Posts by Margaret Kaplan
Big Debt, Big Deal
Minnesota is living under a $27 billion mountain of student loan debt.1 A student graduating in Minnesota today has an average of $31,000 in debt.2 Whether we realize it or not, it is affecting both individuals and the broader community. The challenge of student loan debt in Minnesota is explored in a new North Star…
Read MoreCaring in Central Minnesota
Minnesota is getting older every day.1 The aging of our population is increasing demand for home health and personal care workers. We also continue to have population growth through both immigration and natural growth. To fill the needs of our changing population we need people to care for the very young, the very old, and…
Read MoreMinnesota’s Shared Health
Minnesotans value a high quality of life. It is part of the Minnesota story and one of our competitive advantages. This includes having healthy people in healthy communities. Historically, policy makers have recognized the importance of health care access by investing in a range of systems and resources that ensure Minnesotans have access to affordable…
Read MoreMore Than Getting By
As the latest American Community Survey data from the Census Bureau shows us, Minnesota continues to have a low poverty rate relative to other states. Why then are so many people in Minnesota struggling to get by? It is important for people thinking about the health of families in Minnesota to understand what the poverty…
Read MoreMinnesota Census Takeaways: Incomes Rise, Poverty Falls, Disparities Persist
American Community Survey data released today shows that Minnesota has continued to make progress in the past year and that we have still have work to do to be a state that works for all Minnesotans. On the positive side, Minnesota continues to have income growth.1 Incomes in Minnesota continue to be high relative to…
Read MoreThe Worth of Women’s Work
Compared to our neighbors in Wisconsin, working people in Minnesota are doing alright. We have more job growth, higher pay, and better labor protections. The prosperity that we enjoy as a state is not, however, equally felt, with significant wage disparities for women and workers of color. As we hear about the persistent workforce shortages…
Read MoreOpportunity Zones: Making Them Work for Minnesota
Opportunity zones will be in the news over the next few months. Since opportunity zones have the potential to affect communities across the state, now is a good time to learn a little bit about what they are, how they might work, and what they may mean for Minnesota communities. Opportunity zones were created in…
Read MoreMinnesota Workers: How are we doing?
More information about the data Jeff Van Wychen on Job Growth in Minnesota: With the addition of 43,100 jobs from July 2017 to July 2018, Minnesota surpasses all of its neighboring states in terms of job growth over the last year. States with low unemployment rates—such as Minnesota—are often at a disadvantage in creating…
Read MoreWork With Me
Misdirection is a powerful tool in the hands of an illusionist: by drawing your attention to something shiny, you are compelled to miss what is important directly in front of you. An act of misdirection in our labor markets is the persistent myth of immigration’s role in suppressing wages for blue collar jobs – a…
Read MoreWelcome Home
Minnesota has a reputation as a great place to call home. In national rankings of quality of life, job quality, child wellbeing, and cost of living we look pretty attractive. Among the competitive advantages of Minnesota is that historically we have been an affordable place to find a home. However, across the state communities that…
Read More