Hennepin County, Minnesota


Hennepin County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census the population was 1,152,425. It is the most populous county in Minnesota and the 32nd-most populous county in the United States; more than one in five Minnesotans live in Hennepin County. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. Hennepin County is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The center of population of Minnesota is in Hennepin County, in the City of Minneapolis.

History

Hennepin County was created in 1852 by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature. Father Louis Hennepin's name was chosen because he originally named St. Anthony Falls and recorded some of the earliest accounts of the area for the Western world. Hennepin County's early history is closely linked to the establishment of the cities of Minneapolis and St. Anthony.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Hennepin is one of 17 Minnesota counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils, and is one of only two Minnesota counties with more than 75% of its area in savanna soils.
The highest waterfall on the Mississippi River, the Saint Anthony Falls is in Hennepin County next to downtown Minneapolis, but in the 19th century, the falls were converted to a series of dams. Barges and boats now pass through locks to move between the parts of the river above and below the dams.

Adjacent counties

2010

As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,152,425 people, 475,913 households, and 272,885 families living in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 74.4% White, 11.8% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 6.2% Asian, 3.4% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. 6.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
According to the 2010–2015 American Community Survey, the largest ancestry groups were German, Norwegian, Irish, and Swedish.

2000

At the 2000 Census, there were 1,116,200 people, 456,129 households, and 267,291 families living in the county. The population density was 774/km². There were 468,824 housing units at an average density of 325/km². The racial makeup of the county was 80.53% White, 8.95% Black or African American, 1.00% Native American, 4.80% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.06% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races. 4.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 456,129 households out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.30% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.40% were non-families. 31.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county 24.00% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.70% was between 18 and 24, 33.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,711, and the median income for a family was $65,985. Accounting for inflation, these figures rise again to $76,202.87 for individuals, and $92,353.46 for households, adjusted for 2014 dollars. Males had a median income of $42,466 versus $32,400 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,789. About 5.00% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.50% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.
Hennepin County is the wealthiest county in Minnesota and one of the 100 highest-income counties in the United States.
Besides English, languages with significant numbers of speakers in Hennepin County include Arabic, Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Religious statistics

In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in Hennepin County was the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, with 215,205 Catholics worshipping at 73 parishes, followed by 124,732 ELCA Lutherans with 106 congregations, 59,811 non-denominational adherents with 103 congregations, 20,286 UMC Methodists with 42 congregations, 18,836 Missouri Synod Lutherans with 34 congregations, 16,941 PC-USA Presbyterians with 21 congregations, 16,230 Converge Baptists with 26 congregations, 16,128 AoG Pentecostals with 32 congregations, 12,307 UCC Christians with 20 congregations, and 8,608 Reform Jews with 3 congregations. Altogether, 54.3% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, Hennepin County had 708 religious organizations, the 16th most out of all US counties.

Law and government

Commissioners

Like all counties in Minnesota, Hennepin is governed by an elected and nonpartisan board of commissioners. In Minnesota, county commissions usually have five members, but Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka and St Louis counties have seven members. Each commissioner represents a district of approximately equal population. In Hennepin the county commission appoints the medical examiner, county auditor-treasurer and. The sheriff and county attorney are also elected on a nonpartisan ticket. The county government's headquarters are in downtown Minneapolis in the Hennepin County Government Center. The county oversees the Hennepin County Library system, and Hennepin County Medical Center. The county commission also elects a chair who presides at meetings.
DistrictCommissionerIn office
since		Current term
expires in January
1stMike Opat19932021
2ndIrene Fernando20192023
3rdMarion Greene 20142023
4thAngela Conley20192023
5thDebbie Goettel20172021
6thJan Callison20092021
7thJeff Johnson20092021

Key staff

Hennepin County's normal operations are coordinated by the County Administrator David Hough, Deputy County Administrator for Health and Human Services Jennifer DeCubellis,
Assistant County Administrator for Operations Chester Cooper, Acting Assistant County Administrator for Public Works Chris Sagsveen, and Assistant County Administrator for Public Safety Mark Thompson. Under Administrator Hough's leadership, the number senior management positions in the county has grown by 40%.

