Minnesota Contends With Slower Population Growth

(Adobe Stock via Minnesota News Connection)

(By Mike Moen. Minnesota News Connection) – Like other Midwestern states, Minnesota faces an uphill climb in boosting its population to maintain a strong labor force and meet other needs.

Formal census counts happen every 10 years but in between the reports, experts monitor trends and compare them with past population swings.

Susan Brower, state demographer for Minnesota, said after decades of steady growth, the state’s population is leveling off. Slowdowns are happening across the U.S. but she noted it is especially felt in the Midwest and Northeast regions. Brower attributed the shift to what is known as “natural change.”

“We have a higher share of deaths, more mortality in those higher age groups, and we have falling birth rates at the same time,” Brower explained.