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The report captures over 19,000 data points with responses from nearly 4,000 residents in the East Metro.

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation has released the fourth volume of its East Metro Pulse report, a tool used to assess how East Metro residents feel about several topics, including community connectedness, economic opportunity and security, education, health, housing and transportation.

Insights and data points from East Metro Pulse were commissioned by the Foundation and conducted by Wilder Research in the spring of 2024. Data collected through East Metro Pulse can be used to help leaders and policymakers better understand the experience of living in the East Metro, as told by its residents.

Findings from this fourth volume are now available at the Foundation’s website. Survey results are available in an executive summary and an interactive data book that allows users to view, filter and download results sorted by age, education level, language, race and ethnicity, gender, household income and housing status.

“The data collected from the East Metro Pulse survey provides us with insights on the concerns, needs and experiences of East Metro residents,” said Stephanie Peterson, the Foundation’s director of learning. “We plan to use these results in our own work. We also make this information freely and readily available to nonprofits, funders, government agencies, service providers and future change makers so they can stay attuned to the needs of the people they serve in our community.”

More Enthusiasm for the East Metro as an Inclusive and Accepting Place

More than 60% of survey respondents think of the East Metro as a place where they belong, rather than just a place where they live, which says something about the sense of community connection.

However, renters were shown to express different sentiments. Unlike most homeowners, renters were more likely to call the East Metro ‘just a place to live,’ rather than a place they belong (47% vs 31% of homeowners). They were also more likely to rate the East Metro as a ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ place to live (20% vs 8% of homeowners) and raise children (28% vs 14% of homeowners).

“The differences in responses between renters and homeowners emphasizes the importance of creating accessible communities for all,” Stephanie said. “One of the benefits of having a community perception survey like East Metro Pulse is that we can understand the nuance of who feels connected to our community and where we have some work to do. By shining a light on where these perceptions differ, we can build a stronger, more connected community for everyone."

“ By shining a light on where these perceptions differ, we can build a stronger, more connected community for everyone.”

Stephanie Peterson, Director of Learning