2,491 28,191 1,165

Sibley

401 3,713 1,224

Stearns

4,750 87,051 1,254

Steele

1,132 19,135 1,187

Stevens

400 5,838 1,488

Swift

372 3,708 1,054

Todd

633 7,243 1,075

Traverse

154 1,046 1,013

Wabasha

615 6,595 959

Wadena

447 5,703 974

Waseca

555 5,340 1,096

Washington

7,039 96,333 1,192

Watonwan

342 4,579 954

Wilkin

210 1,613 1,116

Winona

1,254 24,312 1,089

Wright

3,998 48,596 1,147

Yellow Medicine

383 3,752 1,001

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 2024
State Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2024
(thousands)
Percent change,
December
2023–24
Fourth quarter
2024 ($)
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
fourth quarter
2023–24
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,265.4 156,202.9 0.8 1,507 -- 5.0 --

Alabama

162.3 2,122.2 0.9 1,255 36 4.1 32

Alaska

25.3 317.4 1.7 1,430 16 4.2 30

Arizona

225.5 3,272.3 1.2 1,406 19 6.4 6

Arkansas

106.1 1,312.6 1.1 1,153 50 5.9 10

California

1,903.9 18,230.8 0.5 1,872 5 6.5 5

Colorado

236.6 2,911.3 -0.3 1,594 8 5.1 16

Connecticut

150.7 1,700.7 0.5 1,716 6 5.2 15

Delaware

45.2 480.6 1.5 1,437 15 4.5 24

District of Columbia

52.4 757.2 -0.5 2,495 1 4.7 21

Florida

914.8 9,978.9 0.9 1,405 20 5.7 13

Georgia

396.6 4,916.6 0.8 1,391 21 4.7 21

Hawaii

61.4 651.3 1.1 1,345 27 4.3 26

Idaho

103.9 859.1 0.5 1,232 39 8.3 3

Illinois

411.2 6,089.1 0.5 1,538 12 4.1 32

Indiana

194.6 3,201.9 0.4 1,222 44 4.4 25

Iowa

112.5 1,559.3 -0.6 1,237 38 3.2 50

Kansas

103.5 1,445.6 0.9 1,218 45 4.3 26

Kentucky

159.0 2,008.4 0.2 1,189 46 3.8 39

Louisiana

156.8 1,936.3 1.1 1,228 40 2.8 51

Maine

66.2 643.9 0.9 1,278 33 5.9 10

Maryland

197.0 2,779.9 1.6 1,570 10 4.2 30

Massachusetts

288.5 3,646.1 -0.4 1,890 3 4.7 21

Michigan

303.4 4,406.8 -0.1 1,370 23 4.1 32

Minnesota

215.1 2,945.4 1.1 1,452 14 3.7 42

Mississippi

90.9 1,174.3 0.2 1,023 51 4.1 32

Missouri

251.5 2,922.2 0.5 1,268 35 3.8 39

Montana

65.8 512.8 0.5 1,254 37 6.4 6

Nebraska

78.0 1,024.8 0.5 1,227 41 3.5 45

Nevada

108.1 1,561.5 0.4 1,350 25 6.1 9

New Hampshire

68.7 692.4 0.4 1,577 9 3.3 49

New Jersey

339.1 4,332.2 0.9 1,629 7 3.4 47

New Mexico

68.9 873.8 0.3 1,223 42 5.0 17

New York

711.5 9,777.3 1.5 1,881 4 5.4 14

North Carolina

384.0 4,941.9 0.5 1,358 24 5.8 12

North Dakota

36.9 431.1 0.9 1,315 30 3.8 39

Ohio

346.3 5,551.7 0.6 1,305 32 4.8 20

Oklahoma

129.7 1,713.2 0.8 1,168 48 4.1 32

Oregon

190.9 1,989.6 0.0 1,424 17 6.6 4

Pennsylvania

395.1 6,076.5 0.8 1,414 18 4.0 37

Rhode Island

48.9 500.8 1.6 1,348 26 3.5 45

South Carolina

195.3 2,310.1 1.4 1,223 42 6.2 8

South Dakota

40.6 459.7 0.9 1,181 47 3.9 38

Tennessee

232.2 3,320.3 0.9 1,372 22 5.0 17

Texas

846.0 14,129.7 1.5 1,488 13 4.3 26

Utah

142.6 1,735.8 1.3 1,333 29 3.7 42

Vermont

33.7 311.2 0.0 1,311 31 4.9 19

Virginia

320.9 4,142.6 1.2 1,546 11 4.3 26

Washington

241.5 3,612.0 0.8 1,897 2 8.7 2

West Virginia

62.7 701.4 0.2 1,159 49 3.4 47

Wisconsin

212.2 2,950.8 0.4 1,278 33 3.6 44

Wyoming

31.1 279.4 0.5 1,340 28 12.4 1

Puerto Rico

51.6 975.4 -0.2 718 (3) 4.5 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.0 33.1 -8.6 1,046 (3) 1.8 (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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, June 12, 2025