1. business and industrial
2. manufacturing

Why Central
a great place to live, work and do business
Workforce
Why Central Minnesota?
Central Minnesota is home to a hard-working, educated
workforce with wages below the national average in most
industries.
Central Minnesota has many competitive
advantages that help companies thrive. With
Minnesota has the second highest labor force participation
rate in the county – testament to the dedication of our
workers.
a globally competitive manufacturing sector, a
talented and educated workforce, and prime
Median hourly wages in Central Minnesota are lower than
the national median by a factor of nearly 9%. Wages in
certain key sectors are even more competitive, making the
region a cost effective location to build a workforce.
location between the Twin Cities and the North
Dakota oil fields, the region is an ideal place
do business. The area’s quality educational
Workforce in Central Minnesota
institutions, recreational opportunities, and
Occupation
charming towns make it an exceptionally livable
place as well.
U.S.
U.S.
Central
Minnesota
130,287,700
397,265
$16.71
$15.23
568,820
1,690
$25.98
$23.34
Assemblers and
Fabricators
1,718,700
3,918
$13.74
$14.36
Food Processing
Workers
720,970
3,944
$11.72
$13.06
1,837,280
6,703
$17.01
$17.30
Printing Workers
267,390
979
$16.40
$15.89
Textile, Apparel, and
Furnishings Workers
575,080
780
$10.58
$11.31
Woodworkers
200,680
1,188
$13.67
$14.37
Plant and System
Operators
308,150
995
$25.88
$25.07
Other Production
Occupations
2,397,100
7,856
$14.10
$13.98
All Occupations
Population: 791,425
Kittson
Roseau
Lake of
The Woods
Marshall
Northwest
Koochiching
Pennington
Cook
Red Lake
Beltrami
Polk
Northeast
Clearwater
Itasca
Becker
Clay
Wadena
Otter Tail
Central
Unemployment Rate:
4.94%
Grant
Pine
Mille
Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Kanabec
Metal Workers and
Plastic Workers
Benton
Traverse
Big
Stone
Stearns
Pope
Stevens
Isanti
Sherburne
Swift
Lac
Qui
Parle
Kandiyohi
Wright
Carver
Renville
Scott
Sibley
Southwest
Lyon
Hennepin Ramsey
Twin Cites
Metro
McLeod
Yellow Medicine
Lincoln
Chisago
Anoka
Meeker
Chippewa
Le
Sueur
Nicollet
Redwood
Washington
Median Hourly Wage for
All Employees: $15.23
Carlton
Aitkin
Crow
Wing
Wilkin
Todd
Labor force: 442,077
St. Louis
Cass
Hubbard
Working Age Population
(18-64 years): 485,886
Lake
Mahnomen
Norman
Median Hourly Wage
Central
Minnesota
Supervisors,
Production Workers
Central Minnesota
Demographic
Profile
Employment
Dakota
Rice
Goodhue
Wabasha
Brown
Pipestone
Rock
Murray
Nobles
Cottonwood
Jackson
Watonwan
Martin
Blue
Earth
Faribault
Waseca
Steele
Freeborn
Dodge
Olmsted
Southeast
Mower
Winona
Fillmore
Houston
Minnesota Business Community
Development Regions
Source: MN DEED, Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2013
Why Central
Manufacturing
The granite quarrying industry in the St. Cloud area provided
an early manufacturing base for the region that continues
today. In addition to firms such as Coldspring and the many
aggregate and concrete product manufacturers that grew
directly from the granite industry, companies such as Park
Industries in St. Cloud manufacture quarrying and stone
cutting machinery to firms across the world.
Though the once prominent paper industry in St. Cloud
has waned, the city’s printing industry cluster maintains a
prominent position in the economy. Cutting edge companies
such as Quad/Graphics, Merrill Corp., and Nahan print a
range of products from direct mail to books to some of the
country’s leading magazines.
