For a first comparison of Grand Forks I look at county wages for five counties in North Dakota while we try to figure out what type of city Grand Forks really is.
Comparing ND City Economic Performance – Wages
ND & MN Economic Fluctuations
A caller to the radio show last week questioned why the North Dakota economic experience seemed is such stark contrast to the Minnesota situation. (She asked this while almost getting hit by a school bus breaking traffic laws.) There are a couple of reasons for this, one pretty easy to explain on the radio, and the other is visual and so is not as easy to explain. I should point out the two stories are not in opposition to each other. That is, they can be part of the same larger narrative.