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In his recent commentary, Jim Schultz paints a Minnesota that boasts a declining economy, crime-ridden communities and a failing education system, all of which are pushing people to flee. Thankfully, that assessment is as exaggerated as it is inaccurate.
In his economic doomsaying, Schultz narrowly focuses on GDP, but let’s consider economic indicators that truly matter in peoples’ lives: wages and jobs. At 2.7%, Minnesota has the seventh-lowest unemployment rate in the country. In a sign of good and getting better, the 11,000 jobs that Minnesota added last month placed it in a tie for the country’s second-largest job growth.
Not only are Minnesotans working, but they’re also getting paid better for that work. Minnesota has the highest median wage in the Midwest. Since 2019, the nearly 9% growth in real median wages ranks sixth in the country, with wages increasing more for low-wage workers than for the wealthy. This is truly an economy built for everyone.
Even on GDP, a more thorough examination is telling. Schultz’s proposal of tax cuts for wealthy corporations mirrors policies in neighboring Republican strongholds like North Dakota and Wisconsin. Yet GDP growth in both states trails Minnesota.
With a thriving working class, it is not surprising that Minnesota was recently ranked as the fifth-best state for business and second for economic opportunity.
On education, Schultz correctly notes that test scores have slipped, but fails to mention that these declines predate the state’s historic investment in education funding. Notably, that investment has been credited with reversing the Minnesota State University system’s decadelong enrollment decline. Another helping factor here: Minnesota’s decision to support reproductive rights makes it a more desirable location for college students, three-quarters of whom say abortion laws factored into their campus choice.
In a stream of misleading arguments, Schultz’s crime discussion grows Pinocchio’s metaphorical nose the most. Statistics show that the crime rate in Minnesota hit a 60-year low in 2023. Relative to 2022, crime dropped in every major category, ranging from a 20% decline in sexual assault to a 15% drop in theft. Homicide, the only crime Schultz mentions, fell by 5%. While murder rates remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels, this drop demonstrates movement in the right direction. Parts of Minnesota are now national models for combating crime, such as St. Paul’s success in limiting car thefts.
Of course, there is more to a state than crime, education and the economy. Minnesota now has the most progressive tax system in the country, with the top 1% paying more of their income in taxes than the bottom 80%. By ensuring that the wealthy contribute their fair share, the state can make investments to benefit all, such as free school lunches helping the state achieve the country’s third-lowest food insecurity rate.
Far from driving folks out of the state, these changes are encouraging people to stick around. Out-migration decreased 83% last year, feeding a 50-year trend in which Minnesota has consistently grown faster than its regional neighbors. Minnesota has also taken important actions to allow working people to stay and raise their families here, including expanding the child tax credit and providing paid family and medical leave.
While these changes are welcome, there is still much work to be done. Minnesota continues to be plagued by high levels of racial and ethnic inequality. But even here, important progress is being made. Life expectancy for Black males in the state has increased 11 years since 1990, helping to boost Minnesota’s overall life expectancy to third best in the country. People quite literally live longer here.
To fix a state that he thinks is in “serious decline,” Schultz suggests we take a “sober evaluation of Minnesota’s priorities.” When it comes to specifics, his answer is the same prescription that conservatives always use: cutting corporate taxes. By contrast, Gov. Tim Walz and DFL legislators have prioritized public services that help all Minnesotans, like education, infrastructure and health care. Perhaps the party that hasn’t won a statewide election in 18 years needs to evaluate its own priorities.
Jake Schwitzer is the executive director of North Star Policy Action. He has been a grassroots organizer, communicator and senior staffer to U.S. Sens. Al Franken and Tina Smith. Aaron Rosenthal received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Minnesota and he is the research director for North Star Policy Action. His writing on public policy and inequality includes a recently published book, “The State You See: How Government Visibility Creates Political Distrust and Racial Inequality.”
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