The local economy of Minnesota and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.4%
+0.5 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Stevens County 3.3%, highest Swift County 8.0%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,630
+3.8%vs a year ago
2,878,068 jobs at 213,906 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
22,158
+13.2%this year vs last year
Most in Hennepin County 3,263, Dakota County 2,791.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-8,125
-1.7 per 1,000residents
86,200 moved in and 94,325 moved out. Most newcomers came from Wisconsin.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Minnesota gas price
$4.28
+$1.36vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Clay County $4.01, highest Lake County $4.51. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Minnesota, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
154K
+0.1%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
2.80M
+2.6%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (17.2%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$191.5B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$68,321
Highest sector: Finance and Insurance $120,512.
Per employee per year
Share of Minnesota's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 178,708 | $23,032 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 151,489 | $113,078 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 116,953 | $80,542 |
| Employment Services | 93,402 | $54,030 |
| Individual and Family Services | 66,627 | $29,787 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 56,527 | $27,748 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 52,485 | $101,396 |
| Grocery Stores | 51,551 | $26,306 |
| Insurance Carriers | 45,743 | $120,828 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 44,099 | $117,834 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 41,647 | $86,223 |
| Offices of Physicians | 39,842 | $117,358 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
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. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Minnesota, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
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 $4.28 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.36 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.09. Among its counties, Clay County had the lowest regular price ($4.01) and Lake County the highest ($4.51). In the weekly survey, Minnesota averaged $4.20 in the week of October 5, 2026.
Health Care and Social Assistance (482,616 employees), Manufacturing (325,317 employees), Retail Trade (306,468 employees) were the largest sectors in Minnesota in 2023. In all, 154,455 business locations employed 2,803,410 people at an average pay of $68,321 a year.