Metro Minneapolis has built a diverse economy that is one of the wealthiest of any large metropolitan area in the country and has withstood deep national recessions. Median household income in the Twin Cities of $73,231 was the seventh highest…
For years we have used the following quote from Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes magazine, to describe what increasingly drives state and local economic growth: "Best place to make a future Forbes 400 fortune? Start with this proposition: The most…
Terrific study by Noah Berger and Peter Fischer for the Economic Policy Institute entitled A Well-Educated Workforce Is Key to State Prosperity. Sound familiar? That four-year degree attainment is increasingly what determines which states and regions are prosperous has been…
Good news! The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released revised data on Michigan employment for 2011 and 2012. They show larger job gains than previously reported. For the two years combined Michigan added 160,800 jobs, an increase of 4.2%. After…
The following press release was issued in conjunction with the Michigan Future annual update which took place on Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. at the Detroit Regional Chamber offices. Please contact David Waymire with questions, 517-290-3610. New report finds most…
About a month ago I received an e mail with the title "Why our growing firm may have to leave Michigan" (you can and should read it here). I assumed that it would be about taxes and/or business costs are…
When I started working in economic development more than thirty years ago –time does fly when you are having fun – conventional wisdom was that the state's chief role was education and infrastructure. They were considered the foundation on which…
High praise for LivingstonDaily.com for a story destroying the claim by a Republican State Senate candidate that Minnesota is a low tax state. Finally someone in the media is willing to check the facts on all the claims that low…
Terrific article by Christopher Leinberger in this month's Atlantic. It's about the increased consumer demand – in both cities and suburbs – for walkable neighborhoods linked by train. The article and his book the Option of Urbanism are worth reading.…
I finally had the time to take a look at the annual competitiveness report published by Business Leaders for Michigan. The one that gets so much publicity because it shows Michigan has a cost of doing business 4% higher than…