Census Data for Minneapolis

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Minneapolis a population of 428,821 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Minneapolis a population of 382,578 people.

The city of Minneapolis is located in Hennepin County. The 2010 Census gave Hennepin County; a population of 1,152,425 people. This means that Minneapolis had 33.2% of the county's total population, making it Hennepin's most populous community.

At the same time, Minnesota had a population of 5,303,925 people, meaning that Minneapolis had 7.21% of the total population of Minnesota - making it the state's most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Minneapolis has a total area of 57.5 square miles [148.8 km²]. Of this total, 54 square miles [139.8 km²] is land, with the balance (6.08%) being water (3.5 square miles [9.1 km²]).

Hennepin County has a land area of 553 square miles [1,433.8 km²]. At 54 square miles [139.8 km²], Minneapolis has 9.75% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Minneapolis, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Minneapolis reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Minneapolis might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   44° 57' 47"   (or 44.96°)
  • Lon:   -93° 16' 5"   (or -93.27°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Minneapolis had 178,287 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 382,578 people, this averages 2.15 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Minneapolis had a land area of 54 square miles [139.8 km²]. This translates to 3,102 Housing Units per square mile [1,197 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Minneapolis had 168,606 Housing Units, a population of 382,618 people and a land area of 54.9 square miles [142.2 km²]. This gives a density of 2.27 people per Housing Unit and 2,887 Housing Units per square mile [1,114 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Minneapolis and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Hennepin County ...

Minneapolis is located in Hennepin County<4> and is the County Seat for Hennepin County.

The county had a population of 1,152,425 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 382,578 people, Minneapolis represented 33.2% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Minneapolis has a population density of 6,657 people per square mile [2,570 people/km²], Hennepin County averages 2,081 people per square mile [803 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Hennepin County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Minneapolis, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Minneapolis. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Minneapolis or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Minneapolis, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Minneapolis.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   44.963323°   (or 44°57'47" N)
  • Lon:   -93.268284°   (or -93°16'5" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   44.964465°   (or 44°57'52" N)
  • Lon:   -93.268198°   (or -93°16'5" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 416.9 feet to the south<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2395345) to Minneapolis. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Minneapolis. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   44.962463°   (or 44°57'44" N)
  • Lon:   -93.267307°   (or -93°16'2" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 402.3 feet to the northwest<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Minneapolis. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Minneapolis.

Miscellaneous Information for Minneapolis ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Hennepin County or the city of Minneapolis:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Minneapolis:
  • GNIS ID for Minneapolis: 2395345
  • GNIS ID for Hennepin County: 659472
  • GNIS ID for State of Minnesota: 662849

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 27 (Minnesota)
  • County Code: 053 (Hennepin County)
  • Place Code: 43000 (Minneapolis)
  • State & County Code: 27/053 (Minnesota / Hennepin County)
  • State & Place Code: 27/43000 (Minnesota / Minneapolis)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Minneapolis is located in Census Region #2 (the Midwest Region) and Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Minneapolis, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the city. It's important to remember that the boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • Our list of ZIP codes for Minneapolis:<7>
  • 55401, 55402, 55403, 55404, 55405, 55406, 55407, 55408, 55409, 55410, 55411, 55412, 55413, 55414, 55415, 55416, 55417, 55418, 55419, 55420, 55422, 55423, 55424, 55425, 55426, 55427, 55428, 55429, 55430, 55431, 55432, 55433, 55435, 55436, 55437, 55438, 55439, 55440, 55441, 55442, 55443, 55444, 55445, 55446, 55447, 55448, 55449, 55454, 55458, 55459, 55468, 55470, 55472, 55474, 55478, 55479, 55483, 55484, 55485, 55486, 55487 & 55488.

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Minneapolis.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Minneapolis: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/

The official website for Hennepin County: www.hennepin.us/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)