Machinery and heavy equipment manufacturing is a major
employment sector with global connections. Canadian
bus manufacturer New Flyer and German farm implement
manufacturer Geringhoff are two prominent firms that have
chosen to grow in Central Minnesota in recent years.
Average Weekly Wages in
Select Manufacturing Sectors, 2012
Major Manufacturing Sectors of Central Minnesota
Workforce
Location
Quotient
Prominent Firms
Nonmetallic Mineral
Product Manufacturing
2,498
2.51
Coldspring Granite (Cold
Spring), Cretex Companies (Elk
River), 3M (Alexandria)
Printing and Related
Support Activities
2,918
2.34
Merrill Corp. (St. Cloud), Nahan
(St. Cloud), Quad Graphics (St.
Cloud)
Furniture and Related
Product Manufacturing
2,225
2.33
Northern Contours (Fergus
Falls), Crystal Cabinet Works
(Princeton)
Fabricated Metal
Product Manufacturing
7,760
2.03
Columbia Gear (Avon), Polar
Tank Trailer (St. Cloud), De
Zurik (Sartell)
Food
Manufacturing
7,916
1.99
American Crystal Sugar
(Moorhead), Jennie-O Turkey
(Melrose, Long Prairie,
Ottertail), Sunopta (Alexandria)
Wood Product
Manufacturing
1,432
1.55
Woodcraft Industries (St.
Cloud), Ferche Millwork (Rice),
Red Built (Deerwood)
Machinery
Manufacturing
4,379
1.47
Douglas Machine (Alexandria),
Park Industries (St. Cloud),
Superior Equipment (Morris)
Industry
$30.00
$25.00
$20.00
$15.00
$10.00
$5.00
$0.00
All Occupations
Woodworkers
Printing Workers
Metal Workers and
Plastic Workers
Central Minnesota
Supervisors,
Production Workers
Plant and
System Operators
U.S.
Source: MN DEED, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Access to the Oil Range
Just a few hours’ drive from the heart of the Bakken Range,
Central Minnesota is a prime location for firms serving the
booming oil business.
While wages have soared over 140 percent since 2001
in Western North Dakota due to the oil boom, Central
Minnesota has maintained extremely competitive pay levels.
With a labor force more than three times that available in
Western North Dakota, Central Minnesota is an excellent
hiring ground for companies pursuing work on the oil
range.
With the U.S. Geological Survey’s new estimate of 7.4 billion
barrels of recoverable oil across North Dakota – more than
double its previous estimate from 2008 – oil range activity is
expected to continue its current pace for years.
Source: MN DEED, Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages
All Occupations
Employment
Median Hourly Wage
Central Minnesota
397,265
$15.23
Western North Dakota
(Williston and surrounding areas)
46,670
$18.00
Source: MN DEED, Bureau of Labor Statistics – QCEW & OES Data Sets
Manufacturing Occupations
Central Minnesota
Western North Dakota
(Williston and surrounding areas)
Employment
Median Hourly Wage
28,053
$15.22
2630
$17.61
Source: MN DEED, Bureau of Labor Statistics – QCEW & OES Data Sets
Your firm can tap into Minnesota’s large pool of skilled workers
and be assured of a growing supply of potential hires.
Why Central
Transportation
Norman
Hubbard
Fargo
Cass
St.
Louis
Freight Railways
Minnesota Cities
Moorhead
Becker
Clay
Pope Minnesota Counties
Detroit Lakes
Aitkin
Wadena
Carlton
Wilkin
Crow
Wing
Wadena
Otter
Tail
Brainerd
Fergus Falls
Breckenridge
Todd
Several freight rail lines serve the Central Region, providing
connections to markets across the Midwest and to
Mississippi River ports and deep sea ports on Lake Superior.
BNSF and CP Rail are primary carriers in the region.
The region is well served by airport facilities. St. Cloud
and Brainerd both host commercial service airports and
the nearby Minneapolis-St. Paul and Fargo International
Airports provide service to over 130 global destinations.
