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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The economy in the Rochester area continued to set new employment-related records last month.

The latest data issued by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development shows overall employment in Olmsted County rose above 91,000 for the first time in July. The total was 91,315 while the local labor force hit another all-time high of 92,895.

Companies Struggle To Fill Low-Wage Positions In Tight Job Market
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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That pushed the unemployment rate for Olmsted County down two-tenths of a percentage point from June to 1.7%. That is nearly a half of a percentage point higher than the record low rate of 1.3% reached in May but it is almost a full percentage point lower than the jobless rate from July of last year.

Regionwide, only one county reported an unemployment rate above 2% in July. Freeborn County had a jobless rate of 2.2%, while Houston County had the lowest rate in the region at 1.6%. Every county reported a drop in joblessness. Winona and Wabasha counties reported the biggest declines at three-tenths of a percentage point.

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LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.

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