MINNEAPOLIS – The seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area added 191,628 people in the last six years according to a new report by the Metropolitan Council.
More than half the growth is contained within Hennepin and Ramsey counties. Minneapolis, by itself, added 37,374 people, more than all of Ramsey county added. Hennepin County in total added 85,135 people, according to the report’s population estimates.
The report uses the April 1, 2010 census numbers and the Metropolitan Council’s own population estimates, dated April 1, 2016. The Council is required by statute to prepare this report annually.
Minneapolis’ total population now is 419,952, and the city has surpassed the population of all of Dakota County. After the 2010 census, Dakota County still had just under 16,000 people more than Minneapolis, but the county added only 19,880 people in the intervening time. Minneapolis now has a population larger than five of the seven metro area counties.
Carver County became the last metro-area county to crack 100,000 residents, adding 9,575 since the census.
Minneapolis’ population growth was the largest among metro area cities, followed by St. Paul’s growth of 19,374. Blaine, Woodbury, Bloomington, and Lakeville are the only other cities to add 5,000 or more people since 2010. Minnetonka, Edina, and Apple Valley all broke the 50,000 total population mark.
“Council officials say growth reflects a diversified, competitive economy,” says the report, “But the challenge remains to invest in key areas.”
The areas identified by the report are safe and affordable housing; transit to ensure mobility and connect people to jobs; “clean and abundant” water; and transit-friendly and land use efficient developments.
Twenty-eight municipalities saw their population decrease over the last six years, with the Stillwater township suffering the biggest loss of 351 residents.
Much of the population change in Minnesota as a whole is predicated on international migration, as Alpha News reported previously. Domestic migration is a net-negative for the state as people flee to warmer, more tax-friendly states like Florida and Texas. Minnesota has seen a net loss of residents to other states every year since 2000. Neighboring states North Dakota and South Dakota have also been big draws to Minnesotans.
The Metropolitan Council’s numbers are slightly lower than the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimates. The Council uses American Community Survey data, in addition, the most recent available local information, while the Census Bureau uses a method reliant on birth rates, death rates, and migration rates.
