Census results show Minnesota has aged, and a bit more metropolitan

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – New census figures show that Minnesota has grown a bit older, a bit less white and a bit more metropolitan.

Minnesota’s white population dipped from 83.1% in 2010 to 76.3% in 2020, while Blacks rose from 5.1% to 6.9%. Minnesotans age 18 and older make up 76.9% of the state’s population.

The 18-plus population rose 9.2% from 2010 to 2020 while the growth in the under-18 population lagged at 2.6%.

Figures released earlier showed that Minnesota’s population grew from 5.3 million in 2010 to 5.7 million in 2020, just barely enough to let the state keep its eight congressional districts.

In Wisconsin, the redistricting battle shifted into high gear with the release of detailed census numbers expected to show a growing diverse population in urban areas, rural population losses and other shifts that will determine congressional boundary lines.

The national census shows the U.S. became more diverse and more urban over the past decade. The white population dropped for the first time on record.

The new figures offered the most detailed portrait yet of how the country has changed since 2010, and they are sure to set off an intense partisan battle over representation at a time of deep national division and fights over voting rights. The numbers could help determine control of the House in the 2022 elections and provide an electoral edge for years to come.