Somali Population in Clay County, MN by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

U.S. Census data shows that the Somali population in Clay County, MN stands at 456, entirely represented by Moorhead (240) and Dilworth (216). No other cities in Clay County report a measurable Somali presence, indicating a highly localized community footprint. This analysis ranks all incorporated cities in the county based on their Somali population.

Top 5 cities with the largest Somali population in Clay County

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  • 1
    Moorhead
    Somali population in Moorhead is 240
    0.54% of Moorhead population is Somali
  • 2
    Dilworth
    Somali population in Dilworth is 216
    4.63% of Dilworth population is Somali
  • 3
    Barnesville
    Somali population in Barnesville is 0
    - of Barnesville population is Somali
  • 4
    Eglon township
    Somali population in Eglon township is 0
    - of Eglon township population is Somali
  • 5
    Glyndon
    Somali population in Glyndon is 0
    - of Glyndon population is Somali

Overview of Somali population in Clay County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Clay County with 456 Somali residents (0.69% of 65,628 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 98th percentile nationally among counties and 83rd percentile within Minnesota for Somali population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents Clay County's Somali demographic representation of 0.69%, exceeding the national average of 0.049% while remaining below Minnesota's elevated state average of 1.1%, placing the county above national concentration levels while below state demographic averages.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Clay County contains 456 Somali residents, representing less than 1% of Minnesota's total Somali population of 61,353.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data documents Clay County contains 0.44 Somali Americans per square mile, below Minnesota's average of 0.77 per square mile, while maintaining moderate community presence relative to state demographic concentration standards.
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10 Cities in Clay County Ranked by Somali Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Somali populations in two incorporated cities: Moorhead ( rank_1_geo_dempop residents) and rank_2_geo_name ( rank_2_geo_dempop residents). The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Clay County, MN ranked by Somali population count
Rank by Somali Population
City
Somali Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Clay County Somali Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Moorhead 240 0.54% 52.63%
2 Dilworth 216 4.63% 47.37%
3 Barnesville 0 - -
3 Eglon township 0 - -
3 Glyndon 0 - -
3 Hawley 0 - -
3 Oakport township 0 - -
3 0 - -
3 0 - -
3 0 - -
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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 city in Clay County, MN by their Somali population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Somali 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 Somali 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 Somali alone, while others identify as Somali along with another race (such as Somali and German).
  • We’ve used the “Somali alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Somali population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Somali alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Somali .
  2. % of Total Clay County Somali Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Somali 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 Somali 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.
  • City that don’t have any reported Somali 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 Somali populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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