What are the major industries in Minnesota?

Question

What are the major industries in Minnesota?

Answer 1

During the last 12 days of summer (always ending on Labor day) the MAIN industry of Minnesota is the Minnesota State Fair with an average of a 1/4 of the state's population showing up for this event!

Minnesota's earliest industries were fur trading and agriculture; the city of Minneapolis grew around the flour mills powered by St. Anthony Falls. Although less than 1% of the population is employed in the agricultural sector, it remains a major part of the state's economy, ranking 6th in the nation in the value of products sold.

The state is the U.S.'s largest producer of sugar beets, sweet corn, and green peas for processing, and farm-raised turkeys.

Forestry remains strong, including logging, pulpwood processing and paper production, and forest products manufacturing.

Minnesota was famous for its soft-ore mines, which produced a significant portion of the world's iron ore for over a century. Although the high-grade ore is now depleted, taconite mining continues, using processes developed locally to save the industry. In 2004, the state produced 75% of the country's usable iron ore.

The mining boom created the port of Duluth which continues to be important for shipping ore, coal, and agricultural products. The manufacturing sector now includes technology and biomedical firms in addition to the older food processors and heavy industry.

The nation's first indoor shopping mall was Edina's Southdale Center and its largest is Bloomington's Mall of America.