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March 2019 - Minnesota Economic Trends

Economic development professionals agree that Business Retention and Expansion – BRE – is the most practical strategy for growth. Co-authors Cameron Macht and Michael Darger pair the Business Employment Dynamics dataset with ongoing projects that aim to keep businesses in Barnesville and Cottage Grove.

Using transfer payment data, Dave Senf tracks Minnesota’s per capita personal income ranking over the last 20 years.

Elsewhere, Sanjukta Chaudhuri and Carrie Marsh walk us through the Bachelor’s Degree and Career Destination tool – BDCD – funded through a 2015 State Longitudinal Data Systems grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Lastly, David Stokman, former intern with DEED Performance Management, looks at the trade-offs Minnesota high school graduates make in deciding whether or not to go to college. Stokman examines statewide and regional trends for those who did not go to college but instead entered the workforce from 2009-16.

Coming up: Our annual state-of-the-state overview, in the June issue of Trends, takes a detailed look at our six regions.

Download a full pdf of this issue or select the links below to view individual stories.

Letter From the Editor

Although DEED tracks and reports on publicly-announced business expansions, our March cover story pairs Business Employment Dynamics data with University of Minnesota Extension survey work and community results. The goal is to keep businesses thriving and in their communities.

Enticing Businesses to Stay

Set national projects aside – and see how two communities on the move, Barnesville and Cottage Grove, pair a DEED dataset with strategy to keep business thriving. Both communities took very different approaches.

Where Does the Money Go?

Social Security and the Earned Income Tax Credit benefits are just two types of transfer payments. The Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, produces transfer payments data as part of their personal income estimations for states, counties, and metro areas, to compare economic well-being and to track economic progress.

Bachelor's Degree and Career Destination

What occupations do undergraduate degree holders enter? What majors do incumbents of occupations come from? The BDCD tool has the answers.

College Yes or No?

The decision to go to college is a game-changer. However, the recent economic expansion in the state has created a heady mix of opportunities for high school graduates. Here’s a look at statewide and regional trends for high school graduates who did not go to college but instead went straight to work.

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