Data / Rankings / Covered employment (QCEW) / Counties in Minnesota

Counties in Minnesota by covered employment (QCEW)

Hennepin County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 87 counties in 2022, at 902,653 jobs. Red Lake County had the lowest, at 996 jobs. The median was 7,843 jobs and the figure for Minnesota was 2,853,966 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest902,653Hennepin County
Lowest996Red Lake County
Median7,84387 counties
Minnesota2,853,966History

Map of counties, 2022

Aitkin County: 4,217 jobsAnoka County: 129,640 jobsBecker County: 14,820 jobsBeltrami County: 20,140 jobsBenton County: 17,610 jobsBig Stone County: 1,651 jobsBlue Earth County: 38,820 jobsBrown County: 13,066 jobsCarlton County: 13,009 jobsCarver County: 40,481 jobsCass County: 10,494 jobsChippewa County: 5,273 jobsChisago County: 15,794 jobsClay County: 19,420 jobsClearwater County: 2,586 jobsCook County: 2,533 jobsCottonwood County: 5,873 jobsCrow Wing County: 30,024 jobsDakota County: 185,620 jobsDodge County: 5,755 jobsDouglas County: 19,284 jobsFaribault County: 4,581 jobsFillmore County: 6,273 jobsFreeborn County: 11,679 jobsGoodhue County: 20,692 jobsGrant County: 1,878 jobsHennepin County: 902,653 jobsHouston County: 4,980 jobsHubbard County: 6,136 jobsIsanti County: 11,418 jobsItasca County: 15,711 jobsJackson County: 4,823 jobsKanabec County: 3,972 jobsKandiyohi County: 22,671 jobsKittson County: 1,446 jobsKoochiching County: 4,403 jobsLac qui Parle County: 2,164 jobsLake County: 3,770 jobsLake of the Woods County: 1,651 jobsLe Sueur County: 8,358 jobsLincoln County: 1,565 jobsLyon County: 13,722 jobsMcLeod County: 15,631 jobsMahnomen County: 1,705 jobsMarshall County: 2,342 jobsMartin County: 8,153 jobsMeeker County: 7,696 jobsMille Lacs County: 8,911 jobsMorrison County: 10,418 jobsMower County: 16,151 jobsMurray County: 2,818 jobsNicollet County: 15,260 jobsNobles County: 10,262 jobsNorman County: 1,633 jobsOlmsted County: 100,517 jobsOtter Tail County: 22,487 jobsPennington County: 10,099 jobsPine County: 7,596 jobsPipestone County: 4,333 jobsPolk County: 11,514 jobsPope County: 4,375 jobsRamsey County: 319,596 jobsRed Lake County: 996 jobsRedwood County: 6,029 jobsRenville County: 5,408 jobsRice County: 25,039 jobsRock County: 3,600 jobsRoseau County: 7,843 jobsSt. Louis County: 92,907 jobsScott County: 59,031 jobsSherburne County: 26,913 jobsSibley County: 3,955 jobsStearns County: 84,282 jobsSteele County: 18,963 jobsStevens County: 5,461 jobsSwift County: 3,607 jobsTodd County: 6,489 jobsTraverse County: 1,101 jobsWabasha County: 6,413 jobsWadena County: 5,577 jobsWaseca County: 5,598 jobsWashington County: 91,832 jobsWatonwan County: 4,435 jobsWilkin County: 1,708 jobsWinona County: 23,565 jobsWright County: 46,173 jobsYellow Medicine County: 3,710 jobs
  • Under 3,000
  • 3,000 to 5,000
  • 5,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 15K
  • 15K to 25K
  • 25K and over
jobs, 2022. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2022

