Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester area economy continues to fuel strong job growth.

The latest jobs data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development shows that local job gains continued to lead the state in July. The job growth rate for the Rochester area rose to 5.9% compared to 4.7% in June.

The report indicates the Rochester area has seen a net gain of more than 7,600 jobs over the past 12 months. That’s up by 1,500 jobs compared to the data from June.

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The job growth rate in the Rochester area remains the strongest in Minnesota. The Mankato area was the only other regional center to report strong job growth in July. The south-central Minnesota city and surrounding areas saw a net gain of more than 2,900 jobs for a job growth rate of 5.3%.

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The Twin Cities metropolitan area experienced a net gain of 16,000 jobs from July of last year through last month, but the job growth rate for the Twin Cities remained below 1%. Duluth also reported a job growth rate just below 1%, with a net gain of slightly under 1,000 jobs over the past year. The state report indicates St. Cloud has seen its total jobs decline slightly since July of last year.

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The report says the entire state has seen a net gain of about 35,000 jobs year over year for a job growth rate of 1.2%. For the month of July, the state experienced a net loss of 4,400 jobs, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose by two-tenths of a percentage point to 3.5%. A year ago in July, the jobless rate was 3.2%.

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