Minnesota's population is rising

by Dan Olson, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — New population estimates show the Twin Cities region continues to grow by nearly 30,000 people a year.

Metropolitan Council forecaster Todd Graham said the fastest growing cities are Blaine and Shakopee. Each added nearly 12,000 residents.

The numbers also show an increase of just over 5,000 residents for Minneapolis, the state's most populous city, to 388,000.

Graham said most of the population growth is in outer ring suburbs. However unlike a decade ago, Graham said, the majority of housing is not single family dwellings.

"I don't think people think of the new developing edge suburbs as places for apartments or town homes but the truth is in many of those communities the majority of housing that is going in is attached or multifamily housing, condos or townhomes," Graham said.

Graham said about three fourths of the population increase is the birth of children to people already living in the Twin Cities and about one fourth is from people moving in from elsewhere.