Hennepin County: 902,653 jobsHennepin County902,653Ramsey County: 319,596 jobsRamsey County319,596Dakota County: 185,620 jobsDakota County185,620Anoka County: 129,640 jobsAnoka County129,640Olmsted County: 100,517 jobsOlmsted County100,517St. Louis County: 92,907 jobsSt. Louis County92,907Washington County: 91,832 jobsWashington County91,832Stearns County: 84,282 jobsStearns County84,282Scott County: 59,031 jobsScott County59,031Wright County: 46,173 jobsWright County46,173Carver County: 40,481 jobsCarver County40,481Blue Earth County: 38,820 jobsBlue Earth County38,820Crow Wing County: 30,024 jobsCrow Wing County30,024Sherburne County: 26,913 jobsSherburne County26,913Rice County: 25,039 jobsRice County25,039Winona County: 23,565 jobsWinona County23,565Kandiyohi County: 22,671 jobsKandiyohi County22,671Otter Tail County: 22,487 jobsOtter Tail County22,487Goodhue County: 20,692 jobsGoodhue County20,692Beltrami County: 20,140 jobsBeltrami County20,140Clay County: 19,420 jobsClay County19,420Douglas County: 19,284 jobsDouglas County19,284Steele County: 18,963 jobsSteele County18,963Benton County: 17,610 jobsBenton County17,610Mower County: 16,151 jobsMower County16,151Chisago County: 15,794 jobsChisago County15,794Itasca County: 15,711 jobsItasca County15,711McLeod County: 15,631 jobsMcLeod County15,631Nicollet County: 15,260 jobsNicollet County15,260Becker County: 14,820 jobsBecker County14,820Lyon County: 13,722 jobsLyon County13,722Brown County: 13,066 jobsBrown County13,066Carlton County: 13,009 jobsCarlton County13,009Freeborn County: 11,679 jobsFreeborn County11,679Polk County: 11,514 jobsPolk County11,514Isanti County: 11,418 jobsIsanti County11,418Cass County: 10,494 jobsCass County10,494Morrison County: 10,418 jobsMorrison County10,418Nobles County: 10,262 jobsNobles County10,262Pennington County: 10,099 jobsPennington County10,099Hennepin County: 902,653 jobsHennepin County902,653Ramsey County: 319,596 jobsRamsey County319,596Dakota County: 185,620 jobsDakota County185,620Anoka County: 129,640 jobsAnoka County129,640Olmsted County: 100,517 jobsOlmsted County100,517St. Louis County: 92,907 jobsSt. Louis County92,907Washington County: 91,832 jobsWashington County91,832Stearns County: 84,282 jobsStearns County84,282Scott County: 59,031 jobsScott County59,031Wright County: 46,173 jobsWright County46,173Carver County: 40,481 jobsCarver County40,481Blue Earth County: 38,820 jobsBlue Earth County38,820Crow Wing County: 30,024 jobsCrow Wing County30,024Sherburne County: 26,913 jobsSherburne County26,913Rice County: 25,039 jobsRice County25,039Winona County: 23,565 jobsWinona County23,565Kandiyohi County: 22,671 jobsKandiyohi County22,671Otter Tail County: 22,487 jobsOtter Tail County22,487Goodhue County: 20,692 jobsGoodhue County20,692Beltrami County: 20,140 jobsBeltrami County20,140Clay County: 19,420 jobsClay County19,420Douglas County: 19,284 jobsDouglas County19,284Steele County: 18,963 jobsSteele County18,963Benton County: 17,610 jobsBenton County17,610Mower County: 16,151 jobsMower County16,151Chisago County: 15,794 jobsChisago County15,794Itasca County: 15,711 jobsItasca County15,711McLeod County: 15,631 jobsMcLeod County15,631Nicollet County: 15,260 jobsNicollet County15,260Becker County: 14,820 jobsBecker County14,820Lyon County: 13,722 jobsLyon County13,722Brown County: 13,066 jobsBrown County13,066Carlton County: 13,009 jobsCarlton County13,009Freeborn County: 11,679 jobsFreeborn County11,679Polk County: 11,514 jobsPolk County11,514Isanti County: 11,418 jobsIsanti County11,418Cass County: 10,494 jobsCass County10,494Morrison County: 10,418 jobsMorrison County10,418Nobles County: 10,262 jobsNobles County10,262Pennington County: 10,099 jobsPennington County10,099
