Under 2% Unemployment Rates Return to Southeastern Minnesota

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - For the first time in nearly 3 years, unemployment rates below two percent are being reported by counties in southeastern Minnesota.

The jobless rate for Olmsted County fell to 2.1 percent last month. That is down three-tenths of a percentage point from September and is the lowest rate reported for the Rochester area since November 2019 when it was also 2.1 percent. The number of people classified as unemployed in Olmsted County was also the lowest since October 2019 at 1873.

Houston, Fillmore, Dodge, Winona, and Wabasha Counties all reported unemployment rates below two percent in October. Houston County had the lowest rate at just 1.7 percent. The last time any County in the region had a jobless rate under two percent was November 2018 when the rate for Olmsted County was 1.8 percent.

The biggest drop occurred in Freeborn County, where the jobless rate fell a half percentage point from September. Still, the 2.2 percent unemployment rate in Freeborn County was tied with Mower County for having the highest rate in the region.