Northwest Minnesota sees highest unemployment rate since December 2016

Northwest Minnesota sees highest unemployment rate since December 2016

BEMIDJI — Northwest Minnesota's economic outlook is worse now than it has been in previous years, a recent study found. According to the Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program, along with Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development staff and northwest Minnesota workforce development professionals in the CareerForce system, the unemployment rate in northwest Minnesota was 5.9% in December 2025, an increase of 2.2% from De…