1 / 10 10. Minnesota

> Real GDP growth, 2012-2013: 2.8% (13th highest) > Average wages and salaries, 2013: $49,222 (14th highest) > Pct. of adults with bachelor’s degree, 2013: 33.5% (10th highest) > Patents issued to residents, 2013: 4,292 (9th highest) > Projected working-age population growth, 2010-2020: 1.7% (9th highest) Based on eight categories, including 47 measures, Minnesota is the 10th best state for business in the country. Informing the state’s high quality of life rank, just 8.2% of Minnesotans did not have health insurance in 2013, the fifth lowest rate nationwide. Also, the state was one of the safest, with a violent crime rate of 223.2 reported incidents per 100,000 people, among the lowest rates in the nation. The state also received one of the highest scores for Infrastructure. Compared with other states, Minnesota businesses can also expect relatively well functioning transportation system. For example, just 11.5% of the state’s bridges were deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, the lowest rate nationwide and less than half the national percentage of 24.3%. Businesses in the state also have the benefit of a relatively well-educated workforce. More than one-third of adults had at least a bachelor’s degree versus less than 30% of Americans. And 92.4% of state adults had completed at least high school as of 2013, the fourth highest rate in the country.

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