Top 10 Manufacturing Companies in Minnesota

Above: A photo of a 3M facility in Hutchinson, MN, featured in 3M's post: The new face of manufacturing: How a small community is retooling to attract a skilled workforce. Credit: 3M

With a robust economy, abundant capital funding, an educated workforce, and sharp focus on technology and innovation, Minnesota has a lot to offer manufacturers. According to CNBC’s Best States for Business study for 2019, the state of Minnesota ranks 7th in the nation for business conditions, scoring an “A-” for technology and innovation, and an “A+ for education.

Today, we’re exploring the latest statistics on Minnesota’s robust manufacturing sector and diving into the ten largest manufacturing companies in the state.

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According to data collected by MNI, compiler of the industrial information that powers IndustrySelect, Minnesota is currently home to 7,481 manufacturers employing 432,628 workers. These include some major names in food processing and medical device manufacturing, which we’ll dive into in a moment. But first, here are some key statistics on the Minnesota’s manufacturing sector based on data collected by MNI.

The Latest Facts on Minnesota’s Manufacturing Sector

According to MNI, Minneapolis is Minnesota’s largest city based on industrial employment, home to 48,602 workers. This is followed by St. Paul with 35,278 jobs and Plymouth with 10,165 workers.

Read more: Top Manufacturing Cities in the U.S.

Other top cities in Minnesota include

• Rochester (9,956 jobs)
• Eagan (9,787 jobs)
• Bloomington (9,674 jobs)
• Eden Prairie (9,634 jobs)

Hennepin County is Minnesota’s largest in terms of industrial jobs, home to 152,271 workers. This is followed by Ramsey County (59,412), Dakota (34,625), Anoka (20,130) and Stearns (18,764).

Taking a look at the state’s top industries, food manufacturing and industrial machinery account for a large share of the state's industrial jobs, each encompassing 15% of Minnesota's industrial workforce. Instruments and related products, printing and publishing, and fabricated metal products are also major industries in the state. 

According to IndustrySelect’s database of 460,000 U.S. industrial companies, there are 28,419 executive contacts currently associated with Minnesota’s 7,400+ manufacturing companies. These include 3,923 presidents, 2,673 owners and partners; 2,451 vice-presidents and 2,389 sales, marketing and purchasing executives.

Other facts to know about Minnesota manufacturers, based on IndustrySelect’s advanced criteria available to subscribers, include ownership, distribution and other trends. Let’s take a look:

• 2% of Minnesota manufacturers are women-owned
• 1% are minority-owned
• 9% are publicly-owned companies
• 11% import raw materials
• 26% distribute their products internationally.

Minnesota is home to a number of major companies in the food processing, electronics and medical devices industries. Next, we’ll take a look at the state’s top companies.

Top 10 Manufacturing Companies in Minnesota

About the Top 10 Manufacturing Companies in Minnesota

1. 3M (St. Paul, MN)

Founded in 1902 as a small mining operation in Minnesota, 3M is today a global leader and innovator, producing a wide range of products in the worker safety, healthcare and consumer sectors. The company’s St. Paul facility specializes in display films, large-format printing, touch screens, electronic components, filtration supplies and paper products and ranks as the state’s top industrial employer, with 10,100 workers.

2. IBM (Rochester, MN)

Headquartered in Armonk, NY, IBM (International Business Machines) is a global leader in computer hardware, middleware and software. The company also provides consulting services. This location in Rochester, also known as the “Big Blue Zoo” due to its distinctive blue-paneled architecture, has produced a wide range of computer systems and software since its inception in 1958. Today, 5,300 employees work at its milelong facility, making it Minnesota’s second-largest industrial employer.

3. Cargill, Inc (Wayzata, MN)

Cargill, Inc. is a global food industry giant, and in terms of revenue, ranks as the largest private corporation in the United States. The Wayzata location serves as the company’s headquarters and employs 3,500 workers.

4. General Mills, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN)

General Mills was founded in 1866 in Minneapolis. A global leader in the food products industry, General Mills produces well-known brands such as Annie’s, Cheerios, Nature Valley, Green Giant, Hagen Daaz and more. 3,200 employees work at this location, which serves as the company’s headquarters.

5. Winnebago Industries, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)

Winnebago Industries, Inc. in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is a titan in the manufacturing industry, particularly known for its production of high-quality motor homes and self-contained recreation vehicles. This company has carved out a niche for itself in the realm of outdoor recreation, providing products that are synonymous with carefree and enjoyable experiences.

6. Boston Scientific Corp. (St. Paul, MN)

Boston Scientific is major medical devices manufacturer, headquartered in Marlboro, Massachusetts. This Boston Scientific Corp in St. Paul specializes in pacemakers & automatic implantable defibrillators and employs 2,600.

7. Marvin Windows & Doors (Warroad, MN)

Marvin Windows & Doors is a family-owned and operated company and has become a household name in the lumber industry, having produced windows and doors in the U.S. for more than a century. This facility in Warroad, MN, makes wood-clad windows and doors and employs 2,600.

8. Anderson Corp. (Bayport, MN)

Another major window and door producer, Anderson Corp ranks 9th in the state with 2,500 employees at this Bayport location.

9. Medtronic Structural Heart (Mounds View, MN)

Exemplifying Minnesota’s stronghold in the medical devices industry, this Medtronic location is one of ten Medtronics facilities in the state of Minnesota. Employing 2,500, the Structural Heart location focuses on artificial cardiac pacemakers. Founded in 1949 in Minneapolis as a medical equipment repair facility, Medtronic is today among the world’s largest medical devices companies, headquartered in Ireland, with locations in 140 countries.

10. JBS (Worthington, MN)

Brazil-based JBS is among the world’s largest food processing companies with multiple locations in the U.S., including its Greely, CO headquarters. The Worthington, MN pork production plant employs 2,100 and processes 20,000 hogs per day.

Interested in other states? Browse all of our state news here. Looking for state manufacturers directories or databases? See our state manufacturing data here. 

Looking for Industrial Sales Leads in Minnesota?

For those looking to do business with manufacturers, IndustrySelect’s database of 460,000 industrial businesses is a top resource for both developing and researching sales leads in the manufacturing sector. An IndustrySelect subscription can put you on a first-name basis with Minnesota’s 9,600 industrial companies and 28,000 executives. Subscribers can select up to 30 data points on any manufacturing company in the U.S. to help identify or pre-qualify leads. Company profiles also include the contact information for hard-to-find executive decision-makers. Try a free demo today!

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Rochester
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/about-3m/history/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargill
https://www.cargill.com/about/company-overview
https://www.computerhope.com/comp/digi-key-electronics.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Mills
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Scientific
https://www.marvin.com/our-story
https://jbssa.com/about/locations/
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medtronic

 Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2021. It is updated annually to reflect new statistics for the state.