MANKATO — Minnesota added 13,200 jobs in June, marking the third month of steady gains after losses during Operation Metro Surge this winter, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
U.S. job growth stayed flat over the month, adding just 57,000 jobs, or 0.0%.
Minnesota’s private sector increased by 1.5%, gaining 14,600 jobs, and non-farm employment increased by 1.2%. Nationally, total non-farm employment bumped up by 0.3%, and the private sector increased by 0.6%.
Despite job expansion across the state, the labor force participation rate declined for the seventh month in a row, ticking down two-tenths of a percentage point to 67% in June. The department said it hopes to tackle workforce engagement.
“Last month’s job gains are good news for Minnesota workers and businesses,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek in a news release. “To build on that momentum, we need to continue to address the steady decline in our labor force by helping more people enter and return to the workforce.”
The state’s unemployment rate held at 4.4% in June, while national unemployment dropped one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.2%.
The Mankato-North Mankato metropolitan area reported just under 59,000 total non-farm jobs, up 0.2% from May and 1.6% from a year ago, the DEED website said. Total private jobs reached over 49,000, an increase of 0.5% over the month and a 3.0% jump from the previous year.
In Minneapolis-St. Paul, total non-farm jobs sat at over 2 million, up 1.2% over the month. Total private jobs increased by 1.5% since May, reaching almost 1.8 million.
Other regional areas in the state fared similarly well. Rochester’s non-farm employment hit 130,000, a 1.9% uptick from May and a 0.3% increase from last year. In St. Cloud, non-farm jobs totaled just over 109,000, inching up 0.1% over the month and 0.4% since May 2025.
Five Minnesota supersectors gained jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis since May, including Educational and Health Services, Professional & Business Services, Manufacturing, Leisure and Hospitality and Other Services. These supersectors lost jobs over the month: Trade, Transportation and Utilities, Government, Construction and Information.
Looking back over the entire year, the total number of jobs in Minnesota grew by 1.7%. The private sector was similarly successful with an increase of 1.8% over the year.
This last year fits into broader trends. Since Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan took office in 2019, about 95,000 jobs have been created, a 3.2% increase, according to the DEED report. Average weekly wages grew by $334 under the administration, an increase of almost 30%.