New census numbers show that, as a whole, the population of Minnesota is getting older and more diverse.
But that isn't the case in all of northwest Minnesota, where Kittson County saw its proportion of white residents increase over the past decade while the median age in Mahnomen County dropped to 37.4 years even as baby boomers near retirement age.
Minnesota had a 7.8 percent increase in its population to a total of about 5.3 million residents in 2010. But 45 percent of that gain happened in the five suburban counties surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul, which grew an average of 23 percent since 2000.
The state also became more diverse over the past decade as increasing numbers of African-American and Asian residents lowered the proportion of white residents to 85.3 percent. The Hispanic population grew 74.5 percent to now account for 4.7 percent of the state's population, up from about 3 percent in 2000.
Regional trends:
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While Minnesota's population grew by nearly 8 percent the past decade, population totals for the 11 northwest counties increased by just 1.7 percent since 2000.
Here are some of the highlights:
Beltrami County remained the most populated county in this part of the state with 44,442 residents, a 12.1 percent jump since 2000. The county also had the region's lowest median age in 2010 at 33.2 years.
Clearwater County saw its population grow by 3.2 percent, the region's third-highest rate of growth behind Beltrami and Mahnomen counties. The county also became more diverse since 2000 as the number of residents who are African-American, American Indian, Asian or two or more races grew to now account for 12.8 percent of the population.
Kittson County had northwest Minnesota's largest population loss the past decade, dropping 13.9 percent to a total of 4,552 residents. The median age increased by 5.8 years to 48.2 in 2010, and the proportion of white residents increased slightly to 98.5 percent -- making it the only county in the region to become less diverse over the past decade.
Lake of the Woods County saw the area's most dramatic aging of its population, with the median age rising more than seven years to 48.7. That's well above the statewide median age of 37.4 and also is higher than any other northwest county. Asians are now the county's largest racial minority, accounting for 0.8 percent of the population.
Mahnomen County's median age fell by 0.8 years to 37.4. It wasn't a big change, but still significant because most Minnesota counties -- and nearly every place across the U.S. -- saw an age increases as baby boomers near retirement age. Mahnomen County also became more diverse over the past decade, with white residents making up 50.1 percent of the population and the number of American Indians growing to now account for 40.9 percent of the county.
Marshall County became slightly more diverse since 2000, and American Indians now make up 0.5 percent of the county's 9,439 residents. The number of Hispanic residents also increased to 3.6 percent. The total population dropped by 7.1 percent over the past decade.
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Norman County saw its median age rise by 4.3 years to 45.2, the third-highest figure in northwest Minnesota behind Lake of the Woods and Kittson counties. The county had a 7.9 percent population drop to a total of 6,852 residents, with 94.2 percent of people reporting white as their only race.
Pennington County had 192 African-American residents in 2010, enough to account for 1.4 percent of the overall population of 13,930. That's a big jump compared to 2000 when just 0.2 percent of residents were African-American. The number of American Indian residents nearly doubled the past decade, and similar increases in the number of other racial minorities brought the proportion of white residents down to 93.8 percent. The median age increased by just a year to 38.9, one of the region's smallest changes since 2000.
Polk County's population grew slightly to a total of 31,600 in 2010. The median age increased 1.6 years to 39.8, and the proportion of white residents dropped slightly to 93.3 percent as the number of African-American, American Indian and Asian residents increased to account for more of the population. About 5.4 percent of residents are Hispanic, the highest proportion in northwest Minnesota.
Red Lake County saw a drop in the number of American Indian residents, who now account for1.3 percent of the population and remain the county's largest racial minority. The number of Hispanic residents rose to 101, significantly higher than the 13 who lived there in 2000 and enough to now account for 2.5 percent of the county.
Roseau County's median age increased 5.4 years to 40.7 in 2010 as the overall population decreased 4.3 percent to 15,629 residents. Asian residents continued to be the county's largest racial minority, and an increase since 2000 means they now make up 2.5 percent of the population -- well above the 1.3 percent proportion of American Indians and 0.2 percent proportion of African-Americans in the county.
Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
