Total jobs in the river corridor, 2013

The river corridor was home to 96,922 jobs in 2013, most of them centered in the Central Riverfront. This area includes both downtown and much of the University of Minnesota (see chart above). In recent years, the Central Riverfront has driven job growth overall in the river corridor. But the Upper River also continues to steadily increase its total jobs by about one percent per year. New investments in the Upper River have tended to focus on creating a greater density of jobs.

data source: 2013 Longitudinal-Employer Household Dynamics data, from the U. S. Census Bureau, acquired through On The Map application, area profile of workers at all types of jobs. Downloaded and analyzed September 2015. (Due to reporting lags for state-level data, 2014 data not available from Census Bureau.)

Percent Upper River corridor employees living in Minneapolis

Many areas of North and Northeast Minneapolis have high rates of employment. In part, residents lack enough ready access to well-matched, good-paying jobs. City leaders hope that creating jobs in the Upper River can help address that need. For this strategy to work, employers must hire surrounding residents.

The percentage of Upper River Corridor employees living in North and Northeast neighborhoods has gone up 15 percent in the last year, but is actually down four percent versus a decade ago.

Data source: 2003-2013 Longitudinal-Employer Household Dynamics data, from the U. S. Census Bureau, acquired through On The Map application area profile of workers at all types of jobs. (Due to reporting lags for state-level data, 2015 data not available from Census Bureau).

Revitalization:
LifeSource headquarters

In 2014, LifeSource wrapped up construction on a new $18.7 million, 40,000 square foot building on West River Road, just north of Broadway.

LifeSource procures organ and tissue donations for transplants, matching them with recipients. The building is sited to face the river. Healing gardens overlooking the river will provide a space for donors and recipients to share time and reflect on their journey.

“We want to be able to honor their decisions to give the gift of life in a very visible and tangible way,” CEO Susan Gunderson told the Star Tribune. “That was one of the real draws about the riverfront property. We’re planning to have a very meaningful garden.”

LifeSource expects about 125 employees to work from the location.

LifeSource image: Robert Spaulding for Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership. Page background image: photo courtesy Alan Turkus via CC BY 2.0 license via http://tinyurl.com/ldmnzpc ⋅ Image resolution reduced and gradient and graphic elements overlaid.