Are Minnesota's leaders reflective of the diversity of those they employ and serve? Here's a snapshot of the makeup of our business, government, and nonprofit leaders compared to our state's population as a whole.

Leaders by gender

Minnesota's leaders are overwhelmingly male 

Business

About three-quarters of Minnesota's business leaders are male
73 %

Government

Males make up nearly two-thirds of Minnesota's government leaders
58 %

Nonprofit

Nearly two in three nonprofit leaders are male
60 %
leaders by race

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) remain under-represented in leadership positions 

Minnesota's BIPOC population

17 %

BIPOC leaders

12 %
leaders by education

38% of Minnesotans have a bachelor's degree or higher. The makeup of leaders with this level of education is:

Business

68 %

Government

68 %

Nonprofit

91 %
leaders by income

12% of Minnesotans are making $100,000 or more. The makeup of leaders earning $100,000 of more is:

Business

71 %

Government

41 %

Nonprofit

83 %
leaders by disability

3 out of 20 Minnesotans have a disability, yet fewer than 1 in 20 leaders have a disability 

Minnesota

14 %

Leaders

4 %
leaders by age

Two-thirds of Minnesota's leaders are middle-aged, while younger and older adults are underrepresented among Minnesota's leadership

Bar chart shows 39% of Minnesotans are under the age of 45, yet just 27% of leaders are under 45. 17% of Minnesotans are age 45-54, and 34% of leaders are 45-54. 20% of Minnesotans are 55-64, and 31% of leaders are 55-64. 24% of Minnesotans are age 65+ and 9% of leaders are 65+.

 

pathways to leadership

The most common pathways to leadership vary across sectors

Illustration shows 49% of Minnesota's business leaders are promted from within, 90% of government eladers are elected, and 65% of nonprofit leaders are hired externally

 

Take action

  1. Use the Who Leads in MN? data to examine leadership in your own organization. Does it reflect what we have learned about Minnesota leaders as a whole? Are you surprised by any disparities?
  2. Download our leaders’ promising practices DEI toolkit for ideas of how to develop a more inclusive environment to nurture emerging leaders of all backgrounds.
  3. Get inspired by our “spark change” stories of how some Minnesota organizations and communities are championing diverse and inclusive leadership.
  4. Peruse our leadership program directory for leadership training opportunities by participant and program focus, and geographic area.