Minnesota’s Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.7 Percent

TWIN CITIES, MN — Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent in July, down from 8.6 percent in June, according to numbers released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Minnesota added 32,500 payroll jobs in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, up 1.2 percent over the month. The United States added 1.8 million jobs in July, up 1.3 percent.

The national unemployment rate is at 10.2 percent for July, down from 11.1 percent in June.

"We’re moving in the right direction, but job growth is slowing, a sign that this recovery will likely take some time," said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove in a news release.

"It’s important for Minnesotans to know that many employers are hiring now, and that resources are available to help people prepare for in-demand jobs through CareerForce."

Some groups of Minnesotans have been more affected by unemployment than others during the pandemic.

Based on six month moving averages, the unemployment rate for Black Minnesotans is 15.3 percent in July, up 9 percentage points from 6.3 percent one year ago.

For Hispanic Minnesotans, unemployment was 8.6 percent in July, up from 4.3 percent in July 2019. White Minnesotans have an unemployment rate of 6.3 percent in July, up from 3.1 percent one year ago.

Seasonally adjusted job gains in July were led by Leisure and Hospitality, up 17,200 (9.8 percent), with Accommodation and Food Service gaining 12,300 of the jobs (up 8.1 percent) and Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation gaining 4,900 jobs (up 20.4 percent), followed by Government with a gain of 6,200 (up 1.6 percent) mostly in Local Government and Education and Health Service, with a gain of 4,400 (up 0.9 percent), with Health Care and Social Assistance gaining 3,700 of those jobs (up 0.8 percent).