About Economy Data
Most readily available published data about Health at the local level are available from state and federal-level Government agencies. This page describes statistical information from the following:
- Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
- U.S. Census Bureau
How to Get Started
If you are searching for general economic data on Northfield or county level data for Dakota and Rice counties, start with this guide to geographic distribution of economic data from the Census and AFF.
- Guide to Data by Geographic AreaThis web page contains a complete list of all economic data gathered by the Census and related programs in AFF. Data available at the county and city level is clearly marked.
Business and Industry
The Department of Employment and Economic Development and the U.S. Census are two of the main resources for business and industry data.
- Census FactFinder: Business and IndustryEconomy-wide statistics (number of establishments, annual payroll, number of employees) as well as data from the 2014 American Community Survey on occupation, industry, and commuting characteristics by sex.
- Labor Market Information: Department of Employment and Economic DevelopmentLabor market information on population, median weekly salary, job vacancies, mean travel time to work, and multiple other metrics.
If you want to look at industries with bases in Northfield or the surrounding counties, try using Mergent Online or Mergent Intellect.
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Corporate financial information for U.S. and international public companies. Includes annual reports, corporate history, ownership structure changes, subsidiaries, property holdings, annual and quarterly financial data (current and historical), 30 years of stock prices, current long term debt, balance sheets, income statements, cash flow, bonds, Moody's ratings, capital stock, and links to recent news reports. Also includes country profiles and time series economic data back to 1984. Create customized analyses and comparison reports for companies and their industries. Financials can be searched and downloaded into spreadsheet format. - Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Basic company information for over 20 million North American and 70 million global companies (directory information from Hoovers and Dun and Bradstreet) as well as industry profiles. Also includes WhitePages data allowing for people and business search including reverse phone lookup. The Global Corporate Family Tree feature places companies into their full ownership context. Customized reports and lists can be downloaded to Excel, Word and PDF formats.
Mergent Online has a complicated interface. For guidance, refer to this Mergent Online Tutorial from Boston University.
- Mergent Online Tutorial: Boston UniversityWalks through how to use Mergent Online search functions as well as how to construct custom company reports.
Income and GDP
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis provides local area data for personal income and employment. To navigate to specific counties (Dakota and Rice) first select the table you would like to work with (i.e. Farm Income and Expenses). Indicate "County" on the Major Area page, select for "Minnesota" under state, then select the specific counties. This interactive data tool also allows you to manipulate the unit of measure as well as which statistics you would like to include in the table.
- Regional Data: U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisThe Bureau of Economic Analysis provides local area personal income and employment down to the county level. This page also contains GDP and consumption expenditures at the state level.
Employment
The main resource for Minnesota unemployment data is the Department of Employment and Economic Development. Access county specific data for either Rice or Dakota counties.
- Local Area Unemployment Statistics: Department of Employment and Economic DevelopmentData on unemployment by county from 1990 - present.
Agriculture
Find recent and historical data down to the county level with the United States Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture. The online census data spans from 1840 - present. To navigate to county level data for Rice or Dakota counties, first choose a census year. Select Minnesota from the list of available states. Scroll down to "county tables". Note that older historical census years will classify Minnesota as a territory, and will not contain county level data.
In the historical census documents, metrics are listed down the left hand column once every two pages. Counties are listed alphabetically.
- Census of Agriculture: United States Department of AgricultureCensus data on farms and agricultural production from 1840 - present.
