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By Marnie Werner, Vice President, Research & Operations Philanthropy in Minnesota is growing. In fact, the Minnesota Council on Foundations’ recent data shows that total giving surpassed $5.3 billion in 2023, with strong year-over-year increases that demonstrate the continued commitment foundations, corporations, and individual donors have to Minnesota. On the surface, this looks like a healthy and expanding system—one that should benefit communities across the state.

By Marnie Werner, Vice President of Research Ten years ago, I wrote a report on the opioid crisis in Minnesota and how it was masking an even bigger problem for Greater Minnesota, methamphetamine. In the following years, the addiction crisis rolled on, taking an unrelenting toll on lives and communities.

The trends are taking shape after the pandemic. March 2026 By Kelly Asche, Senior Researcher | Marnie Werner, Vice President of Research and Operations Click here for a printable version of this report. Click here to see a summary presentation. Each year, the Center for Rural Policy and Development provides an update on various economic and demographic data pertaining to rural Minnesota.

New data show shifting trends across rural and urban Minnesota — and the critical role of international migration. February 2025 Each year, the Center for Rural Policy and Development publishes our State of Rural report. We typically release it in January, once the latest state and federal data are available. This year, the release of American Community Survey data was delayed due to the federal government shutdown, which pushed our timeline back slightly. But the wait is worth it.

February, 2026 In last week’s post, we explored trends in Minnesota’s cost of living. We found that while the cost of living remains highest in metropolitan counties, the fastest increases have occurred across Greater Minnesota. To understand what these rising costs mean for households, the next question is whether incomes have kept pace. If incomes are rising alongside costs, households may be better positioned to absorb these increases.

There’s no shortage of discussion about rising living costs — but far less clarity about where those increases are happening and what’s driving them. While the Twin Cities remain the most expensive place to live in Minnesota, recent increases have been hitting rural counties harder and faster.

Minnesota Legislators joined us on January 22, 2026 for another Interconnected event, this time talking about Citizens League’s Minnesota Legislative Exchange (MLE) initiative. Legislators spoke about their MLE trip experiences and the importance of building bipartisanship relationships across the state. Our panel for the discussion included: Rep. Dave Baker (R – District: 16B) Rep. Ned Carroll (DFL – District: 42A) Rep. Mary Frances Clardy (DFL – District: 53A) Rep.

By Marnie Werner, Vice President, Research & Operations Much of the data used to understand life in rural Minnesota comes from one source: the American Community Survey, an annual random-sample survey of Americans conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is important because the data collected by it play a central role in how funds for federal, state, and even local services are distributed around the country, including in rural areas.

By: Marnie Werner, Director of Research and Operations Mental health has become an increasingly urgent topic across Minnesota, but for those living in rural communities, the challenges are often more complex and harder to solve. Whether it’s limited access to care, persistent stigma, or barriers to students entering the mental health field, the story of rural mental health is one of both common struggles and unique experiences. But as one of our chief mantras states, rural is not a monolith.

Access to Mental Healthcare for Rural Minnesota’s Communities of Color By Mitra Milani Engan, MME Consulting, & Marnie Werner, Vice President of Research & Operations November 2025 Rural Minnesota is changing. Across its small towns and open landscapes, people of color are becoming a larger part of the community—some newly arrived from other countries, others whose families have called this region home for generations.