When Equal Unemployment Rates Are Not Equal

by | Dec 15, 2017

Minnesota and Wisconsin currently enjoy low unemployment rates relative to the rest of the nation. In addition, both states enjoyed an above average decline in unemployment rates since the beginning of the Great Recession. However, this does not mean that the...

State Deficit Worse Than It Appears

by | Dec 6, 2017

True to expectations, the condition of Minnesota’s finances has deteriorated from what was projected at the end of the 2017 special session. Based on the November forecast released earlier today, a modest deficit is now projected for the current fiscal year (FY)...

Low-Tax Wisconsin Losing More Income Tax Filers than Minnesota

by | Nov 29, 2017

In recent years, there has been a small net migration of income tax filers from Minnesota to other states. Conservative think tanks have argued that this net export of tax filers from the state is due to Minnesota’s tax climate—a claim debunked in a previous North...

St. Paul Spending Isn’t “Out of Control”

by | Nov 18, 2017

The City of Saint Paul is confronting a potential 24 percent increase in its levy in 2018, based on a preliminary budget proposal. The increase is largely the result of a Minnesota Supreme Court decision handed down last summer, which stripped the City of its ability...

October Update: We’ve Got Some Good News & Some Bad News

by | Nov 3, 2017

The October Revenue and Economic Update from Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) contained some good news and some bad news. The good news is that fiscal year (FY) 2017 revenue collections surpassed July expectations. The bad news is that FY 2018 revenues continue...

Counties with Greatest Income Inequality are Also the Poorest

by | Oct 23, 2017

In recent decades, income inequality has increased, both in Minnesota and nationally. New information from the American Community Survey (ACS) shows that U.S. and Minnesota counties with the highest degree of income inequality also have the highest poverty rates and...