Populations in These 6 Minnesota Counties Are Plummeting

Minnesota is a Midwestern state known for its many lakes, cold winters, and bountiful outdoor areas. Minnesota is the 12^th largest state by area, so it has plenty of space for people. In 2020, the state was home to 5,706,504 people. The 2022 estimates showed that 5,717,184 people live in the state. Although that is an increase in the total number of people living in the state, the populations in some Minnesota counties are plummeting.

Discover the counties where populations are plummeting, see how many people have left the region, and learn why they might be leaving some of these areas.

6. Murray County

Murray County is in southwest Minnesota. The largest city in the area is Slayton, a place with 2,100 people living there. Aside from having some amazing lakes in the county, this county is known for having both of the state’s EF5 tornadoes either touch down or strike the area.

The population shift in Murray County was not that severe. In 2020, 8,175 people lived in this county. By July 2022, the number of people left in the county was 8,060. Just 115 people left the county in those two years, a number equal to 1.41% of the population.

Now, most people are going to look at this very small drop in population and wonder why it is on the list of Minnesota counties where populations are plummeting. The reason is simple: most of the counties that dropped in population lost fewer than 1,000 people. The fastest-shrinking Minnesota counties are the largest ones, and they account for the vast majority of population losses.

5. Polk County

Polk County is in the northwestern portion of the North Star State. The largest city in this county is East Grand Forks, and it is home to about 9,000 people. This county shares a border to the west with North Dakota along the Red River, also called the Red River of the North.

Polk County, Minnesota had a population of 31,194 people as of the 2020 Census. The U.S. Census Bureau issued estimates for July 2022 that claimed the population dropped to 30,731. The population dropped by 463 people, a number equivalent to 1.48% of the population.

4. St. Louis County

St. Louis County is in the state’s northeastern area. This county is chock-full of gorgeous natural areas, like Kabetogama State Forest, Lake Vermillion, and a portion of Lake Superior. The largest city in this area is Duluth, and it has a population of about 86,697 people.

In 2020, the population in St. Louis County was 200,223 people. The population shifted by 2022, leaving the area with 199,532 people. That means the population dropped by a total of 691 people. That’s not a large drop in population overall, and it’s even less when one considers that it is only 0.34% of the population.

3. Nobles County

Nobles County is in southwestern Minnesota, and it has a border shared with Iowa to the south. The largest city in this area is Worthington, a place that is home to about 14,000 people.

Originally, Nobles County had a population of 22,294 people starting in 2020. However, the population in 2022 reached 21,947. The drop in population in this region was small, a mere 797 people. Still, the number of people that left the county equated to 3.57% of the population. So, even though fewer than 1,000 people left this part of the state, a sizable chunk of the population departed the region.

2. Ramsey County

Ramsey County is in southeastern Minnesota. This county is known for being home to the city of Saint Paul, a city of 307,000 people. Saint Paul is the capital of Minnesota, and it is situated near a portion of the Mississippi River.

The population in Ramsey County experienced a significant drop in population. In 2020, the population in this county was 552,362, making this the second-largest county by population. The population in 2022 plummeted to 536,413 people.

The county lost 15,949 people from its population, equal to 2.89% of the people in the area. That change made this one of the Minnesota counties with the second-highest population loss in the state.

1. Hennepin County

Hennepin County is also in southeastern Minnesota. This county is home to Minneapolis, the largest city by population in the state. An estimated 425,000 people live in this city alone.

Hennepin County is the largest county by population in Minnesota. This county was home to 1,281,568 during the 2020 U.S. Census. Meanwhile, the estimated population in 2022 was 1,260,121 people. That means this county experienced a drop of 21,447 people or 1.67% of the population.

This is the largest population drop in the entire state of Minnesota in terms of individuals lost. The percent change was not as severe. Yet, this is still the Minnesota county where the population is plummeting the most, and it is one of two counties where the population losses exceeded 10,000 people in two years.

Clearly, most of the departures in this state come from Ramsey and Hennepin County. The fact is that many counties in Minnesota are growing or staying steady near their original numbers. Despite losing 40,000 people or so in the counties we’ve mentioned, the overall population in the state is increasing.

The people moving from highly populated cities might be relocating to other areas in the state. The prevalence of remote work, the desire to get away from highly populated areas during the COVID-19 pandemic, economic conditions in cities, and rising housing costs throughout the country are just a few factors that could be responsible for the population shifts seen in this article. More time and possibly another census will be needed to completely understand the population changes in Minnesota.

Summary of Minnesota Counties with Plummeting Populations