Minnesota’s statewide average does not resemble every part of the state. The 2024 ACS five-year estimate places the population at 5,739,445, with about 79,632 square miles of land and an average density near 72 people per square mile. The Twin Cities region is far denser than much of northern and northwestern Minnesota, so the statewide mean should be read only as broad context.
The most useful comparison is not one ranking but three different questions. Hennepin County has the largest current population, Ramsey County has the highest county-average density, and Carver County recorded the fastest percentage growth from 2010 to 2020. Those measures describe size, concentration, and change respectively and should remain separate.
The analysis below relies on ACS and decennial Census values supplied with the article. The five site-owned graphics remain as optional reference material; no factual claim in the text depends on interpreting image color, symbol size, or shape.
Table of Contents
Census tracts turn the Twin Cities into a broad high-density footprint
The highest tract-level densities are concentrated around Minneapolis and St. Paul and extend into suburban parts of Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota, Washington, Scott, and Carver counties. This produces a broad metropolitan concentration rather than two isolated high-density points. Countywide averages can hide that internal variation because one county may contain both very dense and much less dense tracts.
Outside the Twin Cities, Rochester forms a major concentration in southeastern Minnesota, with additional regional centers around St. Cloud and Duluth and a smaller concentration near Moorhead on the western border. Much of northern Minnesota remains sparsely populated, with localized centers separated by large low-density areas. Tract statistics are useful here because they preserve local variation that a single county average can obscure.
Place populations show a multi-city Twin Cities region plus several independent regional centers
Minneapolis is the largest census place at 427,246 residents, followed by St. Paul at 307,284. Rochester has 122,330 residents, Bloomington 88,665, and Duluth 87,093. Brooklyn Park has 83,876, Plymouth 79,220, Woodbury 78,305, Lakeville 74,354, Blaine 72,488, Maple Grove 71,173, and St. Cloud 70,629. These are place population totals, not density measurements.
Minneapolis and St. Paul are surrounded by substantial places such as Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Plymouth, Woodbury, Lakeville, Blaine, Maple Grove, Eagan, and Burnsville. That creates a metropolitan system with multiple large municipalities close together. Rochester, Duluth, and St. Cloud are more distinct regional centers with fewer similarly large places immediately around them.
Hennepin leads county population, with four more large Twin Cities counties close by
Hennepin County has 1,269,496 residents, by far the largest county total in Minnesota. Ramsey County follows with 542,945, Dakota with 445,771, Anoka with 370,349, and Washington with 276,238. All five are in the Twin Cities region. St. Louis County has 200,123 residents, Olmsted 164,498, Stearns 160,865, Scott 154,557, Wright 148,269, Carver 110,041, and Sherburne 100,560.
St. Louis County illustrates why total population must be separated from density. Its population is large enough to rank sixth, yet its very large land area produces an average density of only about 32 people per square mile. Ramsey County shows the opposite effect: it has fewer residents than Hennepin but a much smaller land area, giving it the state’s highest county density. Population totals answer how many people live in a county; density answers how concentrated those residents are.
Ramsey, not Hennepin, has Minnesota’s highest county-average density
Ramsey County averages about 3,566 people per square mile, the highest county value in the state. Hennepin County is next at about 2,291. Anoka averages roughly 878, Dakota 792, Washington 718, Scott 434, and Carver 311. Olmsted County, home to Rochester, averages about 252. These values identify a compact group of high-density Twin Cities counties, with Olmsted standing out as a secondary high-density county elsewhere in the state.
The low-density end is concentrated in the north and northwest. Lake of the Woods County averages about 2.9 people per square mile, Kittson about 3.7, and Koochiching about 3.8. St. Louis County, despite its comparatively large population total, averages about 32. These extremes show why the statewide average of 72 is only a summary statistic. It describes neither the dense Twin Cities core nor the sparsest northern counties particularly well.
| Measure | Standout area | Value in the supplied data |
|---|---|---|
| State population | Minnesota | 5,739,445 |
| Largest county population | Hennepin County | 1,269,496 |
| Highest county density | Ramsey County | about 3,566/sq mi |
| Fastest 2010–2020 growth | Carver County | +17.4% |
| Largest 2010–2020 decline | Koochiching County | -9.4% |
Carver led 2010–2020 county growth around the Twin Cities fringe
Carver County grew from 91,042 residents in 2010 to 106,922 in 2020, an increase of about 17.4%. Scott County increased 16.2%, Wright 13.3%, Olmsted 12.9%, and Washington 12.4%. Hennepin grew 11.2%, Clay 10.7%, Dakota 10.4%, Anoka 10.0%, and Sherburne 9.8%. Several of the fastest gains therefore occurred in outer Twin Cities counties, with Olmsted also posting strong growth around Rochester.
Koochiching County had the largest decline, falling from 13,311 residents in 2010 to 12,062 in 2020, or about -9.4%. Yellow Medicine declined 8.7%, Kittson 7.6%, Lac qui Parle 7.4%, and Lake of the Woods 7.0%. These declines are concentrated among several northern and western counties. The figures describe the direction and magnitude of population change but do not establish why a county grew or declined, which would require separate migration, housing, economic, and vital-statistics evidence.
Three different rankings explain Minnesota better than one statewide average
Size, density, and change are separate dimensions. Hennepin is the largest county by current population, Ramsey is the densest, and Carver grew the fastest between the two decennial censuses. At the place level, Minneapolis and St. Paul anchor a cluster of several large municipalities, while Rochester, Duluth, and St. Cloud form distinct regional centers. Tract-level density adds finer detail within those broader county and place patterns.
That combination produces Minnesota’s strongest geographic contrast. The Twin Cities metro contains the state’s largest county totals, highest county densities, and broadest concentration of high-density tracts. Several outer metro counties also posted some of the fastest 2010–2020 growth. Northern Minnesota, meanwhile, contains very low-density counties and several of the largest percentage declines. Keeping population totals, density, and growth rates separate prevents one measure from being mistaken for another.
Download the Minnesota population map collection
The ZIP collection includes detailed census-tract density, major cities and urban areas, county population totals, 2010–2020 population change, and county population density.
FAQ
Which Minnesota county has the largest population?
Hennepin County is largest in the supplied 2024 ACS data with 1,269,496 residents. Ramsey County is second at 542,945, followed by Dakota County at 445,771.
Is Hennepin County also the densest county in Minnesota?
No. Ramsey County has the highest county-average density at about 3,566 people per square mile, compared with about 2,291 in Hennepin County. Total population and population density measure different things.
Which Minnesota county grew fastest from 2010 to 2020?
Carver County had the largest percentage increase at about 17.4%, followed by Scott County at 16.2% and Wright County at 13.3%. These figures compare the 2010 and 2020 decennial censuses.
Related Maps
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS): 2024 5-year population and density estimates
- U.S. Census Bureau — TIGER/Line Shapefiles: 2024 state, county, census tract, and place geography
- U.S. Census Bureau — Decennial Census: 2010 and 2020 county population comparison
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