Minnesota population at a glance  |  Minnesota's quality of life indicators 

 

How racially and ethnically diverse is our state?

Our mncompass.org web analytics show that users are visiting key sections to learn more about the racial and ethnic makeup of Minnesota's population. Our data by race and ethnicity, by immigrant group, and by cultural community can help paint a clearer picture of who we are as a population, where we live and work, and what is impacting our quality of life. Here is a snapshot of facts about some of the people who make Minnesota their home.  

Race and ethnicity

Minnesota’s population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, especially among our younger age groups. 

Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) make up:

Bar chart showing that Black, Indigenous, and people of color make up 22% of Minnesota residents, 29% of Twin Cities residents, and 34% young children (0-4)

 

Immigrant group

Immigrants contribute to the growth of the state’s economy and population.

  • About 8% of the state’s population is foreign-born.
  • 75% of foreign-born residents are working.
  • 20% of kids in Minnesota are children with an immigrant parent.
  • Mexican immigrants are Minnesota’s largest immigrant group.

Cultural community 

Minnesota is home to many cultures, and our demographic profiles on 27 of the largest cultural communities provide insight into our quality of life. 

  • More than half of Somali residents are age 17 and younger.
  • More than 9 in 10 Hmong Minnesotans live in the Twin Cities.
  • Nearly 4 in 10 Mexican Minnesotans live outside of the Twin Cities. 
  • Three of the five most racially and ethnically diverse counties in Minnesota are in greater Minnesota: Mahnomen: 63%, Nobles: 59%, and Beltrami: 46%  (Percentages denote the probability two people selected at random would be from different racial and ethnic groups)
    State map shows the three most diverse counties in greater Minnesota. Beltrami and Mahnomen are in the northern part of the state, and Nobles is in the southwest corner of the state.

"Why aren't I represented in Compass data?" Learn why some specific demographic data are hard to retrieve.

 

Minnesota's population at a glance

  2000 2021
Overall population 4.9 million 5.7 million
     Twin Cities 2.6 million 3.2 million
     Greater Minnesota 2.3 million 2.6 million
Children and youth (age 0-17) 1.3 million 1.3 million
     Twin Cities 698,000 730,000
     Greater Minnesota 589,000 587,000
Working-age residents (age 18-64) 3.0 million 3.4 million
     Twin Cities 1.7 million 2.0 million
     Greater Minnesota 1.3 million 1.5 million
Older adults (age 65+) 594.000 956,000
     Twin Cities 255,000 472,000
     Greater Minnesota 339,000 472,000
Foreign-born residents 260,000 487,000
     Twin Cities 206,000 387,000
     Greater Minnesota 54,000 101,000
People of color 582,000 1.2 million
     Twin Cities 444,000 921,000
     Greater Minnesota 138,000 328,000

Numbers may not add up to totals due to rounding.

 

Minnesota's quality of life indicators

Arts & Culture

57%

Adults age 18+ who attended a cultural event in the past year

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
8
40%

Adults age 18+ who created or performed art in the past year

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
17
20%

Students participating in artistic lessons at least once a week

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
--

Children & Youth

58%

Students who are connected to a caring adult

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
--
60%

Students participating in enrichment activities three times a week

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
--

Civic Engagement

61%

Voted in 2022 mid-term election (voting-eligible)

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
3
37%

Residents age 16+ who volunteer

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
5
63%

Adult neighbors who help neighbors

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
6

Early Childhood

59%

Children screened before age 5

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
--
7%

Low-weight births

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
12

Economy

$61,000

Per-capita GDP (2012 chained dollars)

Recent Trend
Better
National Rank
15
2.8 million

Number of jobs

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
20
$77,000

Median household income (2021 dollars)

Recent Trend
Better
National Rank
13
9%

Poverty rate

Recent Trend
Better
National Rank
3

Education

48%

3rd-graders who are proficient in reading

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
--
40%

8th-graders who are proficient in math

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
--
83%

Students who graduate high school on time

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
32

Environment

63%

Days air quality was rated "good" (Twin Cities)

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
9 of 25 largest U.S. metropolitan cities
29

Tons of greenhouse gas emissions per person

Recent Trend
Better
National Rank
--

Health

32%

Adults age 18+ who are obese

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
20
5%

Residents under age 65 who are uninsured

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
5
9%

Adults age 18+ with diabetes

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
10

Housing

11,371

People experiencing homelessness

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
--
26%

Households who pay 30% or more of income for housing

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
12
26%

Homeownership gap (white, of color)

Recent Trend
Better
National Rank
38

Public Safety

24

Serious crimes committed per 1,000 residents

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
--
431

Traffic injuries and fatalities per 100,000 residents

Recent Trend
Better
National Rank
6 (for fatalities only)

Transportation

4%

Highway miles rated in poor condition

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
--
18%

Household income spent on transportation (Twin Cities)

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
8 of 25 largest U.S. metropolitan cities
32

Annual hours of delay per auto commuter (Twin Cities)

Recent Trend
Better
National Rank
12 of 25 largest U.S. metropolitan cities
18,400

Average number of jobs reachable within a 30-minute commute by foot or transit (Twin Cities)

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
11 of 25 largest U.S. metropolitan cities

Workforce

78%

Proportion of adults working

Recent Trend
Worse
National Rank
2
39%

Adults age 25+ with a bachelor’s degree

Recent Trend
Better
National Rank
11
68%

Graduation rate at 4-year institutions (within 6 years)

Recent Trend
Better
National Rank
14
56%

Graduation + transfer rate at 2-year institutions (within 3 years)

Recent Trend
Same
National Rank
10