Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The City of Rochester is located in Southeast Minnesota and is the state's third-largest city. Data collected by the United States Census indicates that the City has 121,395 residents. The City’s largest industry is Healthcare, with Mayo Clinic as the largest employer. The City has great diversity, with a large number of migrant and immigrant community members. A snapshot of the city's diversity can be summarized as follows;

• 73.2% of residents are white, and 26.8% are BIPOC residents
• 14.1% of residents are foreign-born
• 82% of residents speak English only, and 18.7% speak a language other than English
• 16% of residents are age 65 and older
• 12.4% of residents have a disability
• 6% of residents are veterans
• 7.4% of residents below the poverty level by income
• Age data* - Important to note that data for age 18 and below indicates a large shift in race and ethnicity data (Approximately 40% BIPOC in RPS school district)

Detailed additional information can be found on the United States Census Bureau website.

“The City of Rochester is committed to a community where all members feel a sense of belonging. We commit to recognizing the diversity of our community members, listening to ALL voices and providing equitable services to create an inclusive place to live, play and work.

We believe EQUITY should be at the center of all our work. We strive to represent our community in our teammates, as we know that diverse and inclusive teams are more innovative, and have an empowering impact on the work, progress and culture of our community.

We recognize that we reside on the land of Indigenous People. We commit to learning, repairing harm, and honoring the Indigenous communities that cared for the land before us.

We acknowledge the racial, economic and social disparities that exist in our community, and commit to engaging in personal and systemic changes to impact these disparities. We commit to educating ourselves on inequities to better provide services to our community. We promise to lead by example and hold ourselves accountable.

It takes us all working together.”

The state of Minnesota protects the Civil Rights of residents through the Minnesota Human Rights Act. This is to ensure that residents can live free from discrimination. To understand your rights, or report an incident of discrimination, please visit their website.

In 2021, the City of Rochester established its Community Engagement/Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (CE/DEI) Working Group. With the help of the CE/DEI Working Group, City of Rochester teammates were engaged to draft a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Commitment Statement. This statement is an internal and external commitment by the City of Rochester to equity work.

On November 30, 2021, the City of Rochester hosted its very first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion symposium for teammates to learn from keynote speakers and share department-specific DEI action plans. Over 250 City teammates participated and shared cross-departmental work. 

The City of Rochester and Destination Medical Center EDA engaged MaKee Company to conduct a study of barriers to Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms.

Following a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion audit of department efforts, organization-wide efforts, and our community during the first quarter of 2021, three goals were adopted for FY 2022:

1. Recruitment and Retention of diverse teammates
2. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion professional development
3. Community connection and engagement

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plans were developed by each department for implementation in FY 2022.

The City of Rochester is committed to building a culture of sustainability, both internally as a municipality and more broadly within the community. A truly sustainable community balances environmental and economic aspects and also seeks to incorporate social equity components. A socially sustainable community seeks to provide the processes, structures, systems, resources, and relationships that enable all Rochester residents to thrive.

• In 2020, the City of Rochester convened a Community Sustainability and Resiliency Task Force to assist in developing and implementing a Sustainability and Resiliency Community Plan. The task force included 45 community members, representing a diverse cross-section of voices and perspectives. The Sustainability and Resiliency Community Work Plan outlines 34 strategies and 107 tactics across 6 focus areas, each with its own justification for how it is equitable for our community and makes our community more sustainable.