Hennepin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,284,784 in 2025, making it the most populous county in Minnesota and the 34th-most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the most populous city in Minnesota and the 46th-most populous city in the United States. The county is named for the 17th-century explorer Louis Hennepin. It extends from Minneapolis to the suburbs and outlying cities in the western part of the county. Its natural areas are covered by extensive woods, hills, and lakes. It contains over 21.98% of the state's population.Based on the 2024 Estimate: 1,273,334 / 5,793,151 (MN pop.) = 21.98% It is included in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul–Bloomington metropolitan statistical area.
History 19th century The Territorial Legislature of Minnesota established Hennepin County on March 6, 1852, and two years later Minneapolis was named the county seat. Louis Hennepin's name was chosen because he originally named Saint Anthony Falls and recorded some of the earliest accounts of the area for the Western world. In January 1855, the first bridge over the Mississippi River was built over St. Anthony Falls.
Waterpower built the city of Minneapolis and Hennepin County. The water of streams and rivers provided power to grist mills and sawmills throughout the county. By the late 1860s, more than a dozen mills were churning out lumber near St. Anthony Falls and the county's population had surpassed 12,000.
The falls' power was the vital link between the central city and the farmsteads throughout the county. Farms produced vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy products for city dwellers, while Minneapolis industries produced lumber, furniture, farm implements and clothing.
By 1883, railroads united Minneapolis with both the East and West coasts, and technical developments, especially in flour milling, brought rapid progress to the area. The major Minneapolis millers were Washburn, Pillsbury, Bell, Dunwoody and Crosby.
20th century For a decade, the "Mill City" was the flour-milling capital of the world and one of the largest lumber producers. Minneapolis, with a population of 165,000 by 1890, had become a major U.S. city, and by 1900, was firmly established as the hub of the Upper Midwest's industry and commerce.
In March 1915, Minnesota counties were given the right to choose whether to allow alcohol sales. Votes in Hennepin County were cast in October, and the county became a wet county by a margin of 9,000 votes. Temperance activists, including the Anti-Saloon League, alleged electoral fraud.
Hennepin County's farm economy was also substantial. In 1910, farmland in the county totaled 284,000 acres, about 72% of its area. The principal crops were wheat, corn, garden vegetables, and apples. The number of acres in production remained high for the next 30 years. By 1950, the amount of land devoted to agriculture had declined to 132,000 acres as development progressed in the suburbs.
During the 1950s and 1960s, many suburbs grew rapidly as housing developments, shopping centers, large school systems and growing industrialization replaced much of the open farmland. By 1970, Hennepin County's suburban population outnumbered the cities for the first time. Minneapolis's population declined by 10 percent from 1960 to 1970, while the suburban population grew by nearly 50 percent.
Another wave of immigration—which began after the Vietnam War in the mid-1970s—marked a major change in the county's ethnic makeup. This wave peaked in the 1980s when hundreds of refugees from Southeast Asia, often aided by local churches, resettled in Hennepin County. Its population surpassed one million in 1989.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (8.69%) is water. It is the 60th largest county in Minnesota by total area.
Hennepin is one of 17 Minnesota counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils, and one of two Minnesota counties with more than 75% of its area in savanna soils (the other is the adjacent Wright County).
The highest waterfall on the Mississippi River, Saint Anthony Falls (discovered by Louis Hennepin), is in Hennepin County next to downtown Minneapolis, but in the 19th century, the falls were converted to a series of dams. Barges and boats now pass through locks to move between the parts of the river above and below the dams.
Adjacent counties Anoka County (northeast) Ramsey County (east) Dakota County (southeast) Scott County (south) Carver County (southwest) Wright County (northwest) Sherburne County (north)
National protected areas Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part) Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (part)
Demographics
As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Hennepin County was $398,850.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 534,573 estimated households in Hennepin County with an average of 2.32 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $96,339. Approximately 10.1% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Hennepin County has an estimated 71.4% employment rate, with 53.3% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 94.0% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (82.3%), Spanish (6.0%), Indo-European (2.9%), Asian and Pacific Islander (4.3%), and Other (4.5%).
