Counties: Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lac qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, Sibley, Swift, Waseca, Watonwan, Yellow Medicine

  • Southwest Minnesota is home to 12,800 business establishments providing 171,665 jobs through 2022. Average annual wages were $50,974 in the region. 
  • The industries that employ the most people in the Southwest Region are Manufacturing (32,100 jobs), Health Care & Social Assistance (29,200) and Retail Trade (19,300).
  • Jobs in the Southwest Region are expected to grow 3.9% from 2020 to 2030, a gain of 7,700 new jobs. That is the slowest of the 6 planning regions in the state. In addition, the region is also expected to need 89,195 replacement openings to fill jobs left vacant by retirements and other career changers.
  • The fastest growing occupations in the Southwest Region will be in the following fields: food prep & serving, healthcare support, community & social service, personal care & service, and educational instruction & library occupations.

Check out our other regions: Metro Region, Northeast Region, Northwest Region, Southeast Region, Southwest Region, Central, Statewide

For Career Seekers

Find a CareerForce Location near you

For Employers

Meet Your Regional Team

Workforce Strategy

Jessica Miller
507-344-2610

Disability Employment

Evie Wold
507-330-5002

Regional Labor Market Analysis

Luke Greiner
320-223-6992
Amanda O'Connell
320-441-6571

Layoff Assistance

Mee Yang
651-259-7548

Business Development

Lisa Hughes
507-344-2601

Veterans Employment

Stephen Kolcinski
651-295-5379