The Minnesota Exodus Everyone Talks About Is WRONG
About this video
Is everyone really leaving Minnesota? New population data reveals a surprising shift in Minnesota's migration trends. Discover why people are moving in and out, which counties are growing or shrinking, and how population changes could affect Minnesota home prices and real estate in 2026.
Key takeaways
- Minnesota's population passed 5.83 million in July 2025, adding about 33,000 people in a year: about 12,000 from births outnumbering deaths, about 12,500 from international moves and about 8,300 from other states.
- That domestic gain is Minnesota's first since 2018. In the worst year, 2022, the state lost about 17,000 more people to other states than it gained.
- People leaving often head to lower-tax or warmer states, with Florida gaining the most. People arriving come most often from Wisconsin, then North Dakota, Texas, California, Florida and Iowa.
- Rural Minnesota is no longer shrinking overall: 46 counties outside the metro lost population in the 2010s, but only 19 did from 2020 to 2024.
- Counties with a regional job hub kept growing: Olmsted (Rochester), Stearns (St. Cloud), Clay (Moorhead) and Blue Earth (Mankato). Wright County has grown fastest since 2020, while remote Traverse, Mahnomen and Kittson counties declined.
- For buyers: ask how close a home is to a growing job center, whether the area depends on one employer, and whether there are enough nearby sales to compare when you sell.
Questions this video answers
Is Minnesota's population growing?
Yes. It passed 5.83 million in July 2025, adding about 33,000 people in a year from births, international moves and, for the first time since 2018, more people moving in from other states than leaving.
Which Minnesota counties are growing?
Counties with regional job hubs, such as Olmsted (Rochester), Stearns (St. Cloud), Clay (Moorhead) and Blue Earth (Mankato), plus Wright County, the fastest-growing since 2020, according to the video.
Read more: Communities · Twin Cities market report
Notes written by Huerkamp Home Group from this video. Figures are as stated in the video on October 16, 2026; check the current numbers in our market reports.
