NAICS 23

Construction in St. Cloud, MN

Metro Market Score 62.4 (Difficult), ranked #298 of 342 metros. 714 establishments, 8,017 jobs.

Metro Market Score 62.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

💰High-Cost Market

St. Cloud is a specialized hub for construction, with a location quotient of 1.46 and industry concentration in the bottom quartile. Higher-than-average firm density means more competition for talent and customers, but also a deeper local supply chain and client pool.

Industry Concentration

88.6

LQ: 1.46

Rank #303 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

94.7

$90,243 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 74.0

Employment growth index

Rank #90 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

43.9

YoY wage change index

714 Construction Firms in St. Cloud

714

Establishments

+1.0% YoY

8,017

Total Employment

+4.8% YoY

$90,243

Average Annual Wage

+8.6% YoY

1.46

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Minnesota

#4 of 5

construction metros in state

Minnesota state rank

#14 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+3.0

worse than median (59.5)

St. Cloud vs Minnesota Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Minnesota overall. The state ranks #14/51 for entry risk.

Measure	St. Cloud	MN Statewide
Overall Score	62.4 Difficult	37.3 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#298 of 342 metros	#14 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in St. Cloud

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 15.9 Accommodation and Food Services 39.7 Other Services 43.9 Retail Trade 54.1 Healthcare and Social Assistance 57.2 Information 57.9 Finance and Insurance 58.9 Administrative and Support Services 60.4

Construction in Other Minnesota Metros

Rochester 46.2 #156/342 Mankato 51.1 #208/342 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington 59.5 #279/342 Duluth 65.2 #313/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of St. Cloud's 62.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 62.4 #297/342 Salem, OR 63.0 #299/342 Fond du Lac, WI 61.7 #296/342 Urban Honolulu, HI 61.6 #295/342 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 63.2 #300/342 Midland, TX 63.3 #301/342 Sioux City, IA 63.4 #302/342 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 63.4 #303/342 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 61.5 #294/342 Lafayette, LA 63.4 #304/342

Construction in States Bordering Minnesota

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Wisconsin 25.1 #1/51 Iowa 34.3 #7/51 South Dakota 34.7 #9/51 North Dakota 58.3 #47/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For St. Cloud's construction sector, the wage competitiveness component (94.7) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the St. Cloud, MN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment