State and local taxes and spending Mesabi Tribune: School officials beat the drum on seasonal recreation property taxes The Ely Echo: More lodging tax drama West Central Tribune: Minnesota Opinion:…
Last week, the Star Tribune published an op ed on how to grow Minnesota’s economy. It was pretty wide of the mark, in my view, so I submitted a response.…
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) — formerly part of the Department of Human Services (DHS) — presented its new proposed childcare licensing standards before the House…
Economic growth Fox 9: Small business owners address ICE economic impact KSTP: Uptown businesses dealing with economic impact due to ICE presence, but help is on the way Sahan Journal:…
Last week, I noted that in its first two weeks of operation, Minnesota’s paid family and medical leave (PFML) scheme was seeing a rate of approvals that was 54% higher…
State and local taxes and spending Rochester Post Bulletin: Olmsted County administrator: Local tax increases are not sustainable KTTC: Pine Island City Council approves financial incentives for data center project…
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2026 issue of Thinking Minnesota magazine. Progressives’ fixation with inequality could undermine the U.S. economy In 1995, American Experiment published a groundbreaking report…
Labor market Albert Lea Tribune: Minnesota jobs stable over the month and grew over the year KRFO: Understanding Minnesota’s December Job Losses And Gains Austin Daily Herald: Latest DEED report…
The Census Bureau released its estimates today for state and national populations in 2025. Minnesota’s population now stands at an official 5,830,405. That is up 33,000 — or 0.6% —…
The Trump administration wants to make housing affordable. This is commendable. Unfortunately, among the litany of proposals, solutions that truly address what ails the housing market are missing. Allowing buyers…
Last week, I asked why Minnesota’s per capita income growth has lagged that of the United States since 2014. Using a technique called “growth accounting,” which breaks down the growth…
State and local taxes and spending Alexandria Echo Press: An Echo Press Editorial: Which tax do you hate the most? KROC: Minnesota Tax Collections Beat Forecast at End of 2025…
When Gov. Walz announced that he was ending his campaign for reelection, local media began to assess his legacy. The Minnesota Reformer carried an article titled “Gov. Tim Walz’s Minnesota…
Back in November, I noted that since 2014, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita growth in Minnesota has ranked 38th out of 50 states. Indeed, as Figure 1 shows, Minnesota’s…
State and local taxes and spending KNSI: More electric vehicles means less gas tax revenue: How this impacts Minnesota’s budget Alpha News: Coalition of Minnesota mayors calling for end to…
Inflation Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in December…. Over the last…
Back in October, I wrote about Minnesota’s relatively poor performance on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita growth in the last decade. To investigate this, I wanted to do what economists call…
State and local taxes and spending KTTC: Minnesota taxpayers demand accountability during federal fraud investigation Star Tribune: St. Paul schools to collect $37 million in new taxes, but shortfall remains…
State and local taxes and spending WDIO: Cook County approves 2026 property tax levy Austin Daily Herald: Mayors sign letter to state leaders questioning management of local and state finances,…
Why blue states have an affordability problem Capitalism’s ability to lift material living standards is so immense that even Karl Marx paid tribute. “[D]uring its rule of scarce one hundred…
Back in October, I wrote about Minnesota’s relatively poor performance on GDP per capita growth in the last decade: Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) show that in nine of…
State and local taxes and spending Kanabec County Times: Where do your taxes go? The Ely Echo: City levy hike at 5.06 percent Rochester Post Bulletin: Letter: Another option for…
When Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shrank in the first quarter, many commentators were quick to blame the Trump administration. When GDP surged in the second quarter, many other commentators were…
In its manifesto for the 2024 general election, Britain’s Labour party listed “Five Missions to Rebuild Britain,” the first being: “Kickstart economic growth.” The party’s second budget since winning that election,…