Fruits of the Vine: The Economic Impact of the Catholic Church in Minnesota
The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies is proud to offer this report that highlights the economic impact of the Catholic Church in the state of Minnesota. In this report, we estimate that the Catholic community-serving organizations within the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the Dioceses of Crookston, Duluth, New Ulm, Saint Cloud, and Winona-Rochester generate $5.4 billion annually in economic value to the state of Minnesota while serving an estimated 1.2 million Minnesotans.
This report illustrates how the Catholic Church in Minnesota and the programs derived from it provide amplifier benefits for their surrounding communities, including capital campaigns and tourism for Catholic pilgrimage sites and events, whose combined attendance was nearly 900,000 and provided a “magnet effect” of over $56 million annually.
By the end of this report, we hope it becomes clear that the Catholic Church is an invaluable asset to the state of Minnesota and the communities it serves in all facets of life from conception until natural death, including education, housing, mental health support, healthcare, social services, nutrition services, and ‘magnet’ effects that support local and statewide economies alike.
Our thanks go to Dr. Anna B. Faria and Dr. Grant Clayton of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs for their work in authoring this report. We also thank Jason Adkins, Executive Director and General Counsel of the Minnesota Catholic Conference for spearheading the logistics of this project.