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Snapshot of the Region

The Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area is a thriving community of 2.8 million people. A strong, diversified economy and a high quality of life attract people to the region and keep them here.

The metropolitan area is made up of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties and includes all or part of 182 cities and townships. Regional waterways include 949 lakes for swimming, fishing, or boating, and three major rivers — the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix. Between 2000 and 2030, the Council forecasts the population will grow by nearly 1 million people, increasing to 3.7 million.

A great place to live, work, raise a family and do business.

What contributes to the Twin Cities high quality of life?

The Twin Cities' regional economy is strong, supported by diverse industries including food, computers, