Connect Minnesota just released info from their latest business report based on surveys of 801 businesses in Minnesota.

Here are some of the key findings…

• 24% of Minnesota businesses, or more than 34,000 businesses statewide, do not use broadband service, down from 27% in 2011
• 30% of all Minnesota businesses allow their employees to telework
• More than one in three Minnesota businesses (38%) earn revenue from online sales, and
• Statewide, online sales account for $38 billion in business revenue annually

They also look at broadband/mobile/website use by industry sector. There were a couple of industries that were less plugged in than others, agriculture, mining, construction and utilities which are actually grouped together on the report. Retail, recreation, food and lodging dipped in mobile use. Perhaps because of the on-location nature of the business. Or maybe those surveyed didn’t count mobile communication between employee and employer – I have to think that’s pretty high in those industries.

But no matter how you slice it, $38 billion is a great motivator for getting online!

I suspect this report and more will be on the agenda for the Connect Minnesota Broadband Summit on December 4, 2013.