The local economy of Minnesota and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data.
Unemployment rate
4.4%
August 2026, 3.9% a year ago
Average weekly pay
$1,630
Q1 2026, 2,878,068 jobs
New homes permitted
22,158
Last 12 months to August 2026
Net people moving in
-8,125
2022 to 2023
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for its history.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Minnesota, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Minnesota is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row.
The unemployment rate in Minnesota was 4.4% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.9% a year earlier. 2,987,499 people were employed out of a labor force of 3,124,525. Among its counties, Stevens County had the lowest rate (3.3%) and Swift County the highest (8.0%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Minnesota was $1,630 in Q1 2026, up 3.8% from a year earlier, across 2,878,068 jobs at 213,906 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 2,130 new homes in Minnesota in August 2026 (1,207 single-family and 898 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 15,835, up 13.2% from the same months last year, and 22,158 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Hennepin County (3,263), Dakota County (2,791), Olmsted County (1,595) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 86,200 people moved to Minnesota and 94,325 moved away, a net loss of 8,125 (-1.7 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Wisconsin, North Dakota, California, and most people who left went to Wisconsin, Florida, Texas.
Regular gasoline in Minnesota averaged $4.32 per gallon in the week of September 28, 2026.