The Grand Forks Region has a highly productive, well-educated, dedicated workforce, and it shows. Businesses located in the Grand Forks region benefit from lower worker absenteeism, low employee turnover and fewer work stoppages - all promoting a business environment that maximizes productivity and success.
Workforce by the Numbers
| 97,279 - Grand Forks MSA* population |
| 4.1% unemployment rate (June 2009) |
| 4.1% ND unemployment rate. (national rate is 9.6%) |
| 55,621 - Grand Forks MSA available labor force |
| 93% are high school graduates |
| 30% have Bachelor's degree |
| 43 is Median workforce age |
| 11 years average length of tenure |
| Extremely low absenteeism and turnover rates |
Wage Growth
| $37,284 average annual salary for Grand Forks County |
Grand Forks Major Employers
| Employer | Product/Service | Estimated # of Employees |
| University of North Dakota | Post- Secondary Education | 6,385 |
| Altru Health System | Health Care | 3,818 |
| Grand Forks Air Force Base | Military | 2,500 |
| Grand Forks School District | Public Education | 1,250 |
| Hugo's Family Marketplace | Grocery | 900 |
| LM Wind Power | Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturer | 900* |
| Valley Memorial Homes | Nursing | 655 |
| Wal-Mart | Discount Retail | 500 |
| City of Grand Forks | City Government | 375 |
| J.R. Simplot | Food Processing | 350 |
| Minnkota Power Cooperative | Power Plant | 325 |
| Target | Retail | 300* |
| American Crystal Sugar | Sugar Beet Processing | 300 |
| Grand Forks County | County Government | 275 |
| Canad Inns | Hotel & Entertainment Center | 265 |
| Menards | Home Improvement | 250 |
| Amazon.com | Call Center | 200 |
| Opp Construction | Construction | 200 |
| Ecolab | Pest Control | 170 |
| Wells Concrete | Concrete Supplier | 170 |
| Grand Forks Herald | Newspaper | 160 |
| Alerus Financial | Financial Services | 135 |
| ND Mill & Elevator | Food Products | 135 |
| Dakota Aircraft Coop. (Cirrus) | Airplane Manufacturing | 130 |
| Sears | Retail | 110 |
| Agsco | Manufacturing | 50 |
| Wood Products, Inc. (formerly American Woods, Inc.) | Cedar Lawn Furniture |
45 |
* Most recent available
Source: Springsted, Inc. telephone survey June 2009
Jobs Over $40k
Jobs Service Grand Forks has a listing of all currently available jobs in the region that pay $40,000 or more. This webpage allows job seekers looking for a specific salary range to more easily identify a job that's pay meets their needs. |
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Launch Grand Forks
Launch Grand Forks is an initiative by the EDC and the GGF Young Professionals that works to attract and retain talented adults to the Grand Forks Region to keep our workforce growing in strength and numbers. It is just one way the EDC helps business and industry succeed in Grand Forks. To find out more about the initiative visit www.launchgrandforks.blogspot.com. |
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Young Professionals Workforce Initiative
Stemming from the above Launch Grand Forks project, the Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals (YP) are taking an active role in strengthening and growing our community's workforce through the attraction and retention of young, talented adults. The YPs are currently working with the EDC, The Chamber, UND, City of Grand Forks, and numerous local businesses and organizations to implement plans, programs, and strategies to attract new talent to our region and keep our young talent here. |
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Link
The Link program brings together community professionals and university students in the same discipline allowing them to connect and discuss opportunities such as internships, jobs, and projects as well as ask questions and network. More information on following Link programs can be found at: Link: Engineering Link: Communication www.linkcommunicationgrandforks.blogspot.com |
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North Dakota Union Facts
Total reported Union Members: 7,358
Assets: $2,923,494
Receipts: $7,491,095
Disbursements: $7,537,132
Percentage of Workforce Unionized in 2005
(Source: www.unionfacts.com)
Employee Turnover Rates
Employee turnover rates are expected to be 20-30 percent nationwide. North Dakota boasts employee turnover rates less than 15 percent, in fact some employers do not even track turnover because it’s not an issue.
Employee Absentee Rates
Many have likely heard of North Dakotan's fantastic work ethic. North Dakotans’ know at a young age that absenteeism is unacceptable. In ND we have the second highest average daily attendance as a percentage of fall enrollments in our high schools. For businesses and employers, this translates into hard workers who were raised with the values of commitment and dependability.
Consider this: Over 85 percent of the North Dakota employers in one labor study indicated their daily absenteeism is less than 6 percent. In fact, many North Dakota businesses don’t even consider absenteeism as a cost of doing business.
Underemployment Rates
The unemployment rate in North Dakota averages 3.0 percent. This low unemployment rate can be deceiving, because ND has a significant amount of underemployed workers searching for a change of pace.
North Dakota’s underemployed represents prospective workers. They are individuals working in a job below their skill level or training. A number of North Dakota communities conducted labor availability studies in September of 2006. The average number of job seekers – or underemployed workers – in these communities was 31.3 percent.
Another North Dakota community conducted a survey of its existing workforce and found the following:
Local Business Database
North Dakota Department of Commerce maintains a database about local businesses in the Greater Grand Forks area, as well as the remainder of North Dakota.
North Dakota Department of Commerce Database
Grand Forks, ND Labor Availability Study 
*Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): Grand Forks ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Grand Forks County, ND & Polk County, MN. MSA's have at lease one urbanized area of 50,000 or more in population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by community patters. MSA's are defined interims of whole counties or equivalent entities.