Tag: demographics

child and nanny playing with wooden toys

Childcare and workforce: More evidence that yes, it’s a thing

By Marnie Werner, VP Research, & Kelly Asche, Research Associate Access to emergency medical services in Rural Minnesota is the topic of our latest report. In it, we analyzed data collected by the Minnesota Department of Health in their 2016 survey of EMS agencies around the state. We wanted to see how delivering EMS services ...

Rural Minnesotans are more likely to own their homes outright

By Phil Jensen Owning a home outright, or without a mortgage, can relieve strain on a household budget. Households without a monthly housing payment can achieve a higher standard of living with the same earnings, or can get by more easily with lower incomes. For these reasons, outright homeownership can especially impact households with smaller ...
Someone moving a chess piece on a chess board.

Upon the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic

  Marnie Werner, VP, Research Two years ago last week, I sat glued to my TV watching the governor and his cabinet as they announced our first covid lockdown. I sat there wondering how this was going to play out, who would get sick, who wouldn’t make it through to the other end. Sitting in ...
child with paint on hands

It’s time.

With the pandemic on the wane and people ramping up their transitions back to full-time work, childcare will be right back where it was before the pandemic—under-resourced and hard to find, especially in rural areas. And it has a real impact on our economy.     By Marnie Werner, Vice President, Research & Operations Here ...

Season 2 Ep 8: State Demographer Susan Brower

On this episode, Marnie Werner and Kelly Asche speak with the Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower. The conversation covers how the process of drawing new district and approval differ on paper vs. the reality, how much of rural Minnesota isn’t growing in population, but isn’t really declining either, and ideas on how rural areas might ...
Farm field with clouds

Can high farmland values be too much of a good thing?

by Marnie Werner, VP Research & Operations Between 2000 and 2015, the price of farmland went on a tear. Prices climbed to levels unseen before, making people nervous. Now, after a respite between 2015 and 2020 where prices stayed fairly level, the farmland market is heating up again. These record prices have implications not just ...

State of Rural – 2021 Update

Each year, the Center for Rural Policy and Development provides a brief update on various economic and demographic data pertaining to rural Minnesota. As policy discussions concerning rural Minnesota unfold, it is important to understand the past, present, and potential futures of rural regions. This report provides historical data points that illustrate how rural conditions ...

Webinar: Immigrants, Refugees and Local Government Outreach

How are rural communities building relationships with diverse neighbors and embracing differences? The Center for Rural Policy and Development partnered with students from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs to publish a report to help answer these questions. The video above is from our webinar that took place on Wednesday, July 21st where two students ...