Workforce News

Mapping the future of work in Ramsey County: Trends, demographics, and workforce strategies

04 March 2025

Despite increased connectivity and the rise of online education and remote work, geography continues to play a pivotal role in accessing opportunities. As Ramsey County Workforce Solutions strives to strengthen the community, assessing changes in demographics, migration and commuting behaviors is essential for personalizing workforce development and achieving the best results for employers and individual workers.

To start the conversation, Workforce Solutions hosted a webinar exploring five top workforce trends in Ramsey County on February 19 featuring Erin Olson, Senior Director of Strategic Research at RealTime Talent. The in-depth report offers local employers, policymakers, and community leaders insights on the geography of remote work, automation in the workplace, the transformative role of AI and automation locally, and how these trends vary across Ramsey County. Each trend speaks to these questions:

Who does the work
Where people work
How the work gets done

Throughout 2025, we will highlight different workplace trends and showcase how communities and organizations across Ramsey County are changing and adapting.

The geography of work in Ramsey County

In Ramsey County, industry representation varies from urban to suburban settings. Across the county, management of companies and enterprises, public administration, healthcare and social assistance, and education all have an overconcentration of jobs. In Saint Paul, the representation level in these sectors is even higher. The concentration of these sectors lessens in the suburbs while manufacturing and utility careers are more highly represented.

Worker age and educational attainment

Who is working in Ramsey County today?

Ramsey County’s population is growing at an average rate of 0.2% annually – lower than the statewide average and the seven-county metro – but certain areas of the county are trending younger based on recent population data. A comparison of age data, shows the median age of Saint Paul residents remains at 33.1 years while the average age in Ramsey County has climbed from 35.3 to 35.7 between 2021 and 2024.

What does this mean for the workforce?

When compared to neighbors in the seven-county metro area and Minnesota, Saint Paul has a young population and a sizable young workforce – a critical asset for economic growth. Heading out into the suburbs, the average age in the workforce skews older with a jump to 24% of the workforce in the age 54 or older bracket compared to 18% in Saint Paul.

The trend persists in certain industries, and it leads to both positive and negative scenarios. On the plus side, having an aging workforce can point to a welcoming organizational culture and the ability to drive job retention – both plusses for the local economy. Concerns appear when looking at replacement needs in a specific industry, such as manufacturing.

“About 27% of suburban Ramsey County’s manufacturing workforce is 55 or older. Furthermore, we estimate that suburban Ramsey County manufacturing businesses may need to replace up to half of their currently employed workforce with new manufacturing workers over the next five years due to retirements and other career exits,” Olson explained. “That doesn’t even account for normal turnover within the industry or additional growth demand needs beyond those replacement demands.” Forming partnerships now to address replacement employment needs and identifying new recruitment methods will be crucial for enterprises to maintain staffing levels.

Educational trends in Ramsey County

Across Minnesota, the percentage of the population with a high school diploma or some college as their highest level of education attainment has declined. Within the MSP Metro, the share of talent with a bachelor’s degree or higher has increased while the share with an associate's degree was maintained.

The overall rise in educational attainment in Ramsey County has it approaching averages for the larger MSP Metro but with a higher share of the local workforce never attaining a postsecondary credential. The share of the workforce holding a bachelor’s degree grew the most in Ramsey County.

When looking at specific industries, such as manufacturing and healthcare, geography again plays an important role in workforce demand. For manufacturing careers across Ramsey County, a large share of the talent pool holds a high school diploma or less as their highest credential; however a greater share of the manufacturing workforce in suburban Ramsey County holds a bachelor's degree. These manufacturing careers are also more concentrated in northern Ramsey County suburban communities with electromedical device and printing industries providing a high concentration and volume of employment.

Meanwhile, healthcare sees a more dramatic variance with a higher number of workers holding a bachelor’s degree working in suburban Ramsey County while more careers in Saint Paul require a Master’s degree or a Ph.D. This follows the geographic distribution of the types of institutions and care facilities across the county. In Saint Paul, more hospitals and specialized care services require more advanced levels of education. Suburban communities with higher concentrations of residential care facilities and home healthcare services employ more talent with a two-year degree, certificate, or a bachelor’s degree.

As both age and educational demands continue to bring new challenges and opportunities to Ramsey County, Workforce Solutions is here to help. Contact us today to speak with a Workforce Development Representative, and sign up for the Workforce Innovation Board, Youth Works!, and Job Seeker newsletters to learn more about workforce shifts in Ramsey County.