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Living half the year in a deep freeze has its advantages

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Minnesota ranked second strongest in the nation

For the third straight year, Minnesota is ranked one of two strongest states in the nation.
The annual analysis by the Politico Magazine is based on 15 separate categories that demonstrate the educational attainment, quality of life and economic health of each of the 50 states.
New Hampshire was first in the nation. Louisiana was ranked last.
States surrounding Minnesota all ranked in the top 20. Iowa earned eighth place, Wisconsin 11th, South Dakota 16th, and North Dakota 20th.
The ranking is a good thing to think about as we endure another bout of extreme weather temperatures and yet another inch or two of snow.
Here is how Minnesota scored in each category, according to Politico.
Annual per capita income: At $31,642, Minnesota’s per capita income is the 10th highest in the nation. Median household income in the state is $61,481, which is also 10th highest in the nation.
Unemployment: At 3.5 percent, Minnesota’s statewide unemployment is the seventh lowest in the nation.
Poverty: Minnesota ranks eighth lowest for the percent of those living below the poverty level. According to Politico’s analysis, 11.2 percent of Minnesotans are living below the poverty level, which is still far too many Minnesotans.
Homeownership rate: With 71.7 percent of Minnesotans owning their own homes, Minnesota ranks second in this category.
High school graduation rate: Minnesota ranks second, only behind Alaska, for the percent of our students (92.6 percent) who graduate from high school.
Life expectancy at birth: Minnesotans live longer than almost anyone else in the country. With a life expectancy of 81.1 at birth, Minnesota ranks second in the nation in this category. Hawaiians live just three months longer, on average, than Minnesotans.
Infant mortality: Minnesota ranked 15th lowest in the number of infant deaths per 1,000 births.
Obesity: Roughly 24.8 percent of Minnesotans are considered obese, ranking us the ninth slimmest state in the nation.
Wellbeing: Minnesota has a wellbeing score of 62.8, ranking us ninth in this category.
Average math scores in eighth grade: Minnesota eighth-graders have the sixth-highest math scores in the country.
Average reading scores in eighth grade: Minnesota eighth-graders also rank the sixth-highest reading scores in the country.
Income inequality: According to the GINI Index, which measures income distribution of a state’s residents, Minnesota ranks 13th in the country in income inequality.
Violent crime rate: Minnesotans are the 10th-safest from violent crime, according to Politico’s analysis and records provided by the FBI.
Jobs in science, engineering and math: Minnesota has the seventh-highest percentage of our workforce employed in jobs involving science, engineering and math.
H.L. Mencken’s 1931 rankings: As a benchmark, Politico lists the rankings of each individual state from a 1931 study by H.L. Mencken and Charles Angoff. According to that study, Minnesota was the sixth-strongest state in the nation in 1931.
The full story can be read at politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/state-of-the-union-2016.

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