Businesses Thrive with Our Supporting Services Ecosystem

A fully connected ecosystem of professional services, retail innovation, financial power, and world-class talent — all working together to help your business succeed.

The Minnesota Business Ecosystem

We’re all in this together.

Minnesota offers a uniquely collaborative business environment — one where your company can access every service, partner, and expert needed to launch, operate, and grow. Our professional, scientific, and technical services sector alone contributes $33.7B annually to the economy and employs 190,900 highly skilled workers.

Source: Lightcast, 2024.

Here’s what that means for you:

  • Immediate access to expertise: Lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers, marketing strategists, tech consultants, and scientific researchers.
  • Highly skilled workforce: From software developers (40,075) to accountants (33,238) to lawyers (15,114).
  • 30,150 professional service locations across the state.

Source: Lightcast, 2024.

Featured companies: IBM, SPS Commerce, FICO, BI Worldwide, Accenture, Westwood Professional Services, Thomson Reuters, Deloitte, Carmichael Lynch and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. 

Windows of an office building

Retail Heritage & Innovation Hub

Born in Minnesota. Thriving Worldwide.

Entrance of the Mall of America

We invented the modern shopping mall (Southdale Center in Edina, MN) and continue to redefine retail with the Mall of America, generating $2B in annual economic activity. Minnesota is home to some of the nation’s most admired and innovative retail brands — and the tech and service providers that power them.

Why retailers choose Minnesota:

  • Headquarters for Target, Best Buy, Great Clips, Dairy Queen, Anytime Fitness, Regis Corp, Red Wing Shoes, Caribou Coffee, Sleep Number, and more.
  • Proven leaders in digital transformation, sustainability, and consumer engagement.
  • Retail supply chain and e-commerce innovation driven by local tech companies like SPS Commerce.

Financial & FinTech Powerhouse

A strong foundation for growth.

Minnesota’s finance and insurance sector is 15% more concentrated than the national average, employing 151,300 professionals and ranking among the nation’s top hubs for financial services innovation.

Source: Lightcast, 2024.

Global players headquartered or operating here: UnitedHealth Group, U.S. Bancorp, Ameriprise Financial, Thrivent, Securian, Allianz Life, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Minnesota.

FinTech innovation thrives here: Sezzle, Apruve, Total Expert, ClickSWITCH, Dayforce, Solutran — supported by industry accelerators, university bootcamps, and venture networks.

A woman in a white sweater standing in front of a business meeting

Research, Development & Intellectual Property

From breakthrough biotech to precision agriculture.

A group of students standing around a machine

Minnesota companies lead in patents (2000-2024) and R&D in high-impact industries:

  • 3M (10,200) – Diverse manufacturing
  • IBM (10,000 patents) – Cloud & AI
  • Medtronic (6,250) – Medical devices
  • Ecolab (1,700) – Chemicals
  • AGCO (123 patents) – Agricultural technology
  • MTS Systems (158 patents) – Simulation systems
  • Bio-Techne – (11 patents) Biotechnology research & manufacturing

Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Our $13 billion in service exports – of which $9.8 billion are digitally tradable services – include $3.7 billion in professional, business, and technical services, connecting Minnesota innovation to the world.

Source: Coalition of Services Industries.