From a job numbers standpoint, the Great Recession appears to have ended in Minnesota.
The state surpassed its pre-recession high of 2.78 million jobs from February 2008 when it added 12,200 in August – the state’s best month since January, the Star Tribune reported.
"It's a positive development that we've regained more jobs than we lost in the recession," Steve Hine, Minnesota’s director of labor market information, told the Pioneer Press. "But we're still not back to where we can say that the economy is fully recovered."
With the job increase, the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.1 percent – the national unemployment rate is 7.3, according to the Star Tribune.
Hine said Minnesota is the 17th state in the U.S. to return to its prerecession levels.
“We have certainly passed a milestone that’s a significant one,” he said.
