Minnesota’s population grew by only 225 last year

Demography is destiny.

In the past year, the population of the entire United States grew by only 393,000, at the slowest rate ever recorded. But the growth (and shrinkage) was not evenly distributed, as shown in the map below,

Minnesota’s net 2021 growth was a grand total of 225 people, from July of 2020 through July of 2021. At least it was growth.

Births in Minnesota exceeded deaths in 2021 by a little under 10,000 (about 63,000 vs. 53,000). International in-migration for Minnesota totaled about 4,000. Domestic net out-migration totaled about 13,000. In the end, it was a wash, with a net gain of just 225.

Some states shrank. California, for the first time in its history, has shrunk in population. In both 2020 and 2021, the Golden State showed net population losses. Despite an ongoing exodus from the state, natural growth and new arrivals had always been large enough to compensate for those fleeing. Until now.

California lost about 262,000 people in the past year, exceeded only by New York’s 319,000.