Article Table Of Contents
Across most of America, the African American and Hispanic communities comprise "most of the minority". We're not totally sure that's a term, but it's an accurate reflection of the state of race in America.
Asians are a "minority of the minority", generally. But not everywhere.
There are now over 17 million people who identify as Asian living in America, making up 5.6% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Asian population in Minnesota is 281,572 - at 5.0% of the total population of Minnesota.
And, unlike African Americans that fall under one group in the Census, Asian Americans have many sub-groups -- Chinese, Filipino, and Indian being the three largest sub-groups.
So, what how does the Asian population stratify across Minnesota? Which cities and towns in Minnesota have seen the greatest increase in their Asian population?
Here are the cities in Minnesota with the largest Asian population in 2023:
Which city in Minnesota had the largest Asian population? Brooklyn Park took the number one over all spot for the largest Asian in Minnesota for 2023. 19.28% of Brooklyn Park identify as Asian.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
To see where Minnesota ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.
And if you already knew these places were Asian, check out the best places to live in Minnesota or the most diverse places in Minnesota.
The 10 Most Asian Cities In Minnesota For 2023
/10
Population: 85,247
% Asian: 19.28%
# Of Asian Residents: 16,438
Percent Change Since 2010: 56.42%
More on Brooklyn Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 309,751
% Asian: 18.91%
# Of Asian Residents: 58,559
Percent Change Since 2010: 43.71%
More on St. Paul: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 41,673
% Asian: 18.67%
# Of Asian Residents: 7,781
Percent Change Since 2010: 83.34%
More on Maplewood: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 12,395
% Asian: 16.47%
# Of Asian Residents: 2,041
Percent Change Since 2010: 211.6%
More on North St. Paul: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 33,298
% Asian: 16.02%
# Of Asian Residents: 5,333
Percent Change Since 2010: 29.1%
More on Brooklyn Center: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 5,388
% Asian: 13.72%
# Of Asian Residents: 739
Percent Change Since 2010: -11.39%
More on Falcon Heights: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 64,048
% Asian: 12.63%
# Of Asian Residents: 8,087
Percent Change Since 2010: 54.39%
More on Eden Prairie: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 10,704
% Asian: 12.3%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,317
Percent Change Since 2010: 34.53%
More on Little Canada: Real Estate | Data
/10
Population: 74,014
% Asian: 11.91%
# Of Asian Residents: 8,817
Percent Change Since 2010: 76.52%
More on Woodbury: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 43,396
% Asian: 11.18%
# Of Asian Residents: 4,850
Percent Change Since 2010: 34.46%
More on Shakopee: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Minnesota With The Largest Asian Population For 2023
We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across Minnesota.
That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Asian alone.
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 139 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 19.3% to 0.0%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Asian population with a higher score being more Asian than a lower score. Brooklyn Park took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Kasson was the least Asian city. You can download the data here.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Minnesota ranked by population of Asian residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.
Summary: Asian Populations Across Minnesota
If you're looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across Minnesota according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the least Asian places in Minnesota:
- Kasson
- Waconia
- Litchfield
For more Minnesota reading, check out:
Table: Asian Population By City In Minnesota
| Rank | City | % Asian |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brooklyn Park | 19.28% |
| 2 | St. Paul | 18.91% |
| 3 | Maplewood | 18.67% |
| 4 | North St. Paul | 16.47% |
| 5 | Brooklyn Center | 16.02% |
| 6 | Falcon Heights | 13.72% |
| 7 | Eden Prairie | 12.63% |
| 8 | Little Canada | 12.3% |
| 9 | Woodbury | 11.91% |
| 10 | Shakopee | 11.18% |
| 11 | Oakdale | 10.89% |
| 12 | Plymouth | 10.82% |
| 13 | Eagan | 9.54% |
| 14 | Spring Lake Park | 9.47% |
| 15 | Mounds View | 9.38% |
| 16 | Shoreview | 9.04% |
| 17 | Corcoran | 8.71% |
| 18 | Savage | 8.52% |
| 19 | Blaine | 8.23% |
| 20 | Roseville | 8.21% |
| 21 | Worthington | 7.98% |
| 22 | Rochester | 7.2% |
| 23 | Austin | 7.13% |
| 24 | Hopkins | 7.05% |
| 25 | Marshall | 6.8% |
| 26 | Vadnais Heights | 6.73% |
| 27 | Cottage Grove | 6.72% |
| 28 | Edina | 6.63% |
| 29 | St. Anthony | 6.45% |
| 30 | Chanhassen | 6.44% |
| 31 | Minnetonka | 6.44% |
| 32 | St. Paul Park | 6.23% |
| 33 | Burnsville | 6.14% |
| 34 | Orono | 5.99% |
| 35 | Apple Valley | 5.97% |
| 36 | Bloomington | 5.87% |
| 37 | Columbia Heights | 5.86% |
| 38 | Maple Grove | 5.81% |
| 39 | Fridley | 5.72% |
| 40 | New Brighton | 5.66% |
| 41 | Minneapolis | 5.6% |
| 42 | Richfield | 5.46% |
| 43 | Coon Rapids | 5.45% |
| 44 | Arden Hills | 5.3% |
| 45 | Lakeville | 5.14% |
| 46 | St. Louis Park | 4.85% |
| 47 | Waite Park | 4.79% |
| 48 | Robbinsdale | 4.69% |
| 49 | Rosemount | 4.59% |
| 50 | Ham Lake | 4.58% |
| 51 | Northfield | 4.4% |
| 52 | Victoria | 4.29% |
| 53 | Albert Lea | 4.1% |
| 54 | Prior Lake | 3.88% |
| 55 | Oak Grove | 3.88% |
| 56 | Inver Grove Heights | 3.76% |
| 57 | Morris | 3.76% |
| 58 | Forest Lake | 3.61% |
| 59 | Cambridge | 3.61% |
| 60 | St. Cloud | 3.48% |
| 61 | White Bear Lake | 3.42% |
| 62 | Crystal | 3.42% |
| 63 | Mankato | 3.42% |
| 64 | Andover | 3.36% |
| 65 | New Hope | 3.3% |
| 66 | Chaska | 3.24% |
| 67 | Lino Lakes | 3.23% |
| 68 | Champlin | 3.17% |
| 69 | Crookston | 3.13% |
| 70 | Golden Valley | 3.05% |
| 71 | Hugo | 2.91% |
| 72 | Mendota Heights | 2.87% |
| 73 | Sartell | 2.79% |
| 74 | West St. Paul | 2.68% |
| 75 | Anoka | 2.55% |
| 76 | Winona | 2.52% |
| 77 | Ramsey | 2.38% |
| 78 | South St. Paul | 2.37% |
| 79 | Farmington | 2.37% |
| 80 | Lake City | 2.3% |
| 81 | Lake Elmo | 2.08% |
| 82 | Mahtomedi | 2.06% |
| 83 | Mound | 2.06% |
| 84 | North Mankato | 2.04% |
| 85 | Montevideo | 2.01% |
| 86 | St. Peter | 1.99% |
| 87 | Moorhead | 1.96% |
| 88 | North Branch | 1.86% |
| 89 | Otsego | 1.77% |
| 90 | St. Michael | 1.73% |
| 91 | Faribault | 1.68% |
| 92 | Duluth | 1.64% |
| 93 | New Prague | 1.63% |
| 94 | Elk River | 1.61% |
| 95 | Bemidji | 1.53% |
| 96 | Jordan | 1.52% |
| 97 | Hibbing | 1.43% |
| 98 | Buffalo | 1.37% |
| 99 | Waseca | 1.36% |
| 100 | East Bethel | 1.35% |
| 101 | St. Joseph | 1.33% |
| 102 | Sauk Rapids | 1.17% |
| 103 | Stillwater | 1.14% |
| 104 | Willmar | 1.06% |
| 105 | Glencoe | 0.93% |
| 106 | Detroit Lakes | 0.91% |
| 107 | Rogers | 0.9% |
| 108 | New Ulm | 0.88% |
| 109 | Minnetrista | 0.88% |
| 110 | Virginia | 0.83% |
| 111 | Monticello | 0.82% |
| 112 | Cloquet | 0.82% |
| 113 | Shorewood | 0.81% |
| 114 | Alexandria | 0.81% |
| 115 | Hutchinson | 0.78% |
| 116 | Hermantown | 0.76% |
| 117 | Brainerd | 0.73% |
| 118 | Hastings | 0.68% |
| 119 | Albertville | 0.63% |
| 120 | Wyoming | 0.61% |
| 121 | Stewartville | 0.57% |
| 122 | Thief River Falls | 0.52% |
| 123 | St. Francis | 0.51% |
| 124 | Fairmont | 0.42% |
| 125 | Fergus Falls | 0.42% |
| 126 | Redwood Falls | 0.41% |
| 127 | Little Falls | 0.3% |
| 128 | Belle Plaine | 0.29% |
| 129 | East Grand Forks | 0.27% |
| 130 | Baxter | 0.21% |
| 131 | Red Wing | 0.18% |
| 132 | Big Lake | 0.17% |
| 133 | Delano | 0.16% |
| 134 | International Falls | 0.15% |
| 135 | Grand Rapids | 0.05% |
| 136 | Owatonna | 0.05% |
| 137 | Litchfield | 0.03% |
| 138 | Waconia | 0.0% |
| 139 | Kasson | 0.0% |
