In order to attain a better understanding of the data processing manpower needs of business and industry, a survey instrument was designed and mailed to 570 known and possible computer installations in the Minnesota/North Dakota area. The survey was conducted during the spring of 1975, and concentrated on the kinds of equipment and computer programming languages currently in use. Although the initial response was only 121 (21.23 percent), a second mailing resulted in a total of 208 completed questionnaires (47.03 percent). Eliminating educational installations, service bureau users, and terminal users, a total of 179 businesses, with 198 computers installed, were identified in the two state area. From the information gathered, it appears that a student graduating in computer curriculum in the Minnesota/North Dakota area has a 58.6 percent chance of working on an IBM computer. There also is a 67 percent chance that the computer would be classed as a small computer. The student should, therefore, have a background in the RPG and COBOL languages. Should he not be working on an IBM computer, the COBOL language still equips him with a language used on most other computers. The only exception would be on an NCR computer, which has only 8 percent of the total market. (Author/NHM)