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Economic Vitality Twin Cities Economy Is 14th Largest in U.S. (2009) The Minneapolis /Saint Paul metro economy is the 14th largest in the nation, according to a 2009 report by the U.S. Bureau of Eco- nomic Analysis.The region, which ranks 16th largest in population, generated a gross metropolitan product of $193.9 billion in 2008. GMP measures the total output of goods and services within a given area in a given year. It is a small -scale equivalent of gross domestic product,the national measure of economic prowess. Minnesota Ranks in Top Third for Business, Says Forbes (2009) Lino Lakes named among Money Magazine's 2009 "Best Places to Live" Forbes magazine ranked Minnesota No.17 on its 2009 list of top states for business. Minnesota scored high in two of six categories: quality of life rank (No.6 in the nation) and the quality of its labor force (No.10). Forbes based its list on data drawn from several sources, including Moody'sEconomy.com, Sperling's Best Places, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Education. Minneapolis and Saint Paul Dominate the List of Next CitiesTM forYoung,Talented Workers (2009) The Twin Cities dominate the list of 2009 -2010 U.S. Next CitiesTM with populations of 200,000- 500,000. Min- neapolis ranks second and Saint Paul is fifth in the "midsize magnets "category.The list was developed by Next Generation Consulting, a research and consulting company which evaluates cities based on characteris- tics that matter to young talent. Here's what matters, in order of importance: cost of lifestyle; earning; vitality; after hours; learning; around town; and social capital. Metro MSP Jumps Ahead in Forbes List of "Best Paces for Business and Careers" (2009) The Minneapolis -Saint Paul region moved up 27 slots on Forbes' annual list of "Best Places for Business and Careers" in 2009.The survey compared the 200 largest metro areas in the country based on 11 factors, includ- ing job and income growth, cost of doing business, cost of living, crime rate, educational attainment, pres- ence of four -year colleges, cultural and recreational opportunities, and net migration.The Metro MSP outper- formed most rivals in two areas: concentrations of colleges (fifth place) and culture and leisure (13th place). Twin Cities Named MarketWatch's "Best Metro for Business "for Second Year (2008) For the second consecutive year, the Minneapolis /Saint Paul region topped MarketWatch's list of the best metro centers for business.The Metro MSP region again won by wide margin, placing 20 points ahead of its nearest competitor, Boston. Despite an ailing national economy, "the concentration of (MSP) companies has stayed strong, and job growth continues while unemployment remains relatively Iow...The region seems prepared to handle whatever economic onslaught may be on tap. "The report compared 50 large metro regions in eight different objective metrics.