Counties in Minnesota by unemployment rate

Swift County had the highest unemployment rate of 87 counties in September 2025, at 6.3%. Stevens County had the lowest, at 2.2%. The median was 3.3% and the figure for Minnesota was 4.1%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest6.3Swift County
Median3.387 counties
Minnesota4.1History

Top 40 counties, September 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

Swift CountySwift County: 6.3 %6.3Kanabec CountyKanabec County: 4.8 %4.8Aitkin CountyAitkin County: 4.7 %4.7Itasca CountyItasca County: 4.7 %4.7Clearwater CountyClearwater County: 4.6 %4.6Pine CountyPine County: 4.5 %4.5Lake of the Woods CountyLake of the Woods County: 4.4 %4.4Koochiching CountyKoochiching County: 4.3 %4.3Red Lake CountyRed Lake County: 4.2 %4.2Cass CountyCass County: 4.1 %4.1St. Louis CountySt. Louis County: 4.1 %4.1Mahnomen CountyMahnomen County: 4 %4Mille Lacs CountyMille Lacs County: 4 %4Renville CountyRenville County: 4 %4Beltrami CountyBeltrami County: 3.9 %3.9Ramsey CountyRamsey County: 3.9 %3.9Steele CountySteele County: 3.9 %3.9Carlton CountyCarlton County: 3.8 %3.8Faribault CountyFaribault County: 3.8 %3.8Hennepin CountyHennepin County: 3.8 %3.8Hubbard CountyHubbard County: 3.8 %3.8Todd CountyTodd County: 3.8 %3.8Anoka CountyAnoka County: 3.6 %3.6Chippewa CountyChippewa County: 3.6 %3.6Crow Wing CountyCrow Wing County: 3.6 %3.6Isanti CountyIsanti County: 3.6 %3.6Morrison CountyMorrison County: 3.6 %3.6Waseca CountyWaseca County: 3.6 %3.6Benton CountyBenton County: 3.5 %3.5Dakota CountyDakota County: 3.5 %3.5Lake CountyLake County: 3.5 %3.5Wadena CountyWadena County: 3.5 %3.5Chisago CountyChisago County: 3.4 %3.4Freeborn CountyFreeborn County: 3.4 %3.4Jackson CountyJackson County: 3.4 %3.4Carver CountyCarver County: 3.3 %3.3Cook CountyCook County: 3.3 %3.3Cottonwood CountyCottonwood County: 3.3 %3.3Marshall CountyMarshall County: 3.3 %3.3Martin CountyMartin County: 3.3 %3.3
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesSeptember 2025 (%)Change on September 2024
1Swift County6.3+4.2 pts
2Kanabec County4.8+1.5 pts
3Aitkin County4.7+1.3 pts
3Itasca County4.7+1.4 pts
5Clearwater County4.6+1.2 pts
6Pine County4.5+0.8 pts
7Lake of the Woods County4.4+1 pts
8Koochiching County4.3+1.2 pts
9Red Lake County4.2+1.4 pts
10Cass County4.1+0.8 pts
10St. Louis County4.1+1.3 pts
12Mahnomen County4+1 pts
12Mille Lacs County4+0.9 pts
12Renville County4+1.2 pts
15Beltrami County3.9+1 pts
15Ramsey County3.9+0.9 pts
15Steele County3.9+1.1 pts
18Carlton County3.8+1 pts
18Faribault County3.8+1.4 pts
18Hennepin County3.8+0.9 pts
18Hubbard County3.8+0.8 pts
18Todd County3.8+0.8 pts
23Anoka County3.6+0.8 pts
23Chippewa County3.6+1.3 pts
23Crow Wing County3.6+0.8 pts
23Isanti County3.6+0.7 pts
23Morrison County3.6+1.1 pts
23Waseca County3.6+0.8 pts
29Benton County3.5+0.8 pts
29Dakota County3.5+0.9 pts
29Lake County3.5+0.8 pts
29Wadena County3.5+0.8 pts
33Chisago County3.4+0.6 pts
33Freeborn County3.4+1 pts
33Jackson County3.4+0.7 pts
36Carver County3.3+0.9 pts
36Cook County3.3+1 pts
36Cottonwood County3.3-0.4 pts
36Marshall County3.3+0.9 pts
36Martin County3.3+0.9 pts
36Meeker County3.3+0.8 pts
36Otter Tail County3.3+0.7 pts
36Pennington County3.3+0.5 pts
36Washington County3.3+0.7 pts
45Goodhue County3.2+0.6 pts
45McLeod County3.2+0.6 pts
45Polk County3.2+0.8 pts
45Rice County3.2+0.8 pts
45Scott County3.2+0.8 pts
45Sherburne County3.2+0.7 pts
45Stearns County3.2+0.8 pts
52Grant County3.1+0.7 pts
52Kandiyohi County3.1+0.9 pts
52Le Sueur County3.1+0.5 pts
52Lincoln County3.1+1.1 pts
52Mower County3.1+0.8 pts
52Pope County3.1+0.9 pts
52Redwood County3.1+0.8 pts
52Roseau County3.1+0.4 pts
52Sibley County3.1+0.6 pts
52Wright County3.1+0.6 pts
52Yellow Medicine County3.1+1 pts
63Becker County3+0.5 pts
63Murray County3+0.6 pts
63Watonwan County3+0.2 pts
66Blue Earth County2.9+0.7 pts
66Brown County2.9+0.4 pts
66Douglas County2.9+0.8 pts
66Kittson County2.9+0.7 pts
66Lyon County2.9+0.9 pts
66Nobles County2.9+0.5 pts
66Olmsted County2.9+0.6 pts
66Rock County2.9+1.2 pts
66Winona County2.9+0.8 pts
75Big Stone County2.8+0.4 pts
75Clay County2.8+0.8 pts
75Dodge County2.8+0.6 pts
75Nicollet County2.8+0.6 pts
75Wabasha County2.8+0.6 pts
80Houston County2.7+0.4 pts
80Pipestone County2.7+0.9 pts
80Wilkin County2.7+0.7 pts
83Fillmore County2.6+0.5 pts
83Traverse County2.6+0.6 pts
85Lac qui Parle County2.5+0.4 pts
86Norman County2.30 pts
87Stevens County2.2+0.7 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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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Swift County, with 6.3% in September 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Stevens County, with 2.2% in September 2025.

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

Counties in Minnesota: more rankings