Minneapolis: TK

Minneapolis is in the stretch of territory up the middle of the country in which the housing bubble didn’t reach catastrophic levels and employment has fared better than in the rest of the country. Its economy is as solidly practical as the Midwest, with everything from agricultural products and discount retail to boat manufacturing and insurance.

[PHOTO CAPTION: Minneapolis is home to the corporate headquarters of General Mills, 3M, US Bancorp, and Target.]

Although Minneapolis lost jobs in 2008 (0.7 percent) and again in 2009 (2.7 percent), the losses were mostly in manufacturing (down 7.5 percent) and in mining, logging and construction (down 15 percent). Much of the rest of the job picture began turning around in 2009, with gains in business and professional services, education and healthcare — even leisure and hospitality. The city boasts one of the best-educated populations in the country (47.2 percent have college degrees), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that over the next decade, more than a third of new jobs created will require a post-secondary degree — a boon for the smarties in the Twin Cities.