Rochester Area Jobless Rate Drops to Pre-Pandemic Level

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The unemployment rate for the Rochester area last month was the lowest reported since the arrival of the pandemic last year.

The latest jobs report from the state put the jobless rate for Olmsted County in September at 2.4 percent. That was down nearly a half percentage point from August and more than two full percentage points when compared to September of last year.

North Rochester Target store/photo by Kim David -

It was also the lowest rate for Rochester since November 2019, several months before the COVID-19 economic shutdown. The report also shows the pre-pandemic unemployment rate from September 2019 was only two percent.

Across southeastern Minnesota, Houston County reported the lowest unemployment rate in September at 2 percent The highest jobless rate across the region was 2.7 percent in Freeborn County, where the rate fell nearly a full percentage point from October.

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Source: Rochester Area Jobless Rate Drops to Pre-Pandemic Level

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