EXCERPT: “Wages in rural Minnesota may lag behind those in the metropolitan area, but they do go farther. When wages are compared to the cost of living, some rural areas of the state actually enjoy an advantage over the Twin Cities metropolitan area, where living costs are much higher. These are the findings released during a webinar hosted Wednesday by the Center for Rural Policy and Development in St. Peter. The center worked with Ben Winchester, rural sociologist with University of Minnesota Extension, to analyze economic data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development on median wages and living costs in the regions of the state. The results provided the evidence for what a lot of people have been feeling, said Kelly Asche, research associate with the center. ‘Yeah I’m getting paid less out here, but it just feels like things are cheaper, it’s not as hard to make ends meet. (The) data shows yeah, that’s true,’ said Asche on the webinar.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/3hh5lis
