The Metropolitan Council is seeking public comments on the draft 2025 Regional Economic Framework. The collaborative framework focuses on nine strategic priorities to guide economic development efforts in the seven-county Twin Cities metro region. The priorities include:
- Job growth
- Workforce and skills
- Racial inclusion
- Talent migration and retention
- Regional brand and image
- Startups and innovation
- Affordability
- Transportation and mobility
- New climate economy
For each priority, the framework looks at regional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and identifies actions, implementation partners, and measurement metrics.
“Our region has many economic strengths, including a diversified economy and strong workforce participation,” said Lisa Barajas, director of the Met Council’s Community Development division. “But we also face some challenges and opportunities. By engaging a diverse set of stakeholders, we ensured that our region has a shared vision of the most effective strategies for strengthening our economic position.”
In developing the framework, the Met Council created a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee with 26 representatives from regional organizations and local governments. Other contributors included the University of Minnesota Extension, Greater MSP, the Met Council’s American Indian Advisory Committee and Land Use Advisory Committee, along with more than a dozen other subject matter experts.
In addition to supporting coordinated regional economic development efforts, the framework meets a federal requirement for applying for federal funding through the Economic Development Administration.
Twin Cities region has economic strengths, challenges
As the Met Council and its collaborators developed the framework, a series of themes emerged that bridged all nine interconnected priorities. A summary of those themes follows.
Strong economic fundamentals with stagnant job creation. The region has a diversified economy with nationally competitive strengths in manufacturing, finance and insurance, healthcare, med-tech, and food wholesale trade; a high quality of life; and great educational institutions. Yet from 2019 to 2024, the region posted zero net job growth even as most peer metros expanded.
Tight labor market pressures require closing skills and access gaps to better connect employers and workers. In 2024, only 74 unemployed workers were available for every 100 job openings. While several factors contribute to the tight labor market, a key one is mismatches between workers and employers, driven by gaps in skills and access. The region must strengthen efforts to close skills gaps by better aligning training, credentials, and support services with employer needs.
.jpg.aspx?lang=en-US&width=350&height=224 "Affordability is key to attracting and retaining people and workers to the region. Picture here are new townhomes in Woodbury.")
The region’s ongoing labor shortage has heightened the urgency of attracting and retaining talent and businesses, especially by building a cohesive regional brand. In addition to focusing on the development and retention of local talent by continuing to build a robust workforce development infrastructure, the region could address its tight labor market conditions by attracting and retaining new talent from outside the area.
Bolstering startups and innovation is essential for driving business growth and expanding employment in the region. The Twin Cities has a solid foundation for startups and innovation, with a rich history of entrepreneurship and strong corporate anchors in medical devices, high-tech manufacturing, and food products that drive strong patent activity.
However, startup activity and innovation infrastructure are underperforming compared to peer regions in several key areas, such as venture capital, incubator capacity, and coordinated post-startup scaling support. Additional support for entrepreneurs is needed.
Addressing longstanding racial disparities is essential to unlock the full potential of the region. While there has been measurable progress in reducing well-documented gaps in areas like poverty rates and wages, persistent disparities in critical outcomes—such as homeownership, income, and education—continue to constrain opportunities for Black, Indigenous people, and people of color (BIPOC), both in the workforce and as business owners. Addressing racial disparities has the potential to drive substantial economic growth in the region.
The emerging climate economy presents both opportunities and challenges. The Twin Cities region is making significant progress toward a clean, low-carbon economy, propelled by state policy commitments and local innovation through collaborative partnerships. But many strategies exist to maximize our progress, including addressing gaps in electric vehicle infrastructure, attracting value-added supply chain opportunities, and investing in workforce training will help our region meet the demands of the growing climate economy.
Comment on the draft 2025 Regional Economic Framework
The Met Council will receive public comments on the framework through Dec. 22. A public hearing to receive in-person comments will be held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the regularly scheduled Met Council meeting.
Learn how to comment in person or in other ways.
The Met Council will consider final adoption of the framework on Feb. 11, 2026.