Counties in Minnesota by unemployment rate, August 2026
Swift County had the highest unemployment rate of 87 counties in August 2026, at 8%. Stevens County had the lowest, at 3.3%. The median was 4.8% and the figure for Minnesota was 4.4%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 40 counties, August 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Counties | August 2026 (%) | Change on August 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swift County Provisional | 8 | +4 pts |
| 2 | Clearwater County Provisional | 7.6 | +1.5 pts |
| 3 | Red Lake County Provisional | 6.9 | +0.6 pts |
| 4 | Mahnomen County Provisional | 6.6 | +0.6 pts |
| 4 | Pine County Provisional | 6.6 | +0.9 pts |
| 6 | Koochiching County Provisional | 6.5 | +1.3 pts |
| 7 | Beltrami County Provisional | 6.4 | +1.2 pts |
| 8 | Itasca County Provisional | 6.3 | +0.6 pts |
| 8 | Kanabec County Provisional | 6.3 | +0.6 pts |
| 10 | Aitkin County Provisional | 6.2 | +0.7 pts |
| 11 | Wadena County Provisional | 6.1 | +0.8 pts |
| 12 | Lake of the Woods County Provisional | 6 | +1.3 pts |
| 12 | Marshall County Provisional | 6 | +1.1 pts |
| 14 | Yellow Medicine County Provisional | 5.9 | +2.2 pts |
| 15 | Kittson County Provisional | 5.8 | +2 pts |
| 15 | Mille Lacs County Provisional | 5.8 | +0.8 pts |
| 17 | Isanti County Provisional | 5.6 | +0.7 pts |
| 17 | Steele County Provisional | 5.6 | +0.9 pts |
| 19 | Cottonwood County Provisional | 5.5 | +1 pts |
| 20 | Cass County Provisional | 5.4 | +0.9 pts |
| 20 | Renville County Provisional | 5.4 | +0.6 pts |
| 20 | St. Louis County Provisional | 5.4 | +0.6 pts |
| 20 | Todd County Provisional | 5.4 | +0.5 pts |
| 24 | Big Stone County Provisional | 5.3 | +1.7 pts |
| 24 | Chippewa County Provisional | 5.3 | +1 pts |
| 24 | Morrison County Provisional | 5.3 | +0.5 pts |
| 24 | Pennington County Provisional | 5.3 | +1.4 pts |
| 28 | Benton County Provisional | 5.2 | +0.6 pts |
| 28 | Carlton County Provisional | 5.2 | +0.7 pts |
| 28 | Kandiyohi County Provisional | 5.2 | +1.3 pts |
| 31 | Hubbard County Provisional | 5.1 | +0.3 pts |
| 32 | Anoka County Provisional | 5 | +0.8 pts |
| 32 | Grant County Provisional | 5 | +0.5 pts |
| 32 | McLeod County Provisional | 5 | +0.7 pts |
| 32 | Polk County Provisional | 5 | +0.8 pts |
| 32 | Ramsey County Provisional | 5 | +0.8 pts |
| 32 | Waseca County Provisional | 5 | +0.6 pts |
| 38 | Chisago County Provisional | 4.9 | +0.8 pts |
| 38 | Crow Wing County Provisional | 4.9 | +0.9 pts |
| 38 | Goodhue County Provisional | 4.9 | +1 pts |
| 38 | Meeker County Provisional | 4.9 | +0.6 pts |
| 38 | Rice County Provisional | 4.9 | +0.9 pts |
| 38 | Roseau County Provisional | 4.9 | +0.2 pts |
| 44 | Murray County Provisional | 4.8 | +0.7 pts |
| 44 | Nobles County Provisional | 4.8 | +0.5 pts |
| 44 | Otter Tail County Provisional | 4.8 | +1 pts |
| 44 | Sherburne County Provisional | 4.8 | +0.8 pts |
| 44 | Stearns County Provisional | 4.8 | +0.8 pts |
| 49 | Lyon County Provisional | 4.7 | +0.7 pts |
| 50 | Dakota County Provisional | 4.6 | +0.7 pts |
| 50 | Faribault County Provisional | 4.6 | +0.7 pts |
| 50 | Hennepin County Provisional | 4.6 | +0.6 pts |
| 50 | Jackson County Provisional | 4.6 | +0.5 pts |
| 50 | Le Sueur County Provisional | 4.6 | +0.7 pts |
| 50 | Norman County Provisional | 4.6 | +1.5 pts |
| 50 | Redwood County Provisional | 4.6 | +0.9 pts |
| 50 | Sibley County Provisional | 4.6 | +0.7 pts |
| 58 | Becker County Provisional | 4.5 | +0.8 pts |
| 58 | Freeborn County Provisional | 4.5 | +0.8 pts |
| 58 | Pope County Provisional | 4.5 | +1 pts |
| 58 | Washington County Provisional | 4.5 | +0.8 pts |
| 58 | Watonwan County Provisional | 4.5 | +0.4 pts |
| 58 | Wright County Provisional | 4.5 | +0.7 pts |
| 64 | Dodge County Provisional | 4.4 | +0.7 pts |
| 64 | Lincoln County Provisional | 4.4 | +0.7 pts |
| 64 | Mower County Provisional | 4.4 | +0.6 pts |
| 67 | Brown County Provisional | 4.3 | +0.7 pts |
| 67 | Clay County Provisional | 4.3 | +0.8 pts |
| 67 | Lake County Provisional | 4.3 | +0.8 pts |
| 67 | Martin County Provisional | 4.3 | 0 pts |
| 71 | Carver County Provisional | 4.2 | +0.7 pts |
| 71 | Scott County Provisional | 4.2 | +0.6 pts |
| 71 | Wilkin County Provisional | 4.2 | +0.4 pts |
| 74 | Blue Earth County Provisional | 4.1 | +0.5 pts |
| 74 | Pipestone County Provisional | 4.1 | +0.8 pts |
| 74 | Wabasha County Provisional | 4.1 | +0.9 pts |
| 77 | Douglas County Provisional | 4 | +0.7 pts |
| 77 | Lac qui Parle County Provisional | 4 | +1.2 pts |
| 77 | Traverse County Provisional | 4 | +0.7 pts |
| 77 | Winona County Provisional | 4 | +0.7 pts |
| 81 | Cook County Provisional | 3.9 | +0.6 pts |
| 81 | Fillmore County Provisional | 3.9 | +0.7 pts |
| 83 | Olmsted County Provisional | 3.8 | +0.7 pts |
| 84 | Nicollet County Provisional | 3.7 | +0.5 pts |
| 84 | Rock County Provisional | 3.7 | +0.5 pts |
| 86 | Houston County Provisional | 3.6 | +0.5 pts |
| 87 | Stevens County Provisional | 3.3 | +0.9 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.
Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.
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. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
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Rank Counties in Minnesota by unemployment rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions
Which county has the highest unemployment rate?
Swift County, with 8% in August 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?
Stevens County, with 3.3% in August 2026.
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, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
Unemployment rate: other rankings
- Countries
- EU countries
- US states
- EU regions (NUTS 2)
- US counties
- Autonomous communities of Spain
- Provinces of Spain
- Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)
- Regions of France (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Italy (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Poland (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Greece (NUTS 2)
Counties in Minnesota: more rankings
- Asian population share
- Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over
- Live births, July to June
- Black or African American population share
- Crude birth rate, July to June
- Crude death rate, July to June
- Deaths, July to June
- Foreign-born population share
- Real GDP growth
- GDP per capita, US dollars
- Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars
- Hispanic or Latino population share
- Homeownership rate (US, housing units)
- Median age
- Median gross rent (monthly)
- Median home value