The City of Thief River Falls, Pennington County, and Advance Thief River work together to support the needs of business and industry. Business, community, and government leaders work collaboratively to insure that businesses have the tools and resources they need to start and grow. They make sure that all current and future needs are met, including all essential infrastructure in development areas, as well as access to financing, business development resources, and incentives.

Thief River Falls (and the surrounding region) is home to major industries and has been called an “ingenuity frontier,” where local entrepreneurs build upon breakthrough ideas to create world-class companies. These local innovators have flourished in Thief River, bringing new products, designs, and processes to a global market. A couple of the larger companies include DigiKey and Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc (formerly Arctic Cat). The Steiger Tractor, (produced from 1958 to the late 1980’s) was originally designed and manufactured in the area.

Workforce participation is very high, with about 84% of adults between the ages of 16 and 64 in the workforce. 52% have some college education. The median age is 38, lower than other rural areas of the state.