Poverty

Dataset: Prevalence

Tracking how many people in Minnesota live in poverty can help describe the burden of poverty in our state, show trends over time, and help identify disparities and inequities. People living in poverty have a greater risk for things like asthma attacks and hospitalizations, childhood lead poisoning, and cardiovascular disease. People living in poverty often live in areas with more outdoor air pollution, like particulate matter.

Poverty by year
Poverty by education level
Poverty by race and ethnicity

Poverty in Minnesota over time

The prevalence of Minnesotans living in poverty increased significantly in 2009 and then decreased significantly in 2015 for people of all ages and for children under 18 years, remaining stable for many years since 2015. Recently, about 9% of people of all ages (and about 10% of children under the age of 18) were living in poverty. Although Minnesota has a lower proportion of people living in poverty than the U.S. average, it affects about 1 in 11 Minnesotans and 1 in 10 children in Minnesota.

Source: American Community Survey 1-year estimates.

Display ID	Topic	Dataset	Subtopic	Year	Month	Geography	Geo ID	Geo Name	Variable	Race	Value	Measure	Count	Population	Note	Lower CL	Upper CL	Label

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Poverty in Minnesota by education level

The prevalence of poverty significantly decreases for Minnesotans that have received more education. Recently, a quarter (25%) of adults that had not completed high school were living in poverty.

Source: 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates.

Display ID	Topic	Dataset	Subtopic	Year	Month	Geography	Geo ID	Geo Name	Variable	Race	Value	Measure	Count	Population	Note	Lower CL	Upper CL	Label

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Poverty in Minnesota by race and ethnicity

The prevalence of poverty in Minnesota differs between race and ethnicity groups, with significantly higher proportions of Minnesotans living in poverty that identify as: American Indian or Alaska Native (28%), Black or African American (20%), or Hispanic or Latino (14%).

Source: 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates. "Other race or multiple races" includes responses such as multiracial, mixed, interracial, or a Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish group, or a selection of two or more races. The group "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander" is not shown.

Display ID	Topic	Dataset	Subtopic	Year	Month	Geography	Geo ID	Geo Name	Variable	Race	Value	Measure	Count	Population	Note	Lower CL	Upper CL	Label

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All ages (County)
Children under 18 (County)
Children under 5 (county)
All ages (Census tract)
Children under 18 (Census tract)
Children under 5 (Census tract)

People of all ages in Minnesota by county

In Minnesota, the percent of people of all ages living in poverty differs by county. Most recently (2024), the percent of people living in poverty was: higher than the statewide average in 31 counties, lower than the statewide average in 16 counties, and the same as the statewide average in the remaining 40 counties.

Source: 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024).

Display ID	Topic	Dataset	Subtopic	Year	Month	Geography	Geo ID	Geo Name	Variable	Race	Value	Measure	Count	Population	Note	Lower CL	Upper CL	Label
	Poverty	Poverty Prevalence		2020-2024		State	27000	Minnesota			9.3	Percent of people (all ages) in poverty				9.1	9.5

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Children under 18 years in Minnesota by county

In Minnesota, the percent of children under 18 years of age that are living in poverty differs by county. Most recently (2024), the percent of children under 18 living in poverty was: higher than the statewide average in 18 counties, lower than the statewide average in 16 counties, and the same as the statewide average in the remaining 53 counties.

Source: 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024).

Display ID	Topic	Dataset	Subtopic	Year	Month	Geography	Geo ID	Geo Name	Variable	Race	Value	Measure	Count	Population	Note	Lower CL	Upper CL	Label
	Poverty	Poverty Prevalence		2020-2024		State	27000	Minnesota			10.3	Percent of children (under 18) in poverty				9.9	10.7

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Children under 5 years in Minnesota by county

In Minnesota, the percent of children under 5 years of age that are living in poverty differs by county. Most recently (2024), the percent of children under 5 living in poverty was: higher than the statewide average in 14 counties, lower than the statewide average in 18 counties, and the same as the statewide average in the remaining 55 counties.

Source: 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024).

Display ID	Topic	Dataset	Subtopic	Year	Month	Geography	Geo ID	Geo Name	Variable	Race	Value	Measure	Count	Population	Note	Lower CL	Upper CL	Label
	Poverty	Poverty Prevalence		2020-2024		State	27000	Minnesota			10.9	Percent of children (under 5) in poverty				10.3	11.5

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People in Minnesota by census tract

In Minnesota, the percent of people of all ages that are living in poverty differs across the state. Census tracts are small areas inside of a county that are roughly equivalent to a neighborhood. Most recently (2024), the percent of people living in poverty was: higher than the statewide average in 215 census tracts, lower than the statewide average in 548 census tracts, and the same as the statewide average in the remaining 743 census tracts.

Source: 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024).

Display ID	Topic	Dataset	Subtopic	Year	Month	Geography	Geo ID	Geo Name	Variable	Race	Value	Measure	Count	Population	Note	Lower CL	Upper CL	Label
	Poverty	Poverty Prevalence		2020-2024		State	27000	Minnesota			9.3	Percent of people (all ages) in poverty				9.1	9.5

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Children under 18 years in Minnesota by census tract

In Minnesota, the percent of children under 18 years of age that are living in poverty differs across the state. Census tracts are small areas inside of a county that are roughly equivalent to a neighborhood. Most recently (2024), the percent of children under 18 living in poverty was: higher than the statewide average in 132 census tracts, lower than the statewide average in 578 census tracts, and the same as the statewide average in the remaining 795 census tracts.

Source: 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024).

Display ID	Topic	Dataset	Subtopic	Year	Month	Geography	Geo ID	Geo Name	Variable	Race	Value	Measure	Count	Population	Note	Lower CL	Upper CL	Label
	Poverty	Poverty Prevalence		2020-2024		State	27000	27000			10.3	Percent of children (under 18) in poverty				9.9	10.7

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Children under 5 years in Minnesota by census tract

In Minnesota, the percent of children under 5 years of age that are living in poverty differs across the state. Census tracts are small areas inside of a county that are roughly equivalent to a neighborhood. Most recently (2024), the percent of children under 5 living in poverty was: higher than the statewide average in 98 census tracts, lower than the statewide average in 391 census tracts, and the same as the statewide average in the remaining 1,016 census tracts.

Source: 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024).

Display ID	Topic	Dataset	Subtopic	Year	Month	Geography	Geo ID	Geo Name	Variable	Race	Value	Measure	Count	Population	Note	Lower CL	Upper CL	Label
	Poverty	Poverty Prevalence		2020-2024		State	27000	27000			10.9	Percent of children (under 5) in poverty				10.3	11.5

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