Minnesota

The largest of the Midwestern states, Minnesota was occupied by the Anishaabe and the Dakota tribes. The Minnesota Territory was created in 1849, and it was made a U.S. state in 1858. At the time, Minnesota's wealth came from its large supplies of iron ore in the northern Mesabi Range.

Currently, the state's birth rate is 14.2, only slightly more than the national average; and the fertility rate is 2.14 children per woman in the state, also a little higher than the U.S. average (2.10 children per woman). In Minnesota there are also 2.52 people per household—very close to the national average.

Because of the comparative affluence of Minnesota, compulsory education for children between the ages of 7 and 16 was introduced in 1885, which has resulted ...