Children & Families

Learn more about the characteristics of the more than 1.2 million children in Minnesota and their families.

Key Findings
Featured Data
Featured Reports
Other Resources

Key Findings
- In 2018, Minnesota was home to 1,302,615 children under age 18, representing 23% of our state's population.
- About 56% of Minnesota's children under 18 live in the 7-county Twin Cities region, while 44% live in the 80 other counties.
- About 163,380, or 12.9%, of Minnesota's children lived in poverty in 2017.
Additional information about Minnesota children can be found in our Data By Topic: Education section.
Featured Data
Data for MN and all MN counties from the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Estimates:
- State population totals, from April 1, 2010 through July 1, 2019
- State population by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, from April 1, 2010 through July 1, 2019
- County population totals and components of change, from April 1, 2010 through July 1, 2018
- County population by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, from April 1, 2010 through July 1, 2018
Featured Reports
- Minnesotans with Disabilities: Demographic and Economic Characteristics, released March 2017.
- Young Adults in Minnesota: A Demographic & Economic Profile, released June 2015.
- Minnesota Births Yet to Rebound to Pre-Recession Level: More Diversity in State's Nurseries, released Nov. 2014.
- The Changing Lives of Minnesota Young Adults, released June 2010.
- Minnesota's Children in the 2000 Census, released April 2004.
Other Resources
- Minnesota Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System - A census query tool created for early childhood reporting
- Academic, enrollment and other data from the MN Department of Education.
- Data, research and best practices from the U.S. Department of Education.
- Child and family data for Minnesota, counties and Minneapolis available at KIDS COUNT Data Center , a national project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
- Local data and resources on children & youth from Minnesota Compass, a project of Wilder Research.