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12 <br />Greater MSP Market <br />Region <br />The Greater Minneapolis-Saint Paul Region (“Greater MSP”) includes more than 3.4 million people <br />in the central and eastern areas of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. <br />• Greater MSP is home to 18 Fortune 500 companies, the <br />highest per capita concentration of any major U.S. market. <br />• It is also home to many large, privately held companies, <br />including Cargill, the largest U.S. privately held company. <br />• The region has a GDP of $228 billion, ranking its economy as <br />large as that of Ireland or Portugal. <br />• Key industries in the region are: health and life sciences, <br />headquarters and business services, food and water solutions, <br />technology and advanced manufacturing, and financial services <br />and insurance. <br />• Greater MSP leads the country in life science research and <br />development (R&D) and conducts almost as much R&D <br />work as all European countries combined. <br />• A quality workforce is the hallmark of the region. Greater <br />MSP’s labor force participation rate of 71% is the highest <br />in the U.S. Its workforce is the most highly educated in the <br />country, with 92% having a high school diploma and 25% <br />holding a bachelor’s degree. About 80% of graduates stay in <br />the region after graduation. <br />• The region enjoys the lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. <br />and helped lead the country out of the recession. Forbes <br />magazine named it the leading market for young job-seekers. <br />• Greater MSP is a highly connected region. Located near the <br />center of the U.S., travelers can reach almost any domestic <br />destination by air within three hours. The airport ranks second <br />per capita in passenger departures nationally. It is considered <br />the fastest airport in the U.S., with the highest rate of on-time <br />departures. <br />• Quality of life is outstanding, with more theater seats per capita <br />than any city in the U.S. other than New York City. It is one of <br />the only cities its size with five professional sports teams. It has <br />more parks and trails within the region’s boundaries than any <br />other market. It is consistently among the top three markets for <br />biking. The American College of Sports Medicine consistently <br />recognizes it as the fittest metropolitan area. <br />More information on Greater MSP can be found at www.greatermsp.org.