At the request of Advance Thief River, Erik White, Labor Analyst for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) recently prepared a labor market report for Pennington County. Chet Bodin, also with DEED, presented this information to the Advance Thief River Talent Taskforce, whose members are working on strategies to increase the pool of workforce talent.
A few of the major findings of the report:
- The number of workers in Pennington County increased over the past year, but this growth rate is slower than the statewide growth rate.
- After losing jobs over the past year, Pennington County had the 40th largest economy of the 87 counties in the state.
- Pennington County’s cost of living, compared to median income, makes the county a desirable place to live and work.
- Pennington County workers have a short commute time, 14 minutes compared to an almost 27 minute average commute time in the State overall.
- Between 2020 and 2030, the population is projected to grow 1.5%, a rate that is slower than the projected statewide growth rate of 5%.
The full report contains detailed information on labor force trends, labor force characteristics, job vacancies by industry, occupations in demand, occupational employment statistics, incomes, cost of living, and housing.
