Rice County, MN jobs, unemployment and layoffs
Independent page. Not from or affiliated with the State of Minnesota.
Looking for work in Minnesota? See where you stand.
Not sure you match what employers here are hiring for? Get a free read on your fit, the jobs open near you and a plan for the weeks ahead.
Show me jobs near meRice County economy
4.3%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.2% the month before
36,273
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
67,389
people in Rice County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$82,792
median household income
Source: Census ACS
35%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Rice County outlook: Steady
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs up 5.5% from 2022 to 2025
- Population up 4.2% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 4.3%, up 1.1 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: manufacturing (+428 jobs)
Local job-market news
Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Rice County. Each link goes to the publisher.
- A number of Goodyear employees to be laid offAudacy on MSN · Oct 29, 2026
Learn and get funded in Rice County
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Rice County layoffs
No layoff notices naming Rice County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.
Employers hiring most in Rice County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- Carleton College3 open roles
- GPAC3 open roles
- Apogee Enterprises2 open roles
- Aurora Pharmaceutical1 open role
- City of Faribault, MN1 open role
- Hci Mn1 open role
- Hormel1 open role
- Mechanics Marketplace1 open role
- Penske Truck Leasing1 open role
- Sheldahl Flexible Technologies1 open role
Largest employers headquartered in Rice County
- Carleton College1,001–5,000 employees
Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.
Colleges in Rice County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carleton College | Northfield | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| St Olaf College | Northfield | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Rice County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in Minnesota? How to file for unemployment in Minnesota (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
- Workforce Development Board of Southeast Minnesota
Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha
CareerForce in Faribault
Faribault · Affiliate · 507-333-2088
8:00am - 4:30pm Mon-Thur Drop in, Fri appointment only
Cities in Rice County
Other Minnesota counties
Laid off or looking for work in Rice County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Minnesota’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Minnesota unemployment benefits and severance rules.
Applying and hearing nothing back?
Find out where you stand: your odds, the jobs that fit you and a plan for the week ahead. Free. No résumé needed.
Already a member? Log in
Job seekers in Rice County looking to you for help, or openings you cannot fill?
Leave your work email. We'll send how organizations use NextChapter to reach job seekers in Rice County.