Counties in Minnesota by foreign-born share of the population

Nobles County had the highest foreign-born share of the population of 87 counties in 2021, at 20.6%. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 0.6%. The median was 2.5% and the figure for Minnesota was 8.5%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest20.6Nobles County
Median2.587 counties
Minnesota8.5History

Top 40 counties, 2021

CSVChart (SVG)

Nobles CountyNobles County: 20.6 %20.6Ramsey CountyRamsey County: 15.8 %15.8Hennepin CountyHennepin County: 13.8 %13.8Watonwan CountyWatonwan County: 12.8 %12.8Olmsted CountyOlmsted County: 11 %11Mower CountyMower County: 10.9 %10.9Scott CountyScott County: 10.1 %10.1Dakota CountyDakota County: 9.7 %9.7Anoka CountyAnoka County: 9 %9Kandiyohi CountyKandiyohi County: 8.1 %8.1Rice CountyRice County: 7.8 %7.8Washington CountyWashington County: 7.5 %7.5Lyon CountyLyon County: 7.1 %7.1Stearns CountyStearns County: 6.7 %6.7Cottonwood CountyCottonwood County: 6.3 %6.3Chippewa CountyChippewa County: 6.1 %6.1Stevens CountyStevens County: 5.7 %5.7Blue Earth CountyBlue Earth County: 5.7 %5.7Pipestone CountyPipestone County: 5.4 %5.4Carver CountyCarver County: 5.3 %5.3Freeborn CountyFreeborn County: 5.2 %5.2Clay CountyClay County: 4.8 %4.8Steele CountySteele County: 4.5 %4.5Nicollet CountyNicollet County: 4.4 %4.4Roseau CountyRoseau County: 4.1 %4.1Sibley CountySibley County: 4.1 %4.1Benton CountyBenton County: 4.1 %4.1Koochiching CountyKoochiching County: 3.7 %3.7Todd CountyTodd County: 3.6 %3.6Sherburne CountySherburne County: 3.5 %3.5Swift CountySwift County: 3.5 %3.5Cook CountyCook County: 3.4 %3.4Waseca CountyWaseca County: 3.4 %3.4Murray CountyMurray County: 3.3 %3.3McLeod CountyMcLeod County: 3.2 %3.2Dodge CountyDodge County: 3.2 %3.2Winona CountyWinona County: 3.1 %3.1Polk CountyPolk County: 3.1 %3.1Otter Tail CountyOtter Tail County: 2.9 %2.9Jackson CountyJackson County: 2.8 %2.8
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Nobles County20.6
2Ramsey County15.8
3Hennepin County13.8
4Watonwan County12.8
5Olmsted County11
6Mower County10.9
7Scott County10.1
8Dakota County9.7
9Anoka County9
10Kandiyohi County8.1
11Rice County7.8
12Washington County7.5
13Lyon County7.1
14Stearns County6.7
15Cottonwood County6.3
16Chippewa County6.1
17Stevens County5.7
18Blue Earth County5.7
19Pipestone County5.4
20Carver County5.3
21Freeborn County5.2
22Clay County4.8
23Steele County4.5
24Nicollet County4.4
25Roseau County4.1
26Sibley County4.1
27Benton County4.1
28Koochiching County3.7
29Todd County3.6
30Sherburne County3.5
31Swift County3.5
32Cook County3.4
33Waseca County3.4
34Murray County3.3
35McLeod County3.2
36Dodge County3.2
37Winona County3.1
38Polk County3.1
39Otter Tail County2.9
40Jackson County2.8
41Wright County2.8
42Renville County2.8
43Lac qui Parle County2.7
44Yellow Medicine County2.5
45Isanti County2.4
46Le Sueur County2.4
47Brown County2.3
48Pennington County2.3
49Redwood County2.3
50Goodhue County2.3
51Chisago County2.2
52St. Louis County2.1
53Rock County2.1
54Big Stone County2
55Wabasha County1.9
56Norman County1.8
57Kittson County1.8
58Faribault County1.7
59Wadena County1.6
60Fillmore County1.6
60Martin County1.6
62Carlton County1.6
63Pine County1.5
64Pope County1.4
65Beltrami County1.4
66Hubbard County1.4
67Houston County1.4
68Becker County1.3
68Cass County1.3
70Grant County1.3
71Meeker County1.3
72Lincoln County1.3
73Traverse County1.3
74Douglas County1.3
75Mille Lacs County1.2
76Marshall County1.2
77Morrison County1.2
78Lake County1.2
79Crow Wing County1.1
80Clearwater County1.1
81Wilkin County1
82Kanabec County0.9
83Lake of the Woods County0.9
84Aitkin County0.9
85Red Lake County0.9
86Itasca County0.7
87Mahnomen County0.6

Other periods

About this ranking

People who were not US citizens at birth, as a percentage of the total population. Includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, temporary migrants and unauthorized immigrants. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Based on place of birth, not nationality: a naturalized citizen counts as foreign born, and people born in Puerto Rico, the US island areas or abroad to American parents count as native. Not comparable with foreign_population_share, which counts foreign nationals in Spain and the EU. Calculated from counts in ACS table B05002, which are stored as inputs.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Rank Counties in Minnesota by foreign-born share of the population using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest foreign-born share of the population?

Nobles County, with 20.6% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest foreign-born share of the population?

Mahnomen County, with 0.6% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Foreign-born population share: other rankings

Counties in Minnesota: more rankings