Employment

83,464 employees, and increasing.

The river corridor hosted 83,464 jobs in 2011. Due to economic activity trends in the Central Riverfront, we expect this number to increase as data for more recent years becomes available.

The Upper River is employing a smaller share from surrounding neighborhoods.

The Upper River has been a particular focus for jobs development. The Upper River is adjacent to neighborhoods where individuals tend to have lower levels of education and exhibit some of the highest levels of unemployment in the city. About half of the jobs in the Upper River are in manufacturing, warehousing, wholesale trade, and construction - areas that tend to have lower-skilled and lower-wage jobs. As the chart below shows, the percentage of Upper River corridor employees living in the city has actually been going down over the last ten years.

Riverfront Job Density, 2011

Transformation: new 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.