Washington County Added 4K Residents In 2021: US Census

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — Washington County experienced one of the highest population growth rates in the Twin Cities metro in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Washington County added 4,065 residents from 2020-2021, taking its total population to 272,256 residents, Census estimates show. That represents about a 1.5 percent growth in its total population.

Washington County’s growth rate was the ninth-highest among Minnesota’s 87 counties, Census estimates show.

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Wright County had the largest growth rate in 2021, adding more than 3,000 residents, a 2.18 percent increase over its 2020 population.

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

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.

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Minnesota’s total population grew by just 225 residents in 2021.

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.

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.

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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.

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