Racial and ethnic composition Hennepin County's racial and ethnic composition has evolved significantly over time. Initially, the region was inhabited by Native American tribes, primarily the Dakota Sioux. Beginning in the early 19th century, European settlement brought a demographic shift, with a predominantly white population of Northern European descent. The county witnessed further diversification throughout the 20th century with the arrival of African Americans during the Great Migration, as well as Latino, Asian, and other immigrant groups in the latter half of the century.
Hennepin County, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) Pop. 1980 Pop. 1990 Pop. 2000 Pop. 2010 White alone (NH) 875,692(93.02%) 914,870(88.61%) 881,016(78.93%) 826,670(71.73%) 840,845(65.61%) Black or African American alone (NH) 32,522(3.45%) 59,109(5.73%) 98,698(8.84%) 134,240(11.65%) 169,603(13.23%) Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 10,479(1.11%) 14,272(1.38%) 10,212(0.91%) 8,848(0.77%) 8,016(0.63%) Asian alone (NH) 9,839(1.05%) 29,010(2.81%) 53,229(4.77%) 71,535(6.21%) 97,348(7.60%) Pacific Islander alone (NH) — — 473(0.04%) 431(0.04%) 388(0.03%) Other race alone (NH) 4,852(0.52%) 1,192(0.12%) 2,115(0.19%) 2,321(0.20%) 6,127(0.48%) Mixed race or multiracial (NH) — — 25,018(2.24%) 30,704(2.66%) 60,988(4.76%) Hispanic or Latino (any race) 8,027(0.85%) 13,978(1.35%) 45,439(4.07%) 77,676(6.74%) 98,250(7.67%) Total 941,411(100.00%) 1,032,431(100.00%) 1,116,200(100.00%) 1,152,425(100.00%) 1,281,565(100.00%)
Ancestry The most common ancestries in Hennepin County are German, Irish, English, Norwegian and Swedish.
AncestryAny ancestryFull ancestry Rank Population Percentage Rank Population Percentage German 1 347,042 27.08% 1 98,811 7.71% Irish 2 187,435 14.63% 6 31,653 2.47% English 3 152,567 11.09% 3 40,602 3.17% Norwegian 4 135,077 10.54% 5 32,327 2.52% Swedish 5 100,544 7.85% 9 18,886 1.47% African 6 75,484 5.89% 2 60,478 — Mexican 7 57,607 4.50% — — — Polish 8 54,025 4.22% 11 10,306 0.80% French 9 52,883 4.13% 16 4,467 0.35% Somali 10 38,588 3.01% 4 37,897 2.96%
2023 estimate
As of the 2023 estimate, there were 1,258,713 people and 534,573 households residing in the county. There were 579,806 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 72.9% White (66.5% NH White), 14.7% African American, 1.2% Native American, 7.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 3.6% from two or more races (% NH Multiracial). Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.9% of the population.
In the 2021 estimate, Hennepin County is the 2nd wealthiest county in Minnesota and 65th wealthiest county of the 100 highest-income counties in the United States. $50,478 for per capita income in 2021.
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,281,565. The median age was 36.5 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 66.7% White, 13.4% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 7.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.2% from some other race, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.7% of the population.
97.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.4% lived in rural areas.
There were 528,547 households in the county, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.4% were married-couple households, 21.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 555,779 housing units, of which 4.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 60.1% were owner-occupied and 39.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.
2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 1,152,425 people, 475,913 households, and 272,885 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 509,458 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74.35% White, 11.82% African American, 0.92% Native American, 6.24% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.37% from some other races and 3.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.74% of the population.
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 1,116,200 people, 456,129 households, and 267,291 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 468,824 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 80.53% White, 8.95% African American, 1.00% Native American, 4.80% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.06% from some other races and 2.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.07% of the population.
There were 456,129 households out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.30% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.40% were non-families. 31.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 33.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,711, and the median income for a family was $65,985. Males had a median income of $42,466 versus $32,400 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,789. About 5.00% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.50% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.