Overview
Home to more than 5.3 million people, Minnesota is undergoing major shifts.
demographic trends
- More than half of Minnesota’s residents live in the 7-county Twin Cities region. It is one of the fastest growing regions in the Midwest and is predicted to continue rapid growth; increasing from 2.9 million people to more than 3.5 million by 2040.
- While Minnesota is still not nearly as racially diverse as the nation, we are becoming more diverse. About 17 percent of our state’s residents are now persons of color, compared to only about 1 percent in 1960. Between 2000 and 2010, the state’s population of color grew by 55 percent.
- Age trends are also transforming our state. By 2030, the number of Minnesotans over age 65 is expected to almost double and older adults will comprise about one-fifth of our population.
AT-A-GLANCE
- In 2011, 32 percent of Minnesotans (age 25+) had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 29 percent of the nation overall.
- More than one in 10 Minnesotans lived in poverty in 2011 (about $22,000 annually for a family of four).
- The median income of Minnesota households was less in 2011 than it was in 1999(inflation-adjusted). In 2011, half of Minnesota households made under $55,500 per year.
additional data sources
Much of the data in this section are compiled from the Census Bureau's intercensal estimates. Get links to other credible sources.
Poverty rate
What is the "real" poverty rate? Paul Mattessich, Compass project director, looks at the original, official definition and the new supplemental rate from the U.S. Census Bureau, and explains what they really tell us.
