Employment, Workforce and Income

Employment, Workforce and Income
The City of Roseau is a major employment center for northern Minnesota. Roseau is a net importer of workers (more jobs available than population of the city). As a result, many people from around the region come to Roseau each day for work and services. In 2005, Roseau County had a workforce of 10,827. The 2005 unemployment rate for Roseau County averaged 4.2%. In general Roseau's unemployment rate has been slightly below the State and National averages, fluctuating between 3-5%. Personal income for Roseau County is $28,821, well above the state non-metro average of $25,990. Roseau County ranks 18th out of Minnesota's 87 counties in total personal income. Roseau County, along with the adjacent counties of Kittson and Pennington lead Minnesota's non-metro counties in personal income.

Retail Sales
Roseau's market area extends up to 60 miles, encompassing all of Roseau County, Lake of the Woods County and portions of Marshall, Kittson, Pennington and Beltrami counties and southeast Manitoba, Canada. Retail sales in Roseau County for the year 2000 were $170 million; which is in excess of other nearby regional centers in Northern Minnesota including Pennington County ($142 million, Thief River Falls) and Koochiching County ($131 million, International Falls). Only two counties in northwest Minnesota had higher retail sales: Polk County ($210 million, East Grand Forks and Crookston) and Beltrami County ($431 million, Bemidji). Current retail sales information on individual cities in Roseau County are not available, however, past figures indicate that sales in the City of Roseau represent approximately 60-70% of retail sales in the county. Roseau also boasts a healthy main street which provides products and services to local, county and regional residents. Unlike many other smaller communities, Roseau's businesses continue to flourish due to Roseau's unique location and strong manufacturing and agricultural economy.