Wright County Was Fastest-Growing MN County In 2021: US Census

WRIGHT COUNTY, MN — Wright County grew faster than any of the other 86 counties in Minnesota during 2021, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Wright County added 3,086 residents from 2020-2021, taking its total population to 144,845 residents, Census estimates show. That represents about a 2.18 percent growth in its total population, the highest of all Minnesota counties.

Lake of the Woods County, the second-smallest in Minnesota, was also among the fastest-growing counties in 2021. It added 63 residents, which represents a growth of almost 1.7 percent, according to the Census Bureau.

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Though 52 Minnesota counties grew in 2021, population losses in Minnesota’s two largest counties — Hennepin and Ramsey — led to a very small statewide increase last year.

Minnesota’s total population grew by just 225 residents in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Ramsey County had the third-highest rate of population loss in 2021, shedding 8,223 residents, a decrease of almost 1.5 percent since 2020, according to the Census Bureau.

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Hennepin County also had one of the highest rates of population loss of all Minnesota counties in 2021, losing almost 14,000 residents, a 1.08 percent decrease from its 2020 population, Census estimates show.

Thirty-five Minnesota counties experienced population loss from 2020-2021, while 26 others saw increases of less than a half-percent.

U.S. Census Bureau officials on Thursday said almost three-quarters of counties throughout the United States experienced “natural” population decreases in 2021 after recording more deaths than births.

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“Fewer births, an aging population and increased mortality — intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic — contributed to a rise in natural decrease,” Census officials said in a news release.

Every county in Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island experienced natural population decreases, while migration also played a role in many counties’ population changes, the Census said.

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Five of the 10 fastest-growing counties in 2021 were in Texas, while Los Angeles County experienced the largest population decrease, losing almost 160,000 residents last year, according to the bureau’s estimates.