Minnesota’s Economy Doing Relatively Well

Conservative interest groups contend that Minnesota’s economy is floundering, the victim of “blue state” (i.e., progressive) fiscal policies. Critiques published by North Star and others show such claims are generally bogus and based more on politics than coherent...

Per Capita General Fund Revenue Less Than a Decade Ago

The enactment of significant tax increases during the 2013 legislative session, combined with state budget surpluses, has created the impression that Minnesota general fund revenue has grown considerably. This perception is accurate if we measure state revenues today...

U.S. and Minnesota Poverty Rates Down in 2015

In addition to showing sharp growth in income and earnings in 2015, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau released last month also showed a significant reduction in poverty, both in Minnesota and the nation as a whole. With the improvements shown in the new data,...