[4] He spent several years of his childhood in England and Denmark[5][6] before moving back to the United States at age eight, living in Westchester County, New York.

Ryssdal received his Master of Arts in National Security Studies from Georgetown University in 1993.

After graduating from college, Ryssdal spent eight years in the United States Navy, first flying a Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye[7] from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, and later as a Pentagon staff officer.

After earning his master's degree, Ryssdal joined the U.S. Foreign Service, serving in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and Beijing, China.

[1][6] Before joining Marketplace, Ryssdal was a reporter and substitute host for The California Report, a news and information program distributed to public radio stations throughout California by KQED-FM in San Francisco.