Minnesota Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee - Minnesota State ...

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Minnesota’s Youth Population under the age of 18 accounts for roughly 1.26 million of
Minnesota’s 5.26 million residents. While Minnesota’s total estimated population has been
slowly rising since 2000, the estimated percentage of youth under age 18 has been
declining. In 2000, youth made up 26 percent of Minnesota’s population; by 2009, they
accounted for 24 percent. 1
Of the 1.26 million youth, Minnesota has approximately 553,000 youth ages 10~17, who
under Minnesota Statutes are eligible for involvement in the juvenile justice system. Of
these youth, there are approximately 284,000 aged 14~17 who appear in greater numbers
in the juvenile justice system than their younger counterparts. 2
Minnesota’s youth are more racially and ethnically diverse than the state population as a
whole. 3 U.S. Census Bureau estimates for 2009 indicate that close to one-quarter (24
percent) of all Minnesota youth under age 18 represent racial or ethnic minority groups.
This is true of 15 percent of the state population as a whole. In the youth population, those
of Hispanic ethnicity are estimated to have surpassed African American youth as the most
populous minority group in the state (6.6 percent Black or African American alone vs. 7.5
percent Hispanic of any race).
Race/Ethnic Category 4 Minnesota’s Overall Minnesota’s Youth
Population (2009) Population (Under age 18)
Caucasian, non-Hispanic 84.8% 76.1%
African American, non-Hispanic 4.5% 6.6%
American Indian, non-Hispanic 1.1% 1.5%
Asian, non-Hispanic 3.7% 5.0%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 0.1% 0.1%
non-Hispanic
Two or more races, non-Hispanic 1.5% 3.2%
Hispanic (any race) 4.3% 7.5%
Information on the number of foreign-born youth in Minnesota will become available
following the 2010 Census, but according to data created by the Department of Homeland
Security and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 18,020 immigrants declared
Minnesota as their intended state of residence in 2009. Knowledge of foreign-born and
1 U.S. Census Bureau State and County Quick Facts: 2000, 2009: Minnesota. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/27000.html
2 U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates of the Resident Population by Selected Age Groups for the United States, States, and Puerto Rico: July 1,
2009. http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/SC-EST2009-01.html
3 U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates: State Population Datasets: State by Age, Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin: Illinois-Missouri.
2009.
4 The US Census uses the racial categories „White‟ and „Black or African American‟. The terms „Caucasian‟ and „African American‟ have
been selected for use in this report to ensure consistent use of terms throughout.