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Home to 5.2 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, reaching 3 million by 2010.
- While Minnesota is still not nearly as racially diverse as the nation, we are becoming more diverse. About 15 percent of our state’s residents are now persons of color, compared to only about 1 percent in 1960. Between 2000 and 2009, the state’s population of color grew by 38 percent, compared to only 3 percent among whites.
- Age trends are also transforming our state. By 2030, the number of Minnesotans over age 65 is expected to more than double and older adults will comprise about one-fifth of our population.
AT-A-GLANCE
- In 2008, 32 percent of Minnesotans (age 25+) had a bachelor's degree, compared with 28 percent of the nation overall.
- One in 10 Minnesotans lived in poverty in 2008 (about $22,000 annually for a family of four).
- The median income of Minnesota households was less in 2008 than it was in 1999 (inflation-adjusted). In 2008, half of Minnesota households made under $57,300 per year.
