Minnesota 'above average' on college graduation

Twenty-two years ago, then Gov. Rudy Perpich caught heaps of flack for referring to Minnesota as the "Brainpower State." He may have been onto something. New Census data shows that Minnesota ranks fourth in college completion rates among adults 25-54 with 49.8 of folks in that bracket having completed college. Our neighbors to the northwest, North Dakota came in a slot ahead of us at #3 with 50.8 percent of their adult population donning college graduation caps.

Author:: BMTN Staff
Updated:: Mar 8, 2018
Original:: Jul 28, 2012

Apparently, we're as smart as we think we are. Consistently ranked among the healthiest and best-read states in the nation, new Census data shows that we may also be among the smartest. Minnesota ranks fourth in college completion rates among adults 25-54 with 49.8 of folks in that bracket having completed college. Our neighbors to the northwest, North Dakota came in a slot ahead of us at #3 with 50.8 percent of their adult population donning college graduation caps.

DONTCHA KNOW?

You Can Get BMTN Special Offers!

Get Our Newsletter

Bite Squad

It had only recently launched in Duluth, St. Cloud and Rochester.

Zach Parise

It's the 8th win of the season for Minnesota.

Anatoliy Ermak

He's accused of killing his ex-wife and her husband.

Screen Shot 2019-10-20 at 1.58.04 PM

Penn State is now back ahead of Minnesota.

Rep Ilhan Omar

She says giving him a stern sentence will just fuel his anger and resentment.

snow, snowblower

The Twin Cities office of the NWS is trying to limit premature hype.

Screen Shot 2018-08-16 at 1.03.48 PM

Police grew suspicious after robberies reported this year bore similarities to incidents in 2015.

fire

The deceased were reportedly brothers.

herb bergson

He was convicted last year of leaving the scene of an accident.

Jayron Kearse

The safety has since addressed his tweet.

Ben Gedeon

If the Vikings don't win the division, it would do them well to get the 1st wild card.

Screen Shot 2019-11-19 at 10.52.29 AM

The evening news show featured kernza, the grain developed partly by the University of Minnesota.

A new survey from PayScale Inc. found Carleton College graduates have the highest median salary of just over $93,000.

The latest numbers show Minnesota students gaining in math and holding steady in reading. But Minnesota education officials say other states are making bigger strides. “We are still ahead of the curve, but that won’t be the case for long if other states continue to gain ground while we simply hold steady," says education commissioner Brenda Cassellius.

The average chief executive officer in Minnesota is making over $1 million once again. The Star Tribune reports that in 2011, the median total pay for Minnesota's 100 highest-paid CEOs jumped by 26 percent to $1.19 million, hitting seven digits for the first time since 2007. Of the top 100 CEOs, 71 got a salary bump last year.

When it comes to average scores on the ACT college entrance exam, high school seniors from the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District are not only topping other districts in the state, but others in the nation. According to new data, students in District 196 on average received a composite score in 2012 of 24.1, as compared to the state average of 22.8 and national average of 21.1.

An annual report drops its ranking for Minnesota's college investment program to 'below average'. Star Tribune personal finance columnist Kara McGuire reports the Morningstar report's downgrade comes after elected leaders stripped any incentive potential investors might have to sock money away in the 529 plan. The good news is, Minnesotans can shop around for other states' plans.