Community Education program brochures Metro North ABE - Consortium newsletter, Oct. 2018 | Page 6

Listening To What The
Data Has to Say
Metro North ABE knows the importance of data and
how it can help us plan our programming to best
serve our community.
Nothing tells a story like numbers.
And with labor market information,
we let the numbers do the talking.
At its most basic level, labor market
information includes data related to
employment and the workforce. All
of this information can be found on-
line through the Minnesota Depart-
ment of Employment and Economic
Development (DEED). More
specifically, DEED’s Labor Market
Information Office collects and
distributes information on
everything from occupational
wages to industry trends to
employment projections and more.
When this data is combined with
population data from the U.S.
Census Bureau, the story the
numbers can tell really starts to
become interesting.
Metro North ABE Labor
Market Information
One of the best things about labor
market information, is that it can
zoom in on local areas. Checking
out DEED’s labor market tools and
resources, along with the Census
Bureau’s American Fact Finder, one
can discover what’s happening in
the region covered by Metro North
ABE.
According to the most recent data
from the Census Bureau 2 ,
approximately 450,400 people live
4
Metro North ABE  Consortium

within the Metro North ABE
region, a little over eight percent
of Minnesota’s total population.
Overall, the region is slightly
younger than the state as a whole,
with over one-quarter of residents
being 17 years of age or younger.
Along with the rest of the state
and nation, however, the region is
becoming older in recent years
with the large Baby Boomer gen-
eration now between the ages of
54 and 72. Currently, just under
90,000 Baby Boomers live in the
Metro North ABE region, making
up nearly one-in-five residents.
While many older residents in Min-
nesota plan to keep working, or
look for new work, many more will
plan on retiring from the labor mar-
ket. This will open up a record
number of job vacancies throughout
the state and throughout the Metro
North ABE region.
So where might these job vacancies
be in the Metro North ABE region?
From DEED’s Quarterly Census of
Employment and Wages (QCEW)
data, as well as census data, one can
discover those industries and
occupations that are highly
concentrated within the area.
What’s at the top?
Manufacturing and Health Care and
Social Assistance. Out of 20 major
industry sectors, just under 30
percent of residents within the
Metro North ABE region work
_________________________________________
1
This region includes the following school districts
Spring Lake Park, and St. Francis.
S
2
2012 – 2016 American Community Survey 5-Year
within Manufacturing or Health
Care and Social Assistance (see
Figure 1). The large share of Metro
North ABE residents working in
Manufacturing and Healthcare
makes sense, as these two industries
are highly concentrated within the
area. For example, in Fridley, man-
ufacturing makes up over 37 per-
cent of the city’s total employment.
Health Care and Social Assistance
accounts for over 14 percent. So to-
gether, over half of Fridley’s total
jobs are within Manufacturing and
Healthcare.
Knowing which industries are
present in a local area can reveal
what occupations are more likely to
be in demand. Taking Fridley as an