General aviation facilities are also found at Moorhead,
Fergus Falls, Alexandria, and Buffalo.
Commercial Class Airports
Clearwater
Itasca
Interstate Highways
Interstate 94 traverses the length of the region, connecting
most larger cities in the area with the Fargo and Twin Cities
metros and points beyond. I-94 is a key travel corridor for
Minnesota firms doing business on the North Dakota oil
range.
A robust network of state and national highways provide
smaller locations across the region with quick access to the
Interstate system.
Mahnomen
Elbow Lake
Long Prairie
Douglas
Grant
Mille
Lacs
Little Falls
Morrison
Kanabec
Alexandria
Wheaton
I 94
Pine
Traverse
Benton
Glenwood
Morris
Sartell
Sauk Rapids
Pope
Stevens
Foley
Stearns
Chisago
Isanti
St. Cloud
Big
Stone
Sherburne
Swift
Monticello
Kandiyohi
Buffalo
Meeker
0
12.5
Lac qui
Parle
25
50
Yellow
Medicine
Chippewa
75
Renville
100
Miles
Wright
Big Lake
Otsego
Elk River
St. Michael
I 35
I 494
McLeod
Carver
Minneapolis
Hennepin
Anoka
Ramsey
Dakota
Central Minnesota Region Transportation Map
St. Cloud Metro
The St. Cloud metro is a hub of global manufacturing, with
a number of international firms operating facilities in the
city. Among them are Canadian bus manufacturer New
Flyer; farm implement manufacture Geringhoff of Germany;
and Swedish Electrolux, which designs and produces its
Frigidaire line here at the largest freezer factory in the
world.
St. Cloud has a strong economic connection to the adjacent
Twin Cities, just an hour drive on Interstate 94, greatly
expanding recruitment opportunities for area employers.
Given the short drive time, many St. Cloud workers
commute daily. In 2010, over 3,300 workers (more than 5%
of the St. Cloud workforce) were commuters from the Twin
Cities.
The Northstar Commuter Rail, opened in 2009, provides
direct transit service from Downtown Minneapolis to Big
Lake, with a Northstar Link bus connection to St. Cloud.
Planned expansion of the rail line will provide continuous
service from St. Cloud to Minneapolis.
The region’s higher education sector and transportation infrastructure are perfect
complements to any business.
Education
Central Minnesota Colleges and Enrollment
The Minnesota
State Colleges
and Universities
System (MNSCU)
operates schools
at Moorhead,
Fergus Falls,
Alexandria, St.
Cloud, Brainerd,
and Staples. These schools offer Associate degrees and
certificates in a variety of business, manufacturing, and
service industry study programs.
School
The University of Minnesota-Morris, St. Cloud State
University, and Minnesota State University-Moorhead are
public four year institutions offering Associate, Bachelor,
and Master degrees. The three schools have a combined
student body of nearly 28,000.
St. Cloud State University
Campus Location
Students
St. Cloud
17,231
Fergus Falls, Detroit Lakes,
Moorhead, Wadena
9,063
Moorhead
8,772
Brainerd, Staples
6,253
St. Cloud
6,195
Alexandria Technical and
Community College
Alexandria
4,095
Concordia College
Moorhead
2,772
College of Saint Benedict
St. Joseph
2,086
Saint John’s University
St. Joseph
2,016
Morris
1,932
Minnesota State Community and
Technical College
Minnesota State University
Moorhead
Central Lakes College
St. Cloud Technical and Community
College
University of Minnesota - Morris
St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict – near
the town of St. Joseph – run a combined campus and are
ranked as two of the top three Catholic liberal arts colleges
in the nation.
central minnesota: a great place to live, work and do business
For site location assistance and information on the
benefits of doing business in Minnesota, contact
the Office of Business Development:
651-259-7432
[email protected]
www.PositivelyMinnesota.com/Locating