Growing Income Gap Between the Top and the Middle

Information from the biennial Minnesota Tax Incidence Study (MTIS) confirms in greater detail what was already known in a broad sense—income inequality in Minnesota is increasing over time. Using data from the thirteen published Incidence Studies, part 1 of this...

A Closer Look at Growing Income Inequality

Increasing income inequality is not only offensive from a fairness perspective, but is also a persistent cause of lackluster economic growth. Last month, a North Star article documented the growing extent of income inequality in Minnesota. Data from the long series of...

Higher Wages Needed to Meet Basic Needs

Many Minnesota jobs do not pay enough to meet the basic needs of a typical Minnesota family, according to data from the “Minnesota Cost of Living Study Annual Report 2016” prepared by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). In fact,...

Many Minnesota Jobs Don’t Meet Basic Needs

In parts of Minnesota, median wages are not sufficient to meet the basic needs of a typical family. Furthermore, in all regions of the state, there are likely a significant number of workers with wages that are not adequate to meet basic needs. These conclusions are...

What Happens Without a Special Session?

Legislative leaders and Governor Dayton continue to negotiate over the possibility of a special legislative session. The absence of a special session means no 2016 tax bill (and no bonding/transportation finance package), which in turn would mean more money left on...