Census: Proportion of native Minnesotans shrinking

Published 9:04 am Monday, March 19, 2012

MINNEAPOLIS — The proportion of Minnesotans who were born in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is shrinking, according to recent U.S. Census data.

According to data from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey, about 69 percent of Minnesota residents were born in the state, compared with 75 percent in 1980.

Tom Gillaspy, the recently retired state demographer who moved to Minnesota himself 33 years ago, said he hopes the trend doesn’t dilute the unique qualities of the state.

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“There was a sense that people had roots here, a sense that there was a history and common bonds,” he said. “Part of it was the weather, and going up north, and having a connection to the land. And with more and more new people here, that begins to slip away.”

Nationwide, Louisiana has the greatest proportion of native residents, at nearly 79 percent, while 23 percent of residents in Nevada were born there, according to the figures.