Southeast Minnesota is a health care and agricultural powerhouse. The region is home to the renowned Mayo Clinic and some of the world's most recognized food companies and brands.
Advanced manufacturing is especially strong here, with machinery, chemicals, and electronics among the top products.
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7/16/2024 3:29:16 PM
Amanda O'Connell
Recently, the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development (DEED) released new data for the Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) tool. Updated annually, this tool provides detailed employment estimates and wage data, including figures at the 10th, 25th, median, 75th, and 90th percentiles. The data covers the entire United States, Minnesota, planning regions, economic development regions and Metropolitan Statistical Areas, offering a comprehensive overview of wages and employment estimates across different geographic areas. With just over 240,000 jobs, Southeast accounts for 8.3% of the state's total employment and the median hourly wage in the region is $0.96 lower than the statewide median wage for all occupations.
In the data released in the first quarter of 2024, Southeast Minnesota had an estimate of 240,340 jobs, with a median wage of $24.26 per hour – meaning 50% of jobs earned more than that, and 50% paid less. The highest shares of employment by occupational group are found in Healthcare Practitioners & Technical, which accounts for 12.1% of total employment in the region, followed by Office & Administrative Support (11.6%), Production (9.4%), Food Preparation & Serving Related (8.6%), and Transportation & Material Moving (7.9%). These top five occupational groups accounted for 49.5% of the total employment in the region (Figure 1).
When examining median hourly wages across occupational groups, the highest median hourly wages in Southeast Minnesota were found in Management ($51.51), Computer & Mathematical ($50.87), and Healthcare Practitioner & Technical ($48.05). On the other end of the spectrum, the lowest median hourly wages were in Food Preparation & Serving Related ($14.57), Personal Care & Service ($17.17), and Sales & Related ($17.36) occupations.
We can compare these median wages to the basic needs cost of living in Southeast Minnesota. For a single individual, the wage needed to meet the cost of living would be $15.19 per hour. All occupational groups except for Food Preparation & Serving Related meet this required wage. For a typical family (one full-time worker, one part-time worker, and one child), the required wage to meet a basic needs cost of living would be $19.93 per hour. Out of the 22 occupational groups, 17 meet this threshold. The groups that fall short again include Food Preparation & Serving Related, as well as Healthcare Support, Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance, Personal Care & Service, and Sales & Related (Table 1).
| Table 1. Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics and Cost of Living in Southeast Minnesota | ||||
| Occupational Group | Estimated Regional Employment | Median Hourly Wage | Meets the
Cost of Living for Single Individuals |
Meets the
Cost of Living for a Typical Family |
| Total, All Occupations | 240,340 | $24.26 | Yes | Yes |
| Management | 13,250 | $51.51 | Yes | Yes |
| Business & Financial Operations | 9,740 | $37.97 | Yes | Yes |
| Computer & Mathematical | 5,270 | $50.87 | Yes | Yes |
| Architecture & Engineering | 3,540 | $40.43 | Yes | Yes |
| Life, Physical & Social Science | 2,120 | $38.64 | Yes | Yes |
| Community & Social Service | 4,670 | $30.48 | Yes | Yes |
| Legal | 690 | $43.12 | Yes | Yes |
| Education, Training & Library | 14,670 | $28.42 | Yes | Yes |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment & Media | 1,990 | $26.08 | Yes | Yes |
| Healthcare Practitioners & Technical | 29,150 | $48.05 | Yes | Yes |
| Healthcare Support | 14,270 | $18.85 | Yes | No |
| Protective Service | 3,950 | $28.97 | Yes | Yes |
| Food Preparation & Serving Related | 20,590 | $14.57 | No | No |
| Building, Grounds Cleaning & Maint. | 6,760 | $18.08 | Yes | No |
| Personal Care & Service | 4,830 | $17.17 | Yes | No |
| Sales & Related | 18,280 | $17.36 | Yes | No |
| Office & Administrative Support | 27,760 | $23.45 | Yes | Yes |
| Farming, Fishing & Forestry | 320 | $20.01 | Yes | Yes |
| Construction & Extraction | 8,370 | $30.88 | Yes | Yes |
| Installation, Maintenance & Repair | 8,550 | $28.53 | Yes | Yes |
| Production | 22,500 | $22.72 | Yes | Yes |
| Transportation & Material Moving | 19,080 | $22.01 | Yes | Yes |
| Source: Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, Cost of Living | ||||
Contact Amanda O'Connell, Labor Market Analyst, at amanda.oconnell@state.mn.us.
