Tag: economy

By Marnie Werner, Vice President, Research & Operations Greater Minnesota can be hard to define for people who don’t live there. Kind of amorphous. And it is hard to come up with a good single name that encompasses what is basically the whole state outside of the seven-county Twin Cities metro. But for us at ...

By Sarah Harstad, Ph.D., Researcher Why should business owners start planning so early? The Center for Rural Policy and Development’s recent report on business ownership succession showed that 81% of business owners are not prepared for succession or exit when the opportunity comes up or when they decide to go through with it. On the ...

Is it realistic for rural areas to close the wage gap? Probably not. By: Kelly Asche, Senior Researcher Most of rural Minnesota is discussing ways to grow the labor force. Increasing the affordable housing stock and childcare capacity are two primary strategies being discussed at the legislature. One of the underlying issues that makes these ...

On February 7th, Sourcewell hosted the Center for Rural Policy and Development to broadcast a presentation and discussion highlighting the Center’s most recent research. In part 1, Senior Researcher Kelly Asche presents data highlighting the low unemployment rates and the decline in people participating in the labor force which is leading to all-time high job ...

The data show that the choices students make in high school and that paths they take after high school can predictably guide them to specific states of meaningful workforce participation later on. November 2023 By Kelly Asche, Senior Researcher | Marnie Werner, VP of Research & Operations For a print version of this report, click ...

By Marnie Werner Vice President of Research Click for a printable version of this report. According to a Star Tribune article in January 2022, “For the broader Midwest, inflation was 7.5% in December, far above the 5.9% rate in the more heavily populated northeastern states.” Inflation wasn’t even consistent around the state: “Rochester; St. Cloud; ...

The Center for Rural Policy and Development partnered with Sourcewell to produce short videos discussing our most recent research. In Part 1, Kelly Asche discusses one highlight from the “State of Rural 2023” report – the significant shifts in migration and population change throughout Minnesota during the Pandemic.  

Northern Minnesota saw significant declines in employment in the leisure and hospitality industry   By Kelly Asche, Senior Researcher January 2023 Every year the Center for Rural Policy and Development publishes the “State of Rural Minnesota,” a report outlining the demographic and economic trends in Minnesota using the most recent data available. Typically, the report ...

On this episode, Marnie Werner, Vice President of Research & Operations, interviews colleague Kelly Asche about this years State of Rural report. Every year the Center for Rural Policy and Development publishes the State of Rural – a report outlining the various economic and demographic trends taking place in rural Minnesota. Most years it’s a ...