Data: Microsoft; A. Misra et al. "Measuring AI Diffusion Across U.S. Geographies: County, State, and Metro Estimates." 2026; Chart: Kyle Stokes/Axios
Minnesotans who live in cities are twice as likely to use AI tools as those who live in rural communities, a new report from Microsoft shows.
Why it matters: The uneven spread of artificial intelligence could deepen existing economic opportunity gaps between urban and rural communities, Microsoft president Brad Smith tells Axios.
In rural Minnesota, 13.1% of working-age adults used tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Copilot.
In metropolitan counties,28.4% of Minnesotans are using AI.
The big picture: Even residents of Minnesota's metro areas are using AI at lower rates than Americans in other metro areas.
Overall, the state ranked 38th for AI use.
The intrigue: College towns are AI hotspots nationwide.
Blue Earth County (home of Minnesota State University, Mankato) and Stevens County (University of Minnesota Morris) ranked 2nd and 3rd in the state, respectively, for AI usage.