Rochester job growth lags behind Minnesota state average

New data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development shows that the Rochester area is experiencing sluggish job growth, adding only about 350 jobs over the past year. This represents an annualized job growth rate of 0.3% for July.

In contrast, the state of Minnesota as a whole is outpacing the national job growth rate. The state's job growth rate for July was 1.5%, significantly higher than the national rate of 0.2%. Minnesota has gained more than 44,000 jobs over the past year, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in July.

Regional performance varied across the state. The Mankato area led large metropolitan job growth with a 4.5% increase, adding more than 2,500 jobs. The Twin Cities area added over 27,000 jobs year-over-year, a 1.4% growth rate. However, both Duluth and St. Cloud reported slight year-over-year job losses, with St. Cloud down by 535 jobs and Duluth down by 100 positions.