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 | Population Sort ascending |
|---|---|
| All immigrants | 470,387 |
| Mexican immigrants | 59,137 |
| Somali immigrants | 42,503 |
| Indian immigrants | 30,632 |
| Hmong immigrants | 29,034 |
| Ethiopian immigrants | 22,453 |
| Chinese immigrants | 17,746 |
| Vietnamese immigrants | 16,078 |
| Korean immigrants | 13,727 |
| Liberian immigrants | 12,446 |
| Burmese immigrants | 11,398 |
| Kenyan immigrants | 11,181 |
| Canadian immigrants | 11,179 |
| Filipino immigrants | 9,936 |
| Russian immigrants | 8,107 |
| Salvadoran immigrants | 7,302 |
| German immigrants | 6,811 |
| Laotian immigrants | 6,796 |
| Ecuadorian immigrants | 6,703 |
| Guatemalan immigrants | 6,619 |
| Nigerian immigrants | 6,551 |
| Thai Immigrants | 2,909 |
Sources:
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. (2017-2021).