Visit us at our headquarters in the East Side of Saint Paul, or at our offices in Minneapolis, Willmar, and Austin.
Office hours. Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Saturday-Sunday: Closed - Click here for holiday closure dates
Visit us at our headquarters in the East Side of Saint Paul, or at our offices in Minneapolis, Willmar, and Austin.
Office hours. Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Saturday-Sunday: Closed - Click here for holiday closure dates
In the U.S. Census, “Hispanic” and “Latino” are used interchangeably, but these two terms have different meanings. “Hispanic” refers to individuals who speak Spanish or come from a Spanish-speaking country (like Spain), whereas “Latino” refers to those who come from Latin America.
People with Hispanic or Latino ethnicity can also identify as any race, including a wide range of ancestries, birthplaces, and cultural identities.
Minnesota’s Hispanic and Latino communities are diverse.
Minnesota is home to more than 360,000 Hispanic or Latino residents or about 7% of our population. After Minnesota’s White and Black communities, Hispanic and Latino Minnesotans make up the third largest population group.
While Mexican Minnesotans make up more than two-thirds of this group, it also includes people from other heritages, backgrounds, and ancestries, including Puerto Rican, Ecuadorian, Salvadorian, Guatemalan, Cuban, and Colombian. In the Twin Cities, 14.1% of Latinos live below the poverty level compared to 7.3% of White (non-Latino) individuals and 11.8% of all Minnesotans.
Minnesota’s Latino population is the third-largest demographic group in the state
Minnesota’s Latino population has grown by 202,000 in the past 20 years. This growth accounts for more than one quarter (26%) of Minnesota’s overall population growth since 2000.
The estimated unemployment rate for Latino Minnesotans in 2021 was 7.7 %, nearly three percentage points higher than the state’s overall rate (4.9%).
Two-thirds of Latino Minnesotans are of Mexican heritage. (See chart)
The number of Hispanic Minnesotans over age five (86%) who speak English well or very well, including 42% who only speak English at home. About four in seven Latino Minnesotans (58%) speak Spanish at home, according to 2021 estimates. A little under half of the state’s Latinos (44%) speak Spanish and English well. Source
Total population by select cultural communities
Minnesota, 2018-2022
The number of Hispanic/Latinx Minnesotans according to the 2020 Census. The population grew from 143,382 in 2000 to 250,258 (4.7%) in 2010 to 345,640 (6.1%) in 2020.
The change in the Latino population in Minnesota since 2000; the state's Latino population has grown by 202,000 in the past 20 years.
Latino population growth accounts for more than one quarter (26%) of Minnesota's overall population growth since 2000.
The share of Hispanic Minnesotans under 18 in 2020, which is 14 percentage points higher than the percentage of the state population under 18 (23%). Overall, 1 in 10 children in Minnesota (10%) is Hispanic.
The median age of Latino Minnesotans in 2021, over 12 years younger than the state median age (38.8).
The approximate number of foreign-born Hispanic Minnesotans, about one third (30%) of the state’s Latino population in 2021. Almost 4 in 5 Hispanic Minnesotans (78%) are U.S. citizens, including 232,000 Latinos born in the U.S. (70%) and 28,000 naturalized U.S. citizens (8.5%)
In general, employment among Hispanic and Latino communities is high, with proportions of adults working from 72% to 80%, close to Minnesota’s overall employment level of 79%.
While high rates of employment among working-age Hispanic and Latino Minnesotans contribute to Minnesota’s vibrant workforce and economy, stark differences in quality-of-life outcomes show that there is still significant work to do when it comes to addressing inequities. This holds even more true for unique cultural communities.
Proportion of adults working by select cultural communities
Minnesota, 2018-2022
The percentage of Hispanic Minnesotans who went to school in 2021. Of the estimated 116,600 Latinos in school, 68,200 were enrolled in preschool and elementary school, 29,100 in high school, and 19,300 in college and graduate school.
For Minnesota Latinos 25 and older, almost 3 in 4 (72%) have graduated from high school and almost 1 in 4 (23%) have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Source
In 2021, 54% of Latino adults had a high school diploma or less, 24 percentage points higher than the 30% of Minnesota’s overall population. Additionally, only 22% of Latino adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, a 16 percentage point gap with 38% of all Minnesotans.
From 2015 to 2021, the number of Latino adults with a high school diploma increased by 40%, and those with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased by 60%. Minnesota’s Latino population has a higher percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher (22%) compared to the U.S. average for Latinos (20%). Source
The median income of White (non-Hispanic) households in Minnesota versus the median income of Latino households in the state, a $17,000 gap. Household median income in the state was approximately $77,700 in 2021.
The estimated number of Hispanic Minnesotans living in households below the poverty level in 2021 is approximately 14% of the state’s Latino population. About 9% of Minnesotans lived in poverty in 2021.
The homeownership rate among White (non-Hispanic) households in Minnesota versus the rate among Minnesota’s Latinos, a 21-percentage point gap. In 2021, an estimated 73% of all Minnesota households owned the home they lived in.
The increase since 2010 in the number of Hispanic Minnesotans who are potentially eligible to vote. In 2021, an estimated 146,500 Latinos in Minnesota were adult citizens (native-born or naturalized). In absolute terms, the Latine voting age population has grown by about 66,000 since 2010.
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