Politics

Transportation

Major highways

Major companies and employers

As the economic center of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, Hennepin County is home to many major companies in a diverse section of industries. As of the 2018 estimate, there are twelve Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Hennepin County, five of which are located in Minneapolis.
Company NameNational RankRevenue,
2018 Estimate		Headquarters CityIndustry
UnitedHealth Group5201,159MinnetonkaManaged Healthcare
Target3971,879MinneapolisGeneral Retailing
Best Buy7242,151RichfieldElectronics Retailing
U.S. Bancorp12223,996MinneapolisBanking and Finance
SuperValu18016,009Eden PrairieFood Distribution and Retailing
General Mills18215,619.8Golden ValleyFood Processing
C.H. Robinson19314,869.4Eden PrairieTransportation
Ameriprise Financial25212,075MinneapolisFinancial Services
Xcel Energy26611,404MinneapolisElectricity and Natural Gas Utility
Thrivent Financial3438,527.9MinneapolisFinancial Services
Mosaic3827,409.4PlymouthFertilizer Manufacturing
Polaris4965,504.8MedinaSnowmobile Manufacturing

Hennepin County is also home to several major private companies such as Carlson and Cargill, both located in Minnetonka, the latter of which is the largest privately-owned company in the United States.
Along with these major companies, Hennepin County also contains several large employers, as listed below. According to the 2016 American Community Survey, the largest overall industries in Hennepin County are healthcare and social assistance, manufacturing, and retail trade.
EmployerNumber of EmployeesIndustry
University of Minnesota18000Education
Target Stores Inc10000Retail
Pharmacy at Park Nicollet9000Healthcare
Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital8200Healthcare
Park Nicollet Clinic8000Healthcare
M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center8000Healthcare
M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital7658Healthcare
Ameriprise Financial Inc7000Financial Services
Park Nicollet Urgent Care7000Healthcare
Best Buy Inc6000Electronics Retail

Economic indicators

According to the 2016 American Community Survey, the average household income in Hennepin County is $71,200. The GINI Index for 2016 was 0.461, lower than the national average of 0.485. As of 2016, nearly 132,000 residents of Hennepin County were living under the poverty line, a full 10.9% of the county. This figure is lower than the national average of 14%.

Education

Colleges and universities in the county include:

Parks

Hennepin County, and in particular the city of Minneapolis, is renowned for its expansive and high-quality park system. The Minneapolis park system has been called the best-designed, best-financed, and best-maintained in America. The Minneapolis park system has been named the top park system in the country by the Trust for Public Land for 5 consecutive years as of 2017. Many of the Minneapolis' numerous parks are linked by the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, a series of interconnected parks and paths in the city that extends for 51 miles. The byway is divided into seven districts: Downtown Riverfront, Mississippi River, Minnehaha, Chain of Lakes, Theodore Wirth, Victory Memorial, and Northeast. The byway includes many major destinations in Minneapolis, including Nicollet Island, St. Anthony Falls, Stone Arch Bridge, Mill Ruins Park, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Minnehaha Creek, Minnehaha Park, Lake Hiawatha, Lake Nokomis, Lake Harriet, Bde Maka Ska, Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake, and Theodore Wirth Park.
Outside of Minneapolis, Hennepin County is part of the Three Rivers Park District, a park system containing 20 parks and 10 trails spanning the Twin Cities metro area.

Culture

Numerous art institutions in Minneapolis make Hennepin County a national center for the arts. It contains some of the largest and most well-known centers for art in the country, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center, Weisman Art Museum, and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Major art centers include Northeast Minneapolis and the Minneapolis neighborhood of North Loop. Minneapolis is home to many important artist organizations such as the Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art, the Handicraft Guild, and the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association.
Hennepin County is also home to a thriving theater scene, highlighted by the Guthrie Theater, located in downtown Minneapolis. It is home to many theater companies such as Mixed Blood, Skewed Visions, Brave New Workshop, and Children's Theatre Company. Other notable theaters include the Orpheum Theatre, the State Theatre, and the Pantages Theatre. Additionally, many other cities in Hennepin County are home to local community theaters, such as Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Orono, Osseo, and Plymouth.
, home of the Minnesota Vikings, was constructed in 2016, and was the site of Super Bowl LII.

Sports

Of the "Big Four" sports leagues in the US, three are located in Minneapolis: the Minnesota Twins play in Target Field, the Minnesota Timberwolves play in Target Center, and the Minnesota Vikings play in U.S. Bank Stadium. Additionally, among major sports leagues, the Minnesota Lynx also play in Target Center.

Cities