St. Cloud serves as a regional center for both developing talent and caring for people’s wellness.
Education Hub
With many of the region’s top institutions, St. Cloud attracts local to international students. Some 35,000 students are currently enrolled, including 15,000 students at St. Cloud State University on their 100-acre campus along the Mississippi River. Our St. Cloud Technical and Community College educates many students looking for local careers in advanced manufacturing, applied engineering, and health services.
In terms of K-12 education, the St. Cloud area is home to 3 high-achieving, award-winning school districts with more than 16,000 students. Many of these schools specialize in helping prepare the future workforce. In fact, 12 high schools within a 1-hour radius of St. Cloud feature robotics programs.
Healthcare Hub
Between St. Cloud’s two largest health providers, CentraCare and the Veterans Administration Health Care System, nearly 1 million patients were cared for in 2014 alone. In addition to local residents, hundreds of patients travel to St. Cloud for our high caliber of health related services. In fact, the healthcare sector is our largest in terms of the number of employees – currently at more than 8,000 employees.
CentraCare holds a number of national distinctions for both the quality of their care and their treatment of employees, including:
- Truven 100 Top Hospitals (nine-time honoree)
- Listed on U.S. News & World Report "America's Best Hospitals"
- Nationally ranked for orthopedics and gastroenterology
- High performing in six specialties
- Diabetes & Endocinology
- Geriatrics
- Nephrology
- Neurology & Neurosurgery
- Pulmonology
- Urology
- Magnet Award for Excellency in Nursing
- Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal "Best Places to Work" (seven-time honoree)
- Gallup Great Workplace Award
- Women's Choice Awards in six categories
- America's 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience
- America's Best Bariatric Surgery
- America's Best Hospitals Cancer Care
- America's Best Hospitals for Heart Care
- America's Best Hospitals for Obstetrics
- America's Best Hospitals for Orthopedics
