German Population in Minnesota by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the German population in Minnesota totals 1.7 million. Every county in the state reports a non-zero population, with Hennepin County leading at 298,560, followed by Dakota County (133,351) and Ramsey County (122,064). This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Minnesota by their German population, offering insights into regional distribution patterns and highlighting county-level concentrations across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest German population in Minnesota

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  • 1
    Hennepin County
    German population in Hennepin County is 298,560
    23.53% of Hennepin County population is German
  • 2
    Dakota County
    German population in Dakota County is 133,351
    30.16% of Dakota County population is German
  • 3
    Ramsey County
    German population in Ramsey County is 122,064
    22.42% of Ramsey County population is German
  • 4
    Anoka County
    German population in Anoka County is 96,394
    26.26% of Anoka County population is German
  • 5
    Washington County
    German population in Washington County is 82,110
    30.15% of Washington County population is German

Overview of German population in Minnesota

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey show Minnesota contains 1.7 million German residents (29.7% of 5.7 million total state population), positioning the state at the 81st percentile nationally among U.S. states for German population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Minnesota's German population of 29.7% exceeds the national average of 12.6% by a factor of 2.4.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show Minnesota hosts 1.7 million German residents, representing 4.1% of the nation's total German population of 41.8 million, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data show Minnesota maintains 21.3 German Americans per square mile compared to the national average of 11.8, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to national averages.
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87 Counties in Minnesota Ranked by German Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show German populations across every county in Minnesota, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Hennepin County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Minnesota ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
County
German Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Minnesota German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Hennepin County 298,560 23.53% 17.61%
2 Dakota County 133,351 30.16% 7.87%
3 Ramsey County 122,064 22.42% 7.20%
4 Anoka County 96,394 26.26% 5.69%
5 Washington County 82,110 30.15% 4.84%
6 Stearns County 63,500 39.85% 3.75%
7 Wright County 51,102 35.18% 3.01%
8 50,530 33.04% 2.98%
9 50,284 30.77% 2.97%
10 45,134 22.56% 2.66%
11 41,178 37.91% 2.43%
12 32,902 33.17% 1.94%
13 27,909 40.22% 1.65%
14 23,136 34.47% 1.36%
15 23,081 38.29% 1.36%
16 20,589 30.55% 1.21%
17 20,095 30.62% 1.19%
18 19,313 38.86% 1.14%
19 19,254 33.52% 1.14%
20 17,727 48.21% 1.05%
21 17,189 41.46% 1.01%
22 16,465 41.84% 0.97%
23 16,365 34.20% 0.97%
24 14,869 43.29% 0.88%
25 14,736 57.06% 0.87%
26 13,765 31.46% 0.81%
27 13,245 38.81% 0.78%
28 12,190 29.07% 0.72%
29 11,935 31.90% 0.70%
30 11,929 26.43% 0.70%
31 11,902 33.76% 0.70%
32 11,788 40.74% 0.70%
33 11,372 28.38% 0.67%
34 11,080 43.62% 0.65%
35 10,865 23.41% 0.64%
36 10,380 44.32% 0.61%
37 9,923 46.11% 0.59%
38 9,703 31.55% 0.57%
39 9,105 29.67% 0.54%
40 9,032 33.56% 0.53%
41 8,764 29.80% 0.52%
42 8,539 33.49% 0.50%
43 8,505 56.95% 0.50%
44 8,394 42.26% 0.50%
45 8,155 26.39% 0.48%
46 8,072 22.14% 0.48%
47 7,656 40.38% 0.45%
48 7,494 39.93% 0.44%
49 7,223 33.84% 0.43%
50 7,187 46.72% 0.42%
51 7,180 34.25% 0.42%
52 6,973 32.13% 0.41%
53 6,394 43.83% 0.38%
54 6,071 27.51% 0.36%
55 5,715 41.09% 0.34%
56 5,319 33.39% 0.31%
57 5,088 31.29% 0.30%
58 4,848 48.66% 0.29%
59 4,737 33.51% 0.28%
60 4,642 37.47% 0.27%
61 4,410 38.49% 0.26%
62 4,355 38.33% 0.26%
63 4,129 36.97% 0.24%
64 4,048 42.04% 0.24%
65 3,754 38.76% 0.22%
66 3,736 38.17% 0.22%
67 3,634 38.22% 0.21%
68 3,502 43.13% 0.21%
69 3,275 21.40% 0.19%
70 3,083 22.22% 0.18%
71 3,045 32.56% 0.18%
72 2,854 26.16% 0.17%
73 2,817 43.93% 0.17%
74 2,791 23.36% 0.16%
75 2,692 40.22% 0.16%
76 2,443 40.00% 0.14%
77 2,440 47.36% 0.14%
78 2,249 40.20% 0.13%
79 2,093 32.65% 0.12%
80 2,004 23.36% 0.12%
81 1,664 18.57% 0.10%
82 1,565 47.73% 0.09%
83 1,495 26.54% 0.09%
84 1,215 22.62% 0.07%
85 1,182 30.14% 0.07%
86 880 23.16% 0.05%
87 780 18.74% 0.05%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in Minnesota by their German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines German population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having German ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as German alone, while others identify as German along with another race (such as German and German).
  • We’ve used the “German alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the German population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as German alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as German .
  2. % of Total Minnesota German Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. German population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small German populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported German population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where German populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.