Why River Falls?

This page highlights some of the best reasons for locating or expanding your business in River Falls. Check out this handy community opportunities profile for more location-specific information on our City!

Location

River Falls, Wisconsin is conveniently located along State Highways 35, 65 and 29, making River Falls only five minutes from I-94, 30 minutes from downtown St. Paul and 45 minutes from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Inter-national Airport. River Falls is located in St. Croix and Pierce counties, which are recognized among the state’s fastest growing counties. They are also included in the 16-county definition of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Business Climate

From attractive incentives for qualifying businesses to low interest loan programs, River Falls offers the perfect location for business expansions. There are significant savings on property, income and business taxes versus surrounding states.

River Falls offers the convenience of a Twin Cities location with significant cost saving and competitively priced and reliable electric and gas service. Lease rates are less than comparable facilities in the area and in the Twin Cities, and land costs less than surrounding communities.

Community Profile

River Falls is a full-service community uniquely positioned with close proximity to the Minnesota border and Twin Cities markets. A vibrant Main Street with a diverse mix of professional services, restaurants, and retail shops adds to the small-town charm of River Falls. A distinctive, vibrant and safe city with an abundance of nature and easy access to metropolitan amenities, where families and businesses have what they need to flourish.

Click here to see how River Falls is a unique and business friendly community.

Training Resources

River Falls has a strong educational system that offers individuals and businesses an exceptional resource.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls with 6,000+ students offers 40 academic programs in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Professional Studies and the College of Business and Economics. UW-River Falls also offers up-to-date facilities and instructional technologies and the opportunity to complete internships and applied research projects. 

The University of Wisconsin Internship Network (UWIN) is a collaboration between UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout and Momentum West to increase the number of internships in Western Wisconsin. The goal of this program is to connect students from the three participating universities with small and mid-sized organizations to help students gain professional experience.

The Chippewa Valley Technical College and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College both offer customized training opportunities for business and industry.

 Academic achievement is the foundation for student success, and River Falls students consistently perform at levels that exceed both the national and state averages. The River Falls School District and K-12 system serves over 2,500 students annually.

River Falls offers an excellent pool of potential employees for expanding companies. Currently more than 8,000 people leave the area to work in Minnesota on a daily basis. Graduates and students from UW-River Falls, Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College and Chippewa Valley Technical College provide a trained workforce resource to businesses. Numerous individuals are seeking local employment opportunities rather than commuting to the Twin Cities. River Falls has lower prevailing wage rates than the Twin Cities metro area. Local employment and training resources are available to assist expanding companies with start-ups and ongoing hiring and training needs.

Options for Finding Employment

The St. Croix Valley Job Center is located in River Falls and serves multiple counties as a resource for announcing and posting job vacancies. The Pierce and St. Croix County Economic Development Corporations also routinely publicize company expansions and relocations. The River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Work River Falls are other resources for job postings.

Data suggests that over 50% of the residents in River Falls commute to work for longer than 15 minutes, and many as far as Minneapolis. Any business that locates in River Falls will have the opportunity to tap into the commuter workforce and allow residents to work where they live.

Made in River Falls

Please take a few minutes to watch this new video series! "Made in River Falls" features successful businesses in our River Falls Corporate Parks and shows why River Falls is an excellent place to do business!