Hennepin County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Hennepin County, MN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
A
Health Above averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in Minnesota
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 93% of counties in Minnesota
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A+
Education Top gradeBest educated county in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Hennepin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,268,249 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2091.8 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.58% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.2 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 538,874 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Hennepin County grew by 11.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1,268,249 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Hennepin County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.8% of residents. That is 2.9 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 272,875 21.5% +0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 314,123 24.8% +2.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 243,828 19.2% -0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 189,690 15.0% -1.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Minnesota, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.2% of the people living in Hennepin County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 49.8% Minnesota 50.0%
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100% of everyone living in Hennepin County
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Economy
Hennepin County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Hennepin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $97,974 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.65% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Hennepin County is about 9% higher than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Hennepin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $303,459 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,486 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.7% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Hennepin County is about 17.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,486 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Hennepin County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Hennepin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.8 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.6 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,378 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 25.2% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,964 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,563 | 854 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Minnesota:
Brown County (10.6 min), Pennington County (10.8 min), Cottonwood County (10.9 min).
Slowest:
Chisago County (30.9 min), Wright County (28.8 min), Sherburne County (28.8 min).
The average commute time in Hennepin County is 21 minutes, longer than the 20 minutes in Minnesota.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Hennepin County has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Hennepin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49.3% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.30 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Minnesota:
Hennepin County (0.4), Olmsted County (0.4), Carver County (0.4).
Lowest:
Nobles County (0.2), Mahnomen County (0.2), Watonwan County (0.2).
Health
Hennepin County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Hennepin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.3% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.2% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Minnesota:
Carver County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Stevens County (0.8).
Lowest:
Mahnomen County (0.8), Clearwater County (0.8), Beltrami County (0.8).
Hennepin County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Hennepin County, MN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,268,249 residents against a local median of 154,543. Hennepin County, MN sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 10% below the local median at 20.8 min against 23.2 min. Hennepin County, MN has the 2nd lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin County, MN | 1,268,249 | $97,974 #5/6 | $303,459 #3/6 | 20.8 min #2/6 |
| Anoka County, MN | 370,272 | $101,615 | $324,200 | 23.6 min |
| Scott County, MN | 154,543 | $120,239 | $282,373 | 23.2 min |
| Carver County, MN | 110,041 | $126,357 | $303,125 | 22.6 min |
| Ramsey County, MN | 542,690 | $82,398 | $320,984 | 20.4 min |
| Wright County, MN | 148,225 | $106,875 | $287,208 | 28.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Hennepin County, Minnesota.
How big is Hennepin County, Minnesota by population?
About 1,268,249 people live in Hennepin County, Minnesota, in 538,874 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 35.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Hennepin County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Hennepin County, Minnesota has 2,092 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 24 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Hennepin County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 3.1 times the median household income ($303,459 against $97,974), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,486 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Hennepin County, Minnesota?
49.3% of adults in Hennepin County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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