Hennepin County (/ˈhɛnəpɪn/ HEN-ə-pin) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named for the 17th-century explorer Louis Hennepin. It extends from Minneapolis to the suburbs and outlying cities in the western part of the county. Its natural areas are covered by extensive woods, hills, and lakes. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565. It is Minnesota's most populous county and the 34th-most populous county in the U.S.; more than one in five Minnesotans live in Hennepin County. It is included in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul–Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Territorial Legislature of Minnesota established Hennepin County on March 6, 1852, and two years later Minneapolis was named the county seat. Louis Hennepin's name was chosen because he originally named Saint Anthony Falls and recorded some of the earliest accounts of the area for the Western world. In January 1855, the first bridge over the Mississippi River was built over St. Anthony Falls.

Water power built the city of Minneapolis and Hennepin County. The water of streams and rivers provided power to grist mills and sawmills throughout the county. By the late 1860s, more than a dozen mills were churning out lumber near St. Anthony Falls and the county's population had surpassed 12,000.

In many ways, the falls' power was the vital link between the central city and the farmsteads throughout the county. Farms produced vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy products for city dwellers, while Minneapolis industries produced lumber, furniture, farm implements and clothing.

By 1883, railroads united Minneapolis with both the East and West coasts, and technical developments, especially in flour milling, brought rapid progress to the area. The major Minneapolis millers were Washburn, Pillsbury, Bell, Dunwoody and Crosby. For a decade, the "Mill City" was the flour-milling capital of the world and one of the largest lumber producers. Minneapolis, with a population of 165,000 by 1890, had become a major American city, and by 1900, was firmly established as the hub of the Upper Midwest's industry and commerce.

Hennepin County's farm economy was also substantial. In 1910, farmland in the county totaled 284,000 acres, about 72% of its area. The principal crops were wheat, corn, garden vegetables, and apples. The number of acres in production remained high for the next 30 years. By 1950, the amount of land devoted to agriculture had declined to 132,000 acres as development progressed in the suburbs.

During the 1950s and 1960s, many suburbs grew rapidly as housing developments, shopping centers, large school systems and growing industrialization replaced much of the open farmland. By 1970, Hennepin County's suburban population outnumbered the city's for the first time. Minneapolis's population declined by 10 percent from 1960 to 1970, while the suburban population grew by nearly 50 percent.

Another wave of immigration—which began after the Vietnam War in the mid-1970s—marked a major change in the county's ethnic makeup. This wave peaked in the 1980s when hundreds of refugees from Southeast Asia, often aided by local churches, resettled in Hennepin County. Its population surpassed one million in 1989.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 607 square miles (1,570 km), of which 554 square miles (1,430 km) is land and 53 square miles (140 km) (8.7%) is water. Hennepin is one of 17 Minnesota counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils, and one of two Minnesota counties with more than 75% of its area in savanna soils (the other is Wright County).

The highest waterfall on the Mississippi River, Saint Anthony Falls (discovered by Louis Hennepin), 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.

• Anoka County (northeast)
• Ramsey County (east)
• Dakota County (southeast)
• Scott County (south)
• Carver County (southwest)
• Wright County (northwest)
• Sherburne County (north)

• Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (part)

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	12,849		—
1870	31,566		145.7%
1880	67,013		112.3%
1890	185,294		176.5%
1900	228,340		23.2%
1910	333,480		46.0%
1920	415,419		24.6%
1930	517,785		24.6%
1940	568,899		9.9%
1950	676,579		18.9%
1960	842,854		24.6%
1970	960,080		13.9%
1980	941,411		−1.9%
1990	1,032,431		9.7%
2000	1,116,200		8.1%
2010	1,152,425		3.2%
2020	1,281,565		11.2%
2023 (est.)	1,258,713		−1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

Hennepin County's racial and ethnic composition has evolved significantly over time. Initially, the region was inhabited by Native American tribes, primarily the Dakota Sioux. Beginning in the early 19th century, European settlement brought a demographic shift, with a predominantly white population of Northern European descent. The county witnessed further diversification throughout the 20th century with the arrival of African Americans during the Great Migration, as well as Latino, Asian, and other immigrant groups in the latter half of the century.

The most common ancestries in Hennepin County are German, Irish, English, Norwegian and Swedish.

Ancestry	Any ancestry			Full ancestry
	Rank	Population	%	Rank	Population	%
German	1	347,042	27.08	1	98,811	7.71
Irish	2	187,435	14.63	6	31,653	2.47
English	3	152,567	11.09	3	40,602	3.17
Norwegian	4	135,077	10.54	5	32,327	2.52
Swedish	5	100,544	7.85	9	18,886	1.47
African	6	75,484	5.89	2	60,478
Mexican	7	57,607	4.50	—	—	—
Polish	8	54,025	4.22	11	10,306	0.80
French	9	52,883	4.13	16	4,467	0.35
Somali	10	38,588	3.01	4	37,897	2.96

As of the 2020 census, there were 1,281,565 people and 529,029 households living in the county, with 2.35 persons per household. The racial makeup was 65.61% White, 13.23% Black or African American, 7.67% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 0.63% Native American, 7.6% Asian, 0.51% from other races, and 4.76% from two or more races. 18% of persons aged 5 years or older spoke a language other than English at home.

