State jobless rate varies by region

Star Tribune

Last update: March 4, 2009 - 8:38 PM

As still-rising unemployment continues to whipsaw Minnesotans, it has become clear that the pain isn't being felt equally across the state.

The unemployment rate already has soared into two figures across a broad swath of central and northern Minnesota, according to statistics from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development.

That's a level the entire state may have to endure by the end of the year, state economist Tom Stinson predicted Tuesday. Having lost 75,000 jobs in the last year -- more than 20,000 in January alone -- the state ultimately could lose 120,000 before the economy begins to recover, he said.

Unemployment in central, northwest and northeast Minnesota reached 11.5 percent in January, representing 75,000 Minnesotans out of work. In the rest of rural Minnesota, the unemployment rate was just under 11 percent.

Unemployment statewide in January was 7.6 percent.

The Twin Cities metropolitan area generally reflects that level of joblessness, with the lowest unemployment rate in the state being recorded in Minneapolis in January -- 6.9 percent -- which represents just under 15,000 of the city's residents.

The remaining regions' jobless rates are just over 8 percent.

Overall, Minnesota has about 205,322 workers classified as unemployed. Those are people who are out of work and actively seeking employment. The number of discouraged people who could work, but have given up looking for jobs, is not tracked by the state.

BOB VON STERNBERG

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