Reporter John McCormick details some of Minnesota's census and economic data in a
March 17 Bloomberg Businessweek article.
Minnesota's population grew 7.8 percent from 2000 to 2010--80 percent of that increase from minorities, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released March 16.
Non-Hispanic whites account for 83.1 percent of the population (down from 88 percent in 2000). The Hispanic population grew by 74.5 percent, the black population by 59.4 percent, and Asians by 51 percent.
That "economic diversity has helped Minnesota weather economic downturns
that have hurt other cold-weather states," writes McCormack.
The state's two largest cities saw slight population declines: Minneapolis fell by a mere 40 residents to a population of 382,578, while St. Paul fell 2,083 to 285,068.
Minnesota's unemployment peaked at 8.4 percent in May and June 2009, and never rose above the national average during the recent recession. Minnesota stocks perform better than the national average as well, as measured in the Bloomberg Star Tribune 100 Index, a price-weighted measure of Minnesota companies.
He notes that Minnesota companies exported a record $4.6 billion in products in the fourth quarter of 2010.