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 (26.3%), Norwegian (12.6%), Irish (10.8%), and Swedish (8.3%).

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/km (2,000/sq mi). There were 468,824 housing units at an average density of 325/km (840/sq mi). 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 (these figures had risen to $60,115 and $79,970 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). 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.

In 2010, Hennepin County's largest religious group 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, religious congregations claimed 54.3% of the population as members, though members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, Hennepin County had 708 religious organizations, the 16th-most of all U.S. counties.

Like all Minnesota counties, 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 County, the commission appoints the medical examiner, the county auditor-treasurer, and the county recorder. 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 (which merged with the Minneapolis Public Library system in 2008) and Hennepin County Medical Center. The county commission also elects a chair who presides at meetings.

District	Commissioner	In office since	Current term expires in January
1st	Jeff Lunde (Republican)	2021	2025
2nd	Irene Fernando (DFL)	2019	2027
3rd	Marion Greene (DFL) (chair)	2014	2027
4th	Angela Conley (DFL)	2019	2027
5th	Debbie Goettel (DFL)	2017	2025
6th	Heather Edelson (DFL)	2024	2025
7th	Kevin Anderson (DFL)	2021	2025

Hennepin County's normal operations are coordinated by the County Administrator David Hough, Assistant County Administrator for Human Services Jodi Wentland, Assistant County Administrator for Operations Dan Rogan, Assistant County Administrator for Public Works Lisa Cerney, Assistant County Administrator for Disparity Reduction May Xiong, and Assistant County Administrator for Public Safety Chela Guzman-Wiegert.

The Hennepin County Sheriff manages the county jail, patrols waterways, provides security for the District Court, handles home foreclosures, participates in homeland security activities and in law enforcement, and by state law is responsible for handling applications for permits to carry a firearm for county residents. The current county sheriff is Dawanna Witt, who was elected in 2022.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office is responsible for investigating all unexpected deaths in Hennepin County as well as neighboring Dakota and Scott counties. The office determines who and why a person died, which may lead to criminal charges being filed by prosecutors. Upon request, the office may provide services for other jurisdictions.

The Hennepin County Attorney sets policies and priorities for prosecuting criminal cases, oversees child protection and child support cases, and provides legal advice and representation to county government. The current County Attorney is Mary Moriarty, who was elected in 2022.

United States presidential election results for Hennepin County, Minnesota

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	197,241	27.61%	502,710	70.36%	14,549	2.04%
2020	205,973	27.25%	532,623	70.46%	17,373	2.30%
2016	191,770	28.20%	429,288	63.13%	58,919	8.66%
2012	240,073	35.30%	423,982	62.34%	16,010	2.35%
2008	231,054	34.81%	420,958	63.42%	11,768	1.77%
2004	255,133	39.43%	383,841	59.33%	8,007	1.24%
2000	225,657	39.32%	307,599	53.60%	40,590	7.07%
1996	173,887	33.17%	285,126	54.38%	65,293	12.45%
1992	179,581	30.61%	278,648	47.50%	128,390	21.89%
1988	240,209	44.60%	292,909	54.39%	5,444	1.01%
1984	253,921	47.98%	272,401	51.47%	2,912	0.55%
1980	194,898	38.57%	239,592	47.41%	70,882	14.03%
1976	211,892	43.84%	257,380	53.25%	14,106	2.92%
1972	228,951	51.64%	205,943	46.45%	8,464	1.91%
1968	170,002	41.77%	220,078	54.07%	16,944	4.16%
1964	154,736	39.00%	241,020	60.75%	971	0.24%
1960	198,992	51.26%	188,250	48.50%	939	0.24%
1956	183,248	55.01%	149,341	44.83%	523	0.16%
1952	180,338	53.49%	155,388	46.09%	1,415	0.42%
1948	121,169	42.93%	151,920	53.83%	9,145	3.24%
1944	116,781	43.69%	148,792	55.66%	1,747	0.65%
1940	122,960	45.48%	145,168	53.69%	2,230	0.82%
1936	81,206	33.08%	144,289	58.78%	19,985	8.14%
1932	91,087	41.87%	119,234	54.80%	7,245	3.33%
1928	125,472	60.19%	80,851	38.79%	2,124	1.02%
1924	101,120	59.02%	10,806	6.31%	59,401	34.67%
1920	90,517	64.58%	28,911	20.63%	20,741	14.80%
1916	27,957	40.78%	36,395	53.09%	4,204	6.13%
1912	14,379	29.64%	15,530	32.02%	18,596	38.34%
1908	27,787	58.73%	16,169	34.17%	3,357	7.10%
1904	31,437	73.71%	5,708	13.38%	5,503	12.90%
1900	26,902	62.42%	14,498	33.64%	1,695	3.93%
1896	26,786	55.47%	20,515	42.48%	987	2.04%
1892	20,603	49.93%	16,448	39.86%	4,209	10.20%

