Demographic & Labor Statistics

The Greater Mankato region includes Blue Earth and Nicollet counties (Mankato-North Mankato MSA). While the MSA itself has a population of 103,566 as of the 2020 census, the regional draw of Greater Mankato is much larger. As a regional center, Greater Mankato is the hub for 287,175 people. 

Due to its strong pull as a retail and healthcare destination, Greater Mankato has an equally strong pull as an employment hub. Employers in our region report that their employees come from communities up to a 45-minute drive-time away. Within that drive-time, there are 163,591 people ages 16 and older. People in this labor force are hard-working, with a 2021 participation rate of 68.2%, which is 6.5 percentage points higher than the national average.

The industries in this drive-time with the most employees are as follows:

View the full Civilian Labor Force Profile (PDF) within a 15, 30, and 45-minute drive-time of the center of the Greater Mankato Area.

View the Greater Mankato Labor Shed Map (PDF)

The Demographic Landscape 

Greater Mankato's Population is expected to grow at a rate of .89% per year until 2026, exceeding both state and national projections. The population of the MSA is projected to be 111,443 by 2026. The region is also growing in diversity. While 93.1% of the population reported being white alone in the 2010 census, that number has dropped to 88.7% in 2021 and is projected to drop to 86.8% in 2026. In the 2020-2021 school year, Mankato Area Public Schools (MAPS) reported that 71.6% were white alone (learn more by reviewing MAPS' demographic booklets).

View the full Demographic and Income Profile (PDF) for the Mankato-North Mankato MSA (Blue Earth & Nicollet Counties).

Jobs & Employment

Jobs & Employment data for Greater Mankato comes from two datasets released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Greater Mankato Growth analyzes this data in our Greater Mankato Jobs Report.

Current Employment Statistics (CES) reports on nonfarm payroll in our region based on where people work. As people can be counted for each job they work, and people living outside of our region but working in our region are counted, this is an indicator of the number of jobs being worked in our region. In March 2022, there were 56,300 nonfarm payroll jobs being worked in Greater Mankato.

Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) reports on the number of people in our MSA who are employed, regardless of where they work. This shows us how many of our residents are employed. In March 2022 60,086 residents were employed - an all-time high for the month of March.