Minnesota Coverage Area

Minnesota is the northernmost state in the continental U.S. and borders Lake Superior, five states and Canada, making it an ideal location for transporting regional, domestic and international freight. With four fully staffed service points across Minnesota — in Eagan, Owatonna, Duluth and St. Cloud — ArcBest® can offer logistics and transportation solutions regionally, nationally and internationally. To learn more about our solutions, call [phone:number].

Economic Composition

Minnesota has one of the largest economies in the country, with several industries contributing financially. The state’s biggest population center — the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul — is also a major player in the state’s economy.

The Importance of the Twin Cities

Minnesota itself has a population of 5.52 million (as of 2016), and the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area is home to about 65 percent of it. More than 3.5 million Minnesotans live in the Twin Cities and 16 of the state’s 17 Fortune 500 companies are located in the area. The Twin Cities economy alone ranks as the country’s 16th largest metropolitan area and has the 13th largest gross domestic product. Employment is scattered in the Twin Cities across several economic sectors, such as education and health care services, local, state and federal government, manufacturing, biosciences, transportation and utilities services, construction and data processing.

Agriculture

Minnesota ranks fifth in the country in total crop and agriculture production and eighth nationally in livestock production. Agriculture contributes $57.5 billion annually to the state’s economy, and it supports more than 147,000 jobs, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Manufacturing

The state as a whole is a leading producer of high-value computer and electronic parts, as well as food and food-processing products. The manufacturing industry employs the highest concentration of Minnesota’s workforce, supporting more than 1 million jobs, or 36 percent of the workforce, as of 2016, the state’s department of Employment and Economic Development reports. Manufacturing is also the largest private sector contributor to the state’s economy, and revenue from the industry totaled more than $48 billion in 2016 — second only to agriculture.

Bioscience

Through a combination of science, engineering and farming, Minnesota has positioned itself as a national leader in bioscience. Those in the industry are developing innovative programs, products and services in sectors like medicine, clean energy, food safety, human nutrition and more. In 2015, the state ranked first nationally in the number of medical device patents issued and second nationally in bioscience-related patents issued. 

Moving Freight in Minnesota

Minnesota’s industries depend on an efficient and reliable multimodal transportation system to move inventory around the state and beyond its borders. From roads, rail, air and waterways, the state offers businesses a variety of options to ship freight.

Roads

Shippers have access to more than 135,000 miles of roadway, which include three interstate highways and a network of more than 127,000 state and local highways. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, trucks move more than 60 percent of freight traffic in the state.

Rail

Four Class I railroad companies operate on the nearly 4,500 miles of railroad track that are located within Minnesota’s borders. Rail is the preferred method of transportation for agriculture, industrial manufacturing and mining products because of the rail freight carriers’ ability to efficiently move heavy, bulk cargo.

Air

Minnesota has 135 public-use airports, including six international airports, making it easy to send shipments anywhere they need to be. While air freight accounts for less than 1 percent of the state’s freight traffic, it is an ideal method for businesses looking to move goods that are time sensitive and high value.

Waterways

The Land of 10,000 Lakes provides shippers abundant access to commercial waterways. The state’s water ports connect to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River waterways and to international markets through the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Much like rail shipping, water freight shipping is ideal for moving heavy, bulk cargo.