Like most urban counties nationwide, Hennepin County is a Democratic stronghold. It has voted Democratic in every election since 1964, except for 1972, when Richard Nixon won the county as part of a national landslide. It is also a state bellwether county, having voted for Minnesota's statewide winner in every election since 1964, the longest such streak in the state. In 2020, Joe Biden won 70% of the vote in the county, the largest percentage for any candidate since 1904. At the state level, the county is no less Democratic. For governor and U.S. Senate, the last Republicans to win the county were Arne Carlson in 1994 and David Durenberger in 1988, respectively.

• Maple Grove Transit
• Metro Transit
• Minnesota Valley Transit Authority
• Plymouth Metrolink
• Southwest Transit
• Hawthorne Transportation Center
  • Flixbus
  • Greyhound Lines
  • Jefferson Lines

• Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) serves the Twin Cities area. It is the 17th-busiest airport in the United States by passenger traffic and serves as a hub for Delta Air Lines.
• Crystal Airport (MIC) is a public airport in Crystal.
• Flying Cloud Airport (FCM) is a public airport in Eden Prairie.

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.

Fortune 500 Companies in Hennepin County

Company Name	National Rank	Revenue ($millions), 2018 Estimate	Headquarters City	Industry
UnitedHealth Group	5	201,159	Minnetonka	Managed Healthcare
Target	39	71,879	Minneapolis	General Retailing
Best Buy	72	42,151	Richfield	Electronics Retailing
U.S. Bancorp	122	23,996	Minneapolis	Banking and Finance
SuperValu	180	16,009	Eden Prairie	Food Distribution and Retailing
General Mills	182	15,619.8	Golden Valley	Food Processing
C.H. Robinson	193	14,869.4	Eden Prairie	Transportation
Ameriprise Financial	252	12,075	Minneapolis	Financial Services
Xcel Energy	266	11,404	Minneapolis	Electricity and Natural Gas Utility
Thrivent Financial	343	8,527.9	Minneapolis	Financial Services
Mosaic	382	7,409.4	Plymouth	Fertilizer Manufacturing
Polaris	496	5,504.8	Medina	Snowmobile 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 (96,511 workers), manufacturing (80,324), and retail trade (75,861).

Largest employers in Hennepin County

Employer	Number of employees	Industry
University of Minnesota	18,000	Education
Target Stores Inc	10,000	Retail
Pharmacy at Park Nicollet	9,000	Healthcare
Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital	8,200	Healthcare
Park Nicollet Clinic	8,000	Healthcare
M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center	8,000	Healthcare
M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital	7,658	Healthcare
Ameriprise Financial Inc	7,000	Financial Services
Park Nicollet Urgent Care	7,000	Healthcare
Best Buy Inc	6,000	Electronics Retail

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, 10.9% of the county population. This figure is lower than the national average of 14%.

Colleges and universities in the county include:

• Augsburg University in Minneapolis
• Dunwoody College of Technology in downtown Minneapolis
• Hamline University – Minneapolis campus in St. Louis Park
• Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie
• Metropolitan State University in downtown Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park
• Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Minneapolis
• Minneapolis Community and Technical College in downtown Minneapolis
• Minnesota State University, Mankato – Twin Cities campus in Edina
• Normandale Community College in Bloomington
• North Central University in downtown Minneapolis
• North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park
• Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington
• St. Cloud State University – Twin Cities campus in Plymouth
• Saint Mary's University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis
• University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis
• University of St. Thomas – Minneapolis campus in downtown Minneapolis

School districts include:

Hennepin County Library (which Minneapolis Public Library merged into)

Hennepin County, and particularly 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 and is run by the independently elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. It has been named the top park system in the country by the Trust for Public Land for five consecutive years as of 2017. Many of Minneapolis's parks are linked by the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, a series of interconnected parks and paths 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 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.

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Numerous art institutions in Minneapolis make Hennepin County a national center for the arts. It contains some of the country's largest and best-known centers for art, 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 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 the county are home to local community theaters, such as Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Orono, Osseo, and Plymouth.

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.

• Fort Snelling

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hennepin County, Minnesota

Media related to Hennepin County, Minnesota at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Hennepin County Library website
• Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Minneapolis Northwest Convention & Visitors Bureau

44°58′33″N 93°16′00″W / 44.97583°N 93.26667°W / 44.97583; -93.26667