Bob CollinsMinnesota Public Radio is providing coverage today and Saturday of the DFL convention in Duluth, the focus of which is mostly on the race for governor.
It’s horse-race coverage, to be sure, but occasionally you hear some claims that make a nice jumping-off point for some research. Here’s one I heard today: “R.T. Rybak should be governor because the Minneapolis unemployment rate is lower than surrounding communities.”
It’s a fascinating assertion, especially if one likes to dig into the numbers. Let’s dig into the numbers.
I took several random “surrounding communities” of Minneapolis, including Woodbury, “our fair city.”
And the claim is correct, Minneapolis does have a lower unemployment rate than the surrounding communities. Here are the totals for March 2010.
| Community |
Unemployment rate
|
| Eden Prairie |
5.6%
|
| Chanhassen |
5.9%
|
| Woodbury |
6.1%
|
| Shoreview |
6.3%
|
| Eagan |
6.4%
|
| Apple Valley |
6.8%
|
| Minneapolis |
6.8%
|
| Burnsville |
7.3%
|
| Bloomington |
7.4%
|
| St. Paul |
7.8%
|
| Maplewood |
8.0%
|
| Oakdale |
8.0%
|
| White Bear Lake |
9.1%
|
Now, let’s go back to March 2006:
| Community |
Unemployment rate
|
| Eden Prairie |
2.8%
|
| Chanhassen |
2.9%
|
| Eagan |
2.9%
|
| Woodbury |
3.0%
|
| Shoreview |
3.2%
|
| Apple Valley |
3.3%
|
| Bloomington |
3.6%
|
| Burnsville |
3.7%
|
| Minneapolis |
4.0%
|
| Maplewood |
4.1%
|
| Oakdale |
4.1%
|
| St. Paul |
4.4%
|
| White Bear Lake |
5.3%
|
Minneapolis moved from 9th to 7th in the last four years, but the relationship with other communities is generally the same.
Let’s go back four more years — to March 2002:
| Community |
Unemployment rate
|
| Chanhassen |
3.6%
|
| Woodbury |
3.8%
|
| Shoreview |
4.0%
|
| Eden Prairie |
4.2%
|
| Eagan |
4.2%
|
| Apple Valley |
4.3%
|
| Maplewood |
4.4%
|
| Oakdale |
4.7%
|
| Burnsville |
5.0%
|
| Bloomington |
5.1%
|
| Minneapolis |
5.3%
|
| St. Paul |
5.4%
|
| White Bear Lake |
6.1%
|
Minneapolis, as you can see, ranked 11th.
Here’s a look at March 1998:
| Community |
Unemployment rate
|
| Chanhassen |
n/a
|
| Woodbury |
1.1%
|
| Eden Prairie |
1.4%
|
| Eagan |
1.4%
|
| Shoreview |
1.6%
|
| Apple Valley |
1.6%
|
| Bloomington |
1.7%
|
| Burnsville |
1.8%
|
| Maplewood |
1.9%
|
| Oakdale |
2.2%
|
| White Bear Lake |
2.5%
|
| Minneapolis |
3.0%
|
| St. Paul |
3.2%
|
Minneapolis was 12th on the list.
What does all of this prove? Not a lot. Minneapolis’ place in the region — at least where unemployment is concerned — is on the upswing. And the next governor probably won’t come from White Bear Lake.
