How many Somali Minnesotans were born in the U.S. versus abroad according to the ACS?

1. What the ACS-based reporting actually says about birthplace

Recent coverage citing ACS results states that almost 58% of Somalis in Minnesota were born in the United States, implying the remaining share — roughly 42% — were born abroad and are therefore part of the foreign‑born population in ACS terms ^{[1] [2]}. The Minnesota State Demographic Center explains that the ACS produces estimates of foreign‑born individuals and characteristics such as country of birth, which is the basis for these percentages ^[5]. Migration Policy explains how ACS defines “foreign born,” and why those categorizations matter for interpretation ^[6].

2. How journalists converted percentages into counts — and where they diverge

Some local outlets and national summaries pair the ACS percentage with separate counts of people born in Somalia; for example, Fox9 reported “more than 41,000 people living here who were born in Somalia” while other reporting referenced a 2018 estimate of about 43,000 Somalia‑born Minnesotans ^{[3] [4]}. Those country‑of‑birth counts are not inconsistent with an ACS share indicating a U.S.-born majority, but because outlets rely on different ACS years, decennial snapshots, or state demographer figures, the raw counts vary by source and year ^{[4] [3]}.

3. Naturalization and the makeup of the foreign‑born share

Beyond birthplace, reporting highlights that an overwhelming majority of the foreign‑born Somalis in Minnesota are naturalized U.S. citizens — figures around 87% are cited in multiple pieces summarizing ACS data ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Migration Policy reinforces that the ACS’s “foreign‑born” category includes naturalized citizens as well as lawful permanent residents, refugees, and other statuses, so “foreign born” does not automatically equal noncitizen ^[6].

4. Why headline numbers vary: different denominators, years and definitions

Discrepancies in counts stem from the fact that sources draw on different ACS years, IPUMS microdata, state demographer totals, or broader ancestry estimates; for example, Minnesota Compass and the Minnesota State Demographic Center use ACS-derived series but may report different baselines or years, and older decennial counts differ from rolling ACS estimates ^{[5] [7]}. Migration Policy notes technical differences in how region‑of‑birth totals are compiled, which can change totals depending on whether those who didn’t report country of birth or were born at sea are included ^[6]. The practical consequence is that percentages (like the cited ~58% U.S.-born) are more stable headline metrics than any single point estimate for headcount when sources mix years ^{[1] [2]}.

5. Context and caveats the reporting raises but cannot resolve alone

Reporting also emphasizes demographic change over time — for example, other recent coverage says the share of U.S.-born Somalis in Minnesota rose from about 19% in 2001 to nearly 39% by 2023 in one IPUMS-based analysis — showing a long‑term trend toward more U.S.-born members of the community even as foreign‑born naturalization remains high ^[8]. However, the available sources do not all provide a single, contemporaneous total Somali population baseline for Minnesota that would allow a precise, unambiguous conversion of the ACS percentages into definitive headcounts for the current year ^{[8] [3]}.

6. Bottom line

Based on ACS-derived reporting cited across multiple outlets, roughly 58% of Somali Minnesotans were born in the United States while about 42% were born abroad, and most of those born abroad are naturalized citizens ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Exact numeric counts differ across sources because of different years, datasets, and definitional choices; the ACS percentages are the most consistent way the reporting conveys birthplace breakdowns ^{[5] [6]}.