Home to the state's second-largest metro, the Northeast Region has a strong industrial sector, tied largely to the area's abundant natural resources.
Most of the manufacturing base centers on mining and forest products industries. More than half of the sector's employment is in paper and machinery manufacturing.
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5/12/2017 12:04:56 PM
Erik White
According to commuting data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the vast majority – about 80 percent – of workers who live in Northeast Minnesota also work within the region. The Arrowhead is a net importer of labor, having slightly more jobs than available workers; drawing in workers from surrounding counties but also having residents drive outside the region to find work.
In sum, 120,402 workers both lived and worked in the seven-county region, accounting for just over 80 percent of the jobs; while another 29,859 workers drove into Northeast Minnesota for work, comprising the other 20 percent of the workforce. In comparison, 27,778 residents live in the region but commute to surrounding counties for work (Table 1 and Figure 1).
Home to Duluth, St. Louis County is the largest employment center in the region and was the biggest draw for workers, followed by Itasca, Carlton, Koochiching, Lake, Aitkin and Cook counties. Employers draw workers from their home counties, and also recruit workers from Douglas and Bayfield counties in Wisconsin, as well as Pine County to the south and Crow Wing, Cass and Beltrami counties to the west.
In contrast, the region also sends over 10,000 workers to the Twin Cities, primarily into Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, and Dakota County; as well as nearly 4,000 workers to Douglas County, Wisconsin. Over 3,000 residents in the region also commute to jobs in Crow Wing, Beltrami, and Cass County.
Contact Erik White at erik.white@state.mn.us or 218-302-8413.
