MANKATO, MINN. – For the second year in a row, rural Minnesota counties had modest population increases from in-migration, while Twin Cities urban counties saw out-migration.. That is according to the latest Mankato-based Center for Rural Policy and Development report.
Researcher Kelly Asche says the pandemic disrupted long-standing migration patterns. He says more people are working from home, allowing them to live wherever they want. He says with high housing costs in the Twin Cities, it also has significantly cheaper housing in Greater Minnesota and rural areas.”
Asche says although he doesn’t have specific data, there are indications that post-George Floyd crime rates in the Twin Cities are also pushing people to rural areas. He says the trend might not be enough to “bring back” some rural communities, but there could be more stability as rural and urban populations “even out.”
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