Nearly half a million immigrants call Minnesota home, a population that includes citizens and non-citizens, students and workers, and refugees who fled their home countries. Minnesota has proportionally fewer immigrants compared to the nation as a whole, but we have long been a state shaped by immigration. In 2020, about 8% of Minnesotans were foreign-born, but that percentage was as high as 37% in the late 1800s. Immigration will continue to shape our communities for generations to come. Today, one in five Minnesota children is the child of an immigrant. Most of these children are native-born themselves.
Fast facts
490,000 foreign-born Minnesotans
Minnesota's largest immigrant groups
Mexican immigrants remain Minnesota's largest immigrant group, but the number of Mexican immigrants living in the state declined over the past decade. Somali immigrants are the second-largest immigrant group in Minnesota.
Spanish is the most common non-English language spoken in Minnesota
Followed by Cushite-Beja-Somali, Hmong, and Vietnamese
Three-quarters of immigrants are working
Minnesota's immigrants at a glance
Explore data by immigrant group
| Immigrant group Sort descending | Population |
|---|---|
| All immigrants | 470,387 |
| Burmese immigrants | 11,398 |
| Canadian immigrants | 11,179 |
| Chinese immigrants | 17,746 |
| Ecuadorian immigrants | 6,703 |
| Ethiopian immigrants | 22,453 |
| Filipino immigrants | 9,936 |
| German immigrants | 6,811 |
| Guatemalan immigrants | 6,619 |
| Hmong immigrants | 29,034 |
| Indian immigrants | 30,632 |
| Kenyan immigrants | 11,181 |
| Korean immigrants | 13,727 |
| Laotian immigrants | 6,796 |
| Liberian immigrants | 12,446 |
| Mexican immigrants | 59,137 |
| Nigerian immigrants | 6,551 |
| Russian immigrants | 8,107 |
| Salvadoran immigrants | 7,302 |
| Somali immigrants | 42,503 |
| Thai Immigrants | 2,909 |
| Vietnamese immigrants | 16,078 |
Sources:
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. (2017-2021).