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1/11/2016 2:23:55 PM
Tim O'Neill
Last month, the Twin Cities Regional Blog highlighted new population growth within the metro according to freshly-released statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS). To the point, the region is growing. Gaining nearly 130,000 people between the 2009 and 2014 5-Year estimates, the region grew by 4.6 percent, faster than the state's 3.8 percent growth during that time.
Digging into these numbers, however, reveals much more about the Twin Cities' growth.
The metro region is becoming much more diverse. Between the 2009 and 2014 5-Year estimates, the largest-growing population was the Black or African American population. With nearly 51,000 additional people, this population grew more than five times as fast as the total population. Nearly half of this growth, or 24,400 people, were within Hennepin County.
Also growing five times faster than the total, the region's Asian population added over 40,000 people. Ramsey County's Asian population had the largest growth, 18,300 people, followed by Hennepin County at 14,500 people.
In terms of ethnicity, those reporting Hispanic or Latino origins grew by 25.0 percent between the 2009 and 2014 5-Year estimates. It should be noted that those reporting Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race. While Hennepin County's additional 12,100 Hispanic or Latino persons accounted for the largest change, Dakota County's Hispanic or Latino Population grew the fastest, at 49.0 percent.
In stark contrast to the booming Black or African American, Asian, and Hispanic or Latino populations, the White population within the Twin Cities remained largely unchanged, growing by less than one percent. Ramsey County's White population actually declined by 4.4 percent, with smaller declines also seen in Hennepin County and Anoka County. Populations witnessing declines in the region included Native Americans and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (Table 1).
Overall, the Twin Cities' population continues to remain largely White: 78.7 percent of its 2.9 million people reported being White in the 2014 5-Year estimates. However, recent trends have had an impact upon the region's racial make-up. In 2009, for example, 82.3 percent of the region reported being White. Over that same time, Black or African American, Asian, and Hispanic or Latino populations have all witnessed significant growth.
To learn more about the Twin Cities' racial and ethnic make-up, visit these sites:
Contact Tim O'Neill at 651-259-7401.
