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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10/31/2018 3:00:00 PM
Cameron Macht
Of Minnesota’s six planning regions, Northeast Minnesota has the highest percentage of veterans in the population aged 18 years and over, at 10.5 percent. That’s 2.5 percent more than the state as a whole, and over 3.5 percent higher than the Twin Cities metro.
Aitkin County ranks first (15.2 percent) of the 87 counties for the percentage of veterans, followed closely by Lake County in fifth and Itasca County in sixth place overall, at 12.2 percent and 11.9 percent, respectively. Koochiching (10.8 percent, 16th) and Carlton (10.6 percent, 21st) were also among the most veteran-heavy counties.
Data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey show that the largest number of these veterans served during the Vietnam era, accounting for about 40 percent of the total count in Northeast Minnesota. Another 11 percent served during the Korean War, and 7 percent are World War II veterans. With an older population overall, the Arrowhead region had a slightly higher percentage than the state of veterans from these time periods.
In contrast, Northeast Minnesota has a smaller percentage of veterans from the Gulf War periods, ranging from 1990 through the present. In sum, there were about 6,285 Gulf War veterans in the seven-county region, accounting for about one-fourth of all veterans. Check out this interactive data visualization to see more details on the service period of veterans in each county.
Unfortunately, the ACS data also show that veterans in Northeast Minnesota have lower labor force participation rates than nonveterans, and higher unemployment rates. If you are a veteran and seeking employment, the following steps can help:
Contact Cameron Macht at 320-441-6596.
