Major Employers: A Diverse List Means a Diverse Economy
A number of economists have remarked that the St. Cloud MN region is somewhat recession proof because of its diverse economy: the area is not dependent upon only one major employer. Indeed, the region boasts a mix of small manufacturers, agricultural and agriculture-related entities, a growing health care industry, emerging professional services, a thriving printing industry, an active retail component, and several large public sector employers. That diversity is reflected in this list of the area's largest employers:

Company Description Employees
CentraCare Health Systems/St. Cloud Hospital Health care 6,232
Coborn's Inc. Grocery (20 mile radius of St. Cloud) 2,062
State of MN SCSU, SCTC, Correctional Facility, Dept. of Transportation, Public Safety, Work Force Center/Job Service 2,182
Education  2,000
Freezer Manufacturer 1,472
Veterans Adm. Medical Center VA Hospital  1,101
Gold'n Plump Chicken Production, Processing, and Marketing   867
Cold Spring Granite Quarry, manufacturer of granite products   850
St. John's University Higher education   778
City of St. Cloud City Government   735
Stearns County County Government   698
Wolters Kluwer Financial Services National provider of products and services to financial institutions.   650
Merrill Corp. Managed communications products and services   640
Catholic Charities Human services   607
Nahan Printing Commercial and Direct Mail Printing   603
Verso Paper Publication Catalog and Papers   588
New Flyer USA Bus Manufacturer   580
Sauk Rapids School District #47 Education   562
Knife River Aggregate, concrete products, asphalt

  530
Fingerhut Direct Marketing Direct mail catalog   530
Woodcraft Industries Wood Cabinet Manufacturer   527
Antioch Company/Creative Memories Photo album manufacturing

  500

 

SOURCE: 2007 City of St. Cloud Assessor's Report, Partnership Data, Chamber of Commerce Community Profile