Why It's Better Here

OK, we may be running the risk of being called homers, but the truth is, Greater MSP has the facts to back it up. On almost any dimension—the economy, health, education, arts—Minneapolis and St. Paul show up on or near the top of the list. Let your finger float down our digital Mississippi and discover for yourself.

Weather

Stop watching “Fargo” and start looking at the reality. It’s much better!

  • 4 distinctly beautiful seasons—enjoy ‘em all!
  • More clear days than Miami, Pittsburgh or Houston (Current Records)
  • Winter is fun! (cf. ice bars, ice castles, Red Bull Crashed Ice cross downhill racing, US Pond Hockey Championships, ice fishing, snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling, etc.)
  • Over 2000 plant species thrive in Minnesota—get gardening!
  • With over 10,000 lakes, water’s not a big issue

Education

When we say “all the kids are above average,” it’s kinda true.

  • In US Top 10 for School Quality (Education Week)
  • 2nd Highest Percentage of High School Graduates (Politico, 2015)
  • 3rd Highest Average ACT and SAT Scores (Deseret News, 2013)
  • 3rd Highest K-12 Math Scores (WalletHub)
  • 53.4% of MN Teachers have Masters (Minnesota Dept. of Ed.)
  • 36 Colleges and Universities in 16-Country Metro

Arts/Culture/Food

Minnesota values the arts so much, it voted to fund it through a Constitutional amendment.

  • More theater seats sold per capita than anywhere except NYC
  • Top 5 Most Vibrant Arts Communities in America (National Center for Arts Research, 2017)
  • 15 James Beard food award nominees in 2017
  • Northeast Minneapolis: Best Art District (USA Today, 2015)

Tech Industry

One of the fastest growing scenes in technology is right here.

  • Fastest market for tech job growth (Forbes 2015)
  • #2 market for women in tech (CBRE)
  • Nearly 200 meet-up groups meet monthly (TechdotMN)
  • 1 of 9 Google for Entrepreneurs partnership located at Coco Minneapolis
  • #1 in Advanced IT employment (QCEW-EMSI 2015)

Diversity

Minnesota prides itself in being an equal opportunity state. Period.

  • One in twenty Minnesota residents identifies as Hispanic
  • Between 2007-2012, ALANA (African, Latino, Asian and Native American) businesses added 60,000 jobs—more than are employed by Minnesota’s largest employer, the Mayo Clinic
  • 126 languages and dialects are spoken in MSP
  • Nearly 350,000 MSP residents are from a foreign county
  • Minnesota voted for the 1st Hmong State Legislator, Somali City Councilperson and Muslim US Representative
  • 2nd Best Metro for Working Moms (WalletHub, 2015)
  • General Mills and Target are Top Companies for Diversity (DiversityInc, 2015)

Outdoors/Health

We’re home to leading health and wellness companies, and we practice what we preach.

  • Minneapolis-Saint Paul: Healthiest City in America (Healthgrades, 2017)
  • Minneapolis-Saint Paul: Fittest City in America (American Fitness Index, 2017)
  • Minneapolis and Saint Paul: Top 10 Cities for Runners (SmartAsset, 2017)
  • Minneapolis-Saint Paul: Best Cities for Cyclists (Thrillist, 2017)
  • Minnesota: Happiest State in America (WalletHub, 2017)
  • 90,000 miles of shoreline – more that California, Florida, and Hawaii combined

Business Climate

There’s a reason so many Fortune 500 companies are headquartered here.

  • Minneapolis-Saint Paul: Highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies (17)
  • Minnesota: Top 10 States for Business (CNBC, 2017)
  • Minnesota: 2nd Best State for Working Dads and Working Moms (WalletHub, 2017)
  • Minnesota Named Forbes Fastest Growing Tech Community in U.S. (Forbes, 2015)