Yes, Minnesota ranked last in Midwest private sector job creation for the most recent 12 months in one set of high-quality jobs data.

Yes, this undercuts some of the job market growth we've been reporting over the past few months based on the monthly numbers.

But no, it doesn't mean Wisconsin is doing better than Minnesota.

Since the recession, Minnesota's job market has been outperforming Wisconsin's by a wide margin

Look at the five years from March 2009 to March 2014. (I will surely be accused in the comments of picking an arbitrary time period, so let me try to head that off: I like this time period because 1) five is a nice round number, 2) the starting point is the bottom of the recession, and 3) the ending point is the most recent reliable job data we have.)

It's the same data that said private sector job growth has slowed in Minnesota in the past 18 months (which it has). Same data, it just extends back further.

Minnesota is top half in the Midwest and Wisconsin's in the relegation zone.

I don't think the governor of a state has much to do with short-term economic growth. The economy is moving in long, slow ways that we don't fully understand. But job growth seems to come up now that it's election season, and I did write a blog post and story last week on Minnesota's last-place-in-the-Midwest finish in private sector job creation in the most recent 12-month period of the most reliable jobs data.

Those 12 months shouldn't be ignored, but they also shouldn't be taken in isolation. Over the long haul, Minnesota is outperforming Wisconsin in almost every measure. Whether the credit goes to Mark Dayton, Tim Pawlenty, Jesse Ventura, Paul Wellstone, Hubert Humphrey, Harold Stassen or John Pillsbury, well, you can decide.