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022
jobs		Change on 2021
1Hennepin County902,653+2.6%
2Ramsey County319,596+2.4%
3Dakota County185,620+2.4%
4Anoka County129,640+3.9%
5Olmsted County100,517+1.4%
6St. Louis County92,907+1.5%
7Washington County91,832+3.7%
8Stearns County84,282+2.3%
9Scott County59,031+6.1%
10Wright County46,173+2.4%
11Carver County40,481+5.3%
12Blue Earth County38,820+2.8%
13Crow Wing County30,024+3.9%
14Sherburne County26,913+3.3%
15Rice County25,039+1.5%
16Winona County23,565+2.6%
17Kandiyohi County22,671+0.7%
18Otter Tail County22,487+1.7%
19Goodhue County20,692+2%
20Beltrami County20,140+2.7%
21Clay County19,420+3.5%
22Douglas County19,284+1.6%
23Steele County18,963-5.6%
24Benton County17,610+2.2%
25Mower County16,151+1.4%
26Chisago County15,794-0.2%
27Itasca County15,711+0.9%
28McLeod County15,631+1.5%
29Nicollet County15,260+3.6%
30Becker County14,820+2.4%
31Lyon County13,722+1.6%
32Brown County13,066+0.6%
33Carlton County13,009+2.6%
34Freeborn County11,679+2.3%
35Polk County11,514+1.2%
36Isanti County11,418+2.9%
37Cass County10,494-10.3%
38Morrison County10,418-1.7%
39Nobles County10,262-0.1%
40Pennington County10,099+1.8%
41Mille Lacs County8,911-2.6%
42Le Sueur County8,358-0.1%
43Martin County8,153+1.9%
44Roseau County7,843+1.4%
45Meeker County7,696+6%
46Pine County7,596+2.4%
47Todd County6,489+2.7%
48Wabasha County6,413-2.2%
49Fillmore County6,273+1.4%
50Hubbard County6,136+1.7%
51Redwood County6,029+2.2%
52Cottonwood County5,873+3.6%
53Dodge County5,755+0.5%
54Waseca County5,598-2.6%
55Wadena County5,577+2.1%
56Stevens County5,461+2.2%
57Renville County5,408-1.3%
58Chippewa County5,273-1.3%
59Houston County4,980-1.5%
60Jackson County4,823+0.1%
61Faribault County4,581+3.4%
62Watonwan County4,435+1%
63Koochiching County4,403+4.2%
64Pope County4,375+1.5%
65Pipestone County4,333+3.9%
66Aitkin County4,217+1.5%
67Kanabec County3,972+3.5%
68Sibley County3,955-0.6%
69Lake County3,770-3.2%
70Yellow Medicine County3,710+0.1%
71Swift County3,607+5.2%
72Rock County3,600+2.2%
73Murray County2,818-0.2%
74Clearwater County2,586-1%
75Cook County2,533-0.7%
76Marshall County2,342+4%
77Lac qui Parle County2,164+3.2%
78Grant County1,878+3.2%
79Wilkin County1,708+0.1%
80Mahnomen County1,705+5.5%
81Big Stone County1,651-0.4%
81Lake of the Woods County1,651+1%
83Norman County1,633+3.7%
84Lincoln County1,565+3%
85Kittson County1,446+0.5%
86Traverse County1,101+0.5%
87Red Lake County996-1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Minnesota by covered employment (QCEW), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Minnesota by covered employment (QCEW), 2022. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/minnesota-counties?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Minnesota by covered employment (QCEW), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/minnesota-counties?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Minnesota by covered employment (QCEW), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/minnesota-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Minnesota by covered employment (QCEW), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/minnesota-counties?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Minnesota by covered employment (QCEW), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/minnesota-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/minnesota-counties?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Hennepin County, with 902,653 jobs in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Red Lake County, with 996 jobs in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Minnesota: more rankings