How many Somali immigrants live in Minnesota and what are their age demographics?
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Executive summary
Estimates of Minnesota’s Somali population vary widely across reputable and partisan sources: recent mainstream reporting and research groups put the figure between about 61,000 and nearly 110,000, with commonly cited mid-range estimates near 75,000–80,000 [1] [2] [3]. Available reporting also shows a youthful profile: many Somali Minnesotans are U.S.-born (about 58% born in the U.S.) and public briefs note sizeable child and youth shares, though precise age brackets differ by source [4] [5].
1. A moving target: Why population estimates differ
Different organizations use different definitions (people of Somali ancestry, Somali-born residents, or Somali-speaking households) and different data sets (American Community Survey, state demographers, or proprietary research). For example, U.S. Census–based ACS summaries and some data aggregators put Minnesota’s Somali count near 61,000 [1] [6], Wilder Research and public broadcasters report “nearly 80,000” people of Somali descent in Minnesota [5], while advocacy and policy reports cite figures “over 75,000” or even higher depending on whether they count U.S.-born children of Somali parents [2] [7]. Each figure is credible within its methodological frame; none is a single definitive census of “Somali immigrants” as a uniform group [2] [1].
2. The difference between ‘Somali’ and ‘Somali immigrant’
Sources repeatedly distinguish Somalis by ethnicity, ancestry or nativity. Several outlets stress that a majority of Somalis in Minnesota today were born in the U.S. — PBS and local reporting note about 58% are U.S.-born, meaning the term “Somali immigrant” does not apply to most Somali Minnesotans [4] [3]. When analysts report counts of “Somali immigrants,” they often mean foreign-born people from Somalia (one 2018 state stat cited ~33,500 foreign-born Somalis) versus community totals that include U.S.-born children and grandchildren [8] [9].
3. Age profile: a younger population than the state average
Multiple reports characterize Minnesota’s Somali community as relatively young. PBS and local reporting highlight that a large share are U.S.-born — implying a strong child and youth presence — and other local analyses emphasize high child poverty rates within Somali-headed households, which is consistent with a concentration of children and young families [4] [2]. Precise ACS age-breakdowns were not supplied in the search results; available sources describe the community as having many children and working-age adults but do not provide a full age-distribution table in the provided material (available sources do not mention a complete age-by-bracket breakdown).
4. Education and economic indicators tied to age structure
Community data note educational attainment and poverty that reflect a young immigrant-descended population: for example, one nonprofit brief reports 34% of Somalis ages 25–64 lack a high school diploma or GED, which points to generational and integration dynamics among working-age adults [10]. Policy reports that tally child poverty (e.g., “52 percent of children in Somali immigrant homes live in poverty” cited in CIS and republished pieces) again underline large child cohorts within Somali-headed households [2] [11]. Those figures apply to households identified as headed by Somali immigrants and are not a direct age-demography table [2].
5. Geography and concentration matter to interpretation
Most Somali Minnesotans live in the Twin Cities metro — roughly three-quarters in Minneapolis–St. Paul according to Wilder Research reporting referenced by NPR — which concentrates younger families in particular neighborhoods and magnifies the policy impact of age-related indicators like school enrollment and child services demand [5]. County-level breakdowns in private aggregations show Hennepin and Ramsey counties hold the largest Somali populations [6].
6. Competing narratives and political context
Reporting in December 2025 shows these demographic numbers are being invoked in a politically charged debate about enforcement and fraud investigations. Conservative outlets and CIS-style reports foreground estimates and poverty figures to argue policy failures [2] [11]; mainstream outlets like NPR, PBS, AP and local MPR emphasize citizenship rates (most are citizens), the U.S.-born share, and the community’s status as Minnesota’s largest Somali diaspora outside Africa [5] [4] [12]. Readers should note partisan aims: CIS and allied outlets stress socioeconomic deficits; local and public broadcasters stress civic integration and the predominance of U.S.-born Somalis [2] [4].
7. What the current reporting cannot confirm
Available sources do not provide a single, authoritative age-by-5-year-bracket distribution for Somali Minnesotans in 2025. They also do not deliver a definitive, universally accepted total that reconciles ACS-based lower estimates (~61,000) with higher community-based totals (75,000–107,000) — the differences stem from methodology and whether U.S.-born descendants are included [1] [2] [3]. For a firm age pyramid or one harmonized population total, consult the Minnesota State Demographic Center or the latest American Community Survey microdata directly; those specific datasets are not included among the provided search results (available sources do not mention the exact ACS age-table requested).
Bottom line: credible reporting shows Minnesota hosts the nation’s largest Somali community, numbers cited range from roughly 61,000 to more than 100,000 depending on definition, and the community skews young with a majority U.S.-born — but precise age-bracket tables and one undisputed total are not present in the supplied sources [1] [5] [4] [2].