Minneapolis continues growth spurt, census data show

Minneapolis is now the 46th-largest city in the country, moving up two positions over the past year, new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2014 show.

In 2014, the city grew by 6,560 residents while St. Paul's population was up by 2,200.

That's not the kind of white hot growth that cities in Texas or California are experiencing, but the new data are the latest proof that the Twin Cities continue to drive Minnesota's increase in population.

"We've known for a long time that Minneapolis and St. Paul are continuing to grow," State Demographer Susan Brower said. "But each year that they continue to grow it becomes more remarkable when you look at the history of the state and not just the past five years."

Brower said new immigrants are the primary group influencing the recent growth in the Twin Cities. In the future, she said, Minnesota will increasingly rely on new immigration to sustain its growth as the current population ages.

The new U.S. Census data also show several Twin Cities area suburbs continuing to grow, but not necessarily at the same breakneck pace as years before.

Rogers, Otsego, Carver, Victoria and Waconia are among the far outer-ring suburbs posting significant gains from 2010 to 2014.

Wayzata has been picking up new residents since 2011 after a multiyear slide. From 2010 to 2014, Wayzata has experienced a 20 percent increase in population, which is among the state's biggest gains.

Mayor Ken Wilcox cited the new senior housing options that are now available in Wayzata through Presbyterian Homes and Services, which has recently opened new luxury apartments near the north side of Lake Minnetonka.

"What's really happened is most of the people that have decided to move there have come from a five-mile radius," Wilcox said. "And many of the homes they've left behind are now available to be purchased by younger families."

Kim McGuire • 612-673-4469