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Minnesota Compass
By tracking and analyzing trends in areas that affect our quality of life, Compass gives everyone in our state – policymakers, business and community leaders, and concerned individuals who live and work here – a common foundation to act on issues to improve our communities. More >
For Discussion
Hiring difficulties: Skills gap or more complex?
Over the past few years, there has been much discussion about the skills gap in Minnesota. Steve Hine, research director of DEED's Labor Market Information Office, authored a new report on this topic, and shares insights he gained from the study.
Compass fact sheets
New in our Library
- APA Task Force on Childhood Poverty
- Less Than Equal: Racial Disparities in Wealth Accumulation
- What Does It Really Mean to Be College and Work Ready? The Mathematics and English Literacy Required of First Year Community College Students
- Eduployment: Creating Opportunity Policies for America's Youth
- More and Better Learning: Year One Report on ExpandED Schools
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Annual population estimates tell stories
Annual Population Estimates of the U.S. by age, sex, race, and ethnicity at all geography levels augment the decennial census. It turns out a lot can happen between one census and the next! Compass researcher Megan Chmielewski shares some interesting patterns the estimates bring to light.
New Data
Minnesota has a lower rate of disability (10%) than the nation and ranks 4th among states. In raw numbers, more than half a million Minnesotans have at least one disability.
Median household income in Minnesota is higher than the nation, but about $6,600 less than it was in 1999 (an 11% decline).
Median housheold income is declining faster in the Twin Cities than in Greater Minnesota.
Fifty-four percent of Minnesota’s total population is concentrated in the Twin Cities 7-county region. By and large, this is expected to stay the same into 2040 (when 55% of the state’s population is projected to live in the Twin Cities).
Outside of the Twin Cities, Minnesota’s Central and Southern regions are home to the most residents (population: 732,500 and 729,400 in 2012, respectively) and are also the fastest-growing regions.
regions
Click on the map for region-specific data, including by county and by city (with pop. more than 20,000).
In the Twin Cities region, find data for:
OUR sponsors
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Minnesota Foundation
The Boston Scientific Foundation
Greater Twin Cities United Way
B.C. Gamble, P.W. Skogmo Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation
Northwest Minnesota Foundation
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Southwest Initiative Foundation
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