MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, Minnesota
Population: 704,847
Unemployment: 3.7 percent
Key Transportation Infrastructure: I-35, I-94
It’s a testament to how well goods are moved from the area that the Twin Cities is home to 16 Fortune 500 companies. That probably has a lot to do with how many major trucking and railroad outfits call the region home as well. As you’d expect, the largest chunk of that is going to Canada at $5.8 billion, but China is not that far behind at $3.5 billion. Major railroads include BNSF, Union Pacific, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific.