Demographics of Minneapolis

People walking and biking on Franklin Avenue in 2016.

The demographics of Minneapolis are tracked by the United States Census Bureau, with additional data gathered by the Minnesota State Demographic Center and the City of Minneapolis itself. Minneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Hennepin County.

As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was estimated to be 429,606. The racial composition of the city is predominantly non-Hispanic White, making up approximately 58.1% of the population, followed by African Americans at 18.9%, and Asian at 5.8%. Hispanic or Latinos of any race constitute around 10% of the city's inhabitants.[1]

Minneapolis has a growing immigrant population that includes communities of Somali, Hmong, and Latino immigrants, among others. The 2021 ACS 5-Year estimates 14.8% of Minneapolis residents were not born in the United States.[2]

The age distribution within the city is relatively balanced, with a median age of 31.7 years. Economic factors also play a significant role in the demographic landscape, with a median household income of $58,993 as of 2020, and a poverty rate of 20.7%.[1]

Educational attainment in Minneapolis is higher than the national average, with 87.9% of adults 25 years and older holding a high school degree, and nearly half have a bachelor's degree or higher.[1]

Population and age

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18605,809
187013,066124.9%
188046,887258.8%
1890164,738251.4%
1900202,71823.1%
1910301,40848.7%
1920380,58226.3%
1930464,35622.0%
1940492,3706.0%
1950521,7186.0%
1960482,872−7.4%
1970434,400−10.0%
1980370,951−14.6%
1990368,383−0.7%
2000382,6183.9%
2010382,5780.0%
2020429,95412.4%
2021 (est.)425,336[3]−1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]
2020 Census

Early years to mid-20th century

In its infancy, Minneapolis experienced rapid population growth due to industrialization, immigration, and the city's strategic location near the Mississippi River. This early exponential growth saw a moderate stabilization during the first half of the 20th century. Despite facing significant challenges such as the Great Depression, Minneapolis exhibited resilience, with its population growing to 464,356 by 1930 — an increase of 22.0%.

Post-war period

The years following World War II presented a new set of challenges for the city. Population growth peaked at 521,718, after which Minneapolis experienced a gradual decline. The exodus to suburban areas was in part due to factors like "white flight," urban decay, and increased automobile ownership. By 1980, the city had lost a considerable number of residents, with the population dipping to 370,951.

Late 20th century to present

The narrative changed in the latter years of the 20th century and into the 21st century as Minneapolis began to regain its population. Initiatives to rejuvenate downtown areas, improved public transportation, and an influx of younger professionals and immigrants contributed to this renewal. Although the population remained fairly stable from 2000 to 2010, it experienced a significant increase of 12.4% by 2020, reaching 429,954 residents. Downtown Minneapolis has also seen a resurgence, thanks in part to increased housing production, boasting over 30,000 inhabitants.[5]

Metropolitan area dynamics

The Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area also witnessed notable transformations. While the metropolitan area doubled in population since 1950, the proportion of metropolitan area residents in Minneapolis and its twin city, St. Paul, dwindled from 70% in 1950 to just 20% by 2010.[6] Suburban expansion was a crucial factor in this demographic shift.[7]

Recent age demographics

According to the 2021 ACS 5-Year estimates, the population of Minneapolis has a diverse age distribution that suggests an overall aging trend. Specifically, there is a noticeable increase in the 25-34 age bracket compared to the 2010 Census, while younger age groups have slightly diminished.

  • 5 to 14 years: 10.9%
  • 15 to 44 years: 52.4%
  • Under 18 years: 19.7%
  • 18 to 24 years: 13.2%
  • 60 years and over: 14.9%
  • 65 years and over: 10.2%
  • 75 years and over: 3.5%

Race and ethnicity

2021 American Community Survey of
race and ethnicity in Minneapolis[8]
White
61.1%
Black or African American
16.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
9.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander
5.1%
American Indian
0.6%
Other races
0.7%
Two or more races
6.3%

Contemporary

As of the 2020 Census, the racial composition was 58.1% non-Hispanic White, 18.9% Black or African American, 10.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.8% Asian or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 1.2% American Indian, and 0.5% some other race. 5.24% were of two or more races.

The city’s younger population has an estimated composition of 35% being non-Hispanic White, 32% Black, 17% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 2% Native American, 12% multiracial, and 9% of some other race.[9]

Historical

Minneapolis was overwhelmingly white for much of its history, with a composition around 99.0% white until approximately 1950.[10]

Black residents began settling in Minneapolis as early as the late 19th century, particularly after the American Civil War, when northern cities were considered safer from the racial politics of the South. Over time, many were concentrated in public housing, a trend that was later challenged and dispersed through lawsuits in the 1990s.[11] After the 1960s when much of the white flight occurred, the black population largely settled on the north side of Minneapolis.

The Asian population in Minneapolis, although historically insignificant, has grown in recent years to about 17,700 individuals. Originally consisting mainly of southern Chinese labor workers in the late 19th century, the city has since welcomed immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. The latter half of the 20th century saw an influx of Southeast Asians, particularly following the Vietnam War.[12]

Since then, the city has undergone significant diversification. Immigrants from countries such as Mexico, Somalia, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia have contributed to this diversity. Minneapolis is home to one of the largest Somali communities in North America, with approximately one-third of the 85,700 people with Somali ancestry in the U.S. residing in Minnesota as of 2010. There has also been a noticeable increase in the Mexican population, particularly in the South and Northeast regions of Minneapolis.[13]

Historical racial and ethnic demographics since 1860
Year White Black Asian
(incl. Pacific Is.)
Native Other
race
Two or
more
Hispanic or Latino Non-Hispanic White
1860[14] 99.6% 0.3%
1870[14] 99.2% 0.8%
1880[14] 99.2% 0.8%
1890[14] 99.2% 0.8%
1900[14] 99.2% 0.8%
1910[14] 99.1% 0.9%
1920[14] 98.9% 1.0% 0.1%
1930[14] 99.0% 0.9% 0.1%
1940[14] 98.9% 0.9% 0.1%
1950[14] 98.4% 1.3% 0.2% 0.1%
1960[14] 96.8% 2.4% 0.3% 0.4% 0.1%
1970[14] 93.6% 4.4% 0.4% 1.3% 0.3% 0.9% 92.8%
1980[14] 87.3% 7.7% 1.1% 2.4% 1.5% 1.3% 86.7%
1990[14] 78.4% 13.0% 4.3% 3.3% 0.9% 2.1% 77.5%
2000[15][16] 65.1% 18.0% 6.1% 2.2% 4.1% 4.4% 7.6% 62.5%
2010[17][18] 63.8% 18.3% 5.6% 1.7% 0.3% 3.4% 10.5% 60.3%
2020[1][19] 59.5% 18.9% 5.8% 1.2% 0.5% 5.2% 10.4% 58.0%
2021 (est.)[8] 62.4% 16.6% 5.3% 0.7% 0.5% 10.2% 9.8% 61.1%

Languages

The language landscape of Minneapolis is predominantly English-speaking, with 78.8% of the population using only English at home.[2] Given that 8.4% speak English less than "very well",[2] the city provides services in several other languages, including Spanish (spoken by 7.1%), Somali (3.7%), Hmong (2.2%), and American Sign Language.[20] Other languages spoken by smaller percentages of the population include Oromo, Russian, Amharic, Chinese, and French.[21]

The following table presents data from the 2000 Census, detailing the languages spoken at home in Minneapolis.[22]

Language Speakers %
English 288,930 80.94
Spanish 25,580 7.17
Hmong 9,665 2.71
Cushite 7,525 2.11
French 2,585 0.72
Vietnamese 2,465 0.69
German 1,675 0.47
Arabic 1,579 0.44
Laotian 1,504 0.42
Amharic 1,485 0.42
Chinese 1,220 0.34
Russian 975 0.27
Japanese 713 0.20
Korean 659 0.18
Norwegian 594 0.17
Italian 574 0.16
Swedish 540 0.15
Polish 520 0.15
Mon-Khmer 480 0.13
Tagalog 445 0.12
Hindi 425 0.12
Swahili 425 0.12
Kru, Ibo, Yoruba 405 0.11
Ukrainian 394 0.11
Ojibwa 379 0.11
Serbo-Croatian 354 0.10
Tibetan 309 0.09
Mande 285 0.08
Lettish 245 0.07
Greek 240 0.07
Persian 240 0.07
Urdu 235 0.07
Finnish 225 0.06
Mandarin 225 0.06
Portuguese 215 0.06
Dakota 204 0.06
Telugu 185 0.05
Thai 160 0.04
Bengali 140 0.04
Hebrew 124 0.03
Turkish 119 0.03
Fulani 105 0.03
Dutch 100 0.03
Czech 95 0.03
Cantonese 90 0.03
Croatian 85 0.02
Gujarathi 85 0.02
Tamil 85 0.02
French Creole 80 0.02
Romanian 80 0.02
Bantu 75 0.02
Danish 70 0.02
Nepali 70 0.02
Bulgarian 65 0.02
Indonesian 65 0.02
Irish Gaelic 65 0.02
Nilotic 55 0.02
Other Indian 50 0.01
Serbian 50 0.01
Hungarian 49 0.01
Efik 45 0.01
Yiddish 40 0.01
Malayalam 39 0.01
Formosan 35 0.01
Marathi 30 0.01
Pashto 30 0.01
Afrikaans 25 0.01
Hocąk 25 0.01
Lithuanian 20 0.01
Total 356,954 100

Households and families

According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey, there were a total of 155,155 households, out of which 45.3% were family households and 54.7% were non-family households. Of the family households, 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them while 29.1% were married couples. In addition, 4.8% of family households were made up of a male householder with no wife present and 11.4% were made up of a female householder with no husband present. Non-family households were 54.7% of all households. Of the non-family households, 42.7% were made up of a householder living alone and 7.4% were made up of a householder living alone who was 65 years of age and over. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 3.11.[23]

Income, employment and disparity

After the recent boom of the 1990s, Minneapolis still lags behind its suburban counterparts in terms of income and employment. Job growth was double in suburban areas and with it, the labor force is growing faster outside the city. Though city wages are exceeding regional jobs, most of the increases are in the downtown area and in corporate industries where employees may not necessarily live inside the city. When downtown is excluded from the statistics, Minneapolis' neighborhood wages are 92.0% of their suburban counterparts. Neighborhoods have gained 5,300 jobs since 1996 but the industry makeup has changed with stable manufacturing and trade jobs losing the most in favor of education, health and service jobs.[24]

Though jobs are leaving the city, Minneapolis has a highly educated work force. The share of adults in the labor force was 70.0% and the recorded low unemployment rate was 4.7% in 2002. However, racial and ethnic minorities lag behind White counterparts with 15.0% of African Americans and 13.0% of Hispanics holding bachelor's degrees, compared to 42.0% of European Americans. About 15.8% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.1% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those aged 65 or over.[25]

Regionally, the population is continuing to decentralize away from Minneapolis, relocating families and middle to upper income brackets outside the city. Growth in the middle class has been slow with the 2000 median household income at $37,974 and the median family income at $48,602. However, the median household income now stands at $44,478 and the median family income now stands at $59,816.[26]

Religion

According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 70% of the population of the Minneapolis metro area identified themselves as Christians, with 46% professing attendance at a variety of churches that could be considered Protestant, and 21% professing Roman Catholic beliefs.[27][28] while 23% claim no religious affiliation. The same study says that other religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism) collectively make up about 5% of the population.

Religious affiliation in the Minneapolis metro area by movement (2014)[29]
Affiliation % of population
Christian 70 70
 
Protestant 46 46
 
Lutheran 23 23
 
Historically Black Protestant 4 4
 
Methodist 3 3
 
Other Protestant 16 16
 
Roman Catholic 21 21
 
Mormon 1 1
 
Eastern Orthodox 1 1
 
Other Christian 1 1
 
Other religion or association 5 5
 
Unaffiliated 23 23
 
Nothing in particular 16 16
 
Agnostic 4 4
 
Atheist 3 3
 

31% of residents attend religious service at least once a week, 33% attend at least a few times a year, and 36% do only seldom or never at all. 42% pray at least daily. 69% believe in Heaven, and 51% believe in Hell.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d U.S. Census Bureau. "P1 Race (2020)". data.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  2. ^ a b c "Minneapolis". Minnesota Compass. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  3. ^ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021" (Excel). United States Census Bureau. May 29, 2022. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  4. ^ US Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "Downtown Living | Features | Mpls.St.Paul Magazine + mspmag.com". Archived from the original on 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2017-12-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ Minneapolis, City of. "Community Planning & Economic Development". www2.minneapolismn.gov.
  8. ^ a b U.S. Census Bureau. "2021 ACS 1-year estimates". data.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2024-08-16. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  9. ^ Minneapolis, City of (2023-01-20). "Minneapolis youth dashboard". City of Minneapolis. Archived from the original on 2023-05-14. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  10. ^ https://mn.gov/admin/assets/2015-04-06-overview-MN-demographic-changes_tcm36-74549.pdf Archived 2020-10-01 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
  11. ^ "MPR: Public housing study shows mixed results for residents". news.minnesota.publicradio.org. Archived from the original on 2024-08-16. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  12. ^ "American FactFinder - Results". Archived from the original on 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  13. ^ "Finding Common Ground". Archived from the original on 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n US Census Bureau (2008-09-12). "Historical Census Statistics On Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For Large Cities And Other Urban Places In The United States". census.gov. Archived from the original on 2012-08-12. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  15. ^ Bureau, US Census (2001). "County and City Data Book: 2000 (13th edition)" (PDF). Census.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-01. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  16. ^ "Hennepin County Census Data: Racial Composition". Crossroads Resource Center. 2001-09-25. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  17. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. "P1 Race (2010)". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  18. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. "Hispanics by race in Minneapolis 2010". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  19. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. "Hispanics by race in Minneapolis 2020". data.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  20. ^ Minneapolis, City of (2021-09-15). "Languages". City of Minneapolis. Archived from the original on 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  21. ^ "Mpls Languages". Crossroads Resource Center – Home. Archived from the original on 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  22. ^ "Data Center Results". Modern Language Association. 2015-10-12. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  23. ^ "American FactFinder - Results". Archived from the original on 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  24. ^ Minnesota Employment Review (May 2002). "Dividing the Spoils: Minneapolis Employment in the Booming '90s". MN Dept of Employment and Economic Development. Archived from the original on 2008-12-24. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  25. ^ "American FactFinder - Results". Archived from the original on 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  26. ^ "Minneapolis city, Minnesota - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder". Archived from the original on 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  27. ^ Major U.S. metropolitan areas differ in their religious profiles Archived 2021-03-08 at the Wayback Machine, Pew Research Center
  28. ^ "America's Changing Religious Landscape". Pew Research Center: Religion & Public Life. May 12, 2015. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  29. ^ a b "The Pew Forum – America's Changing Religious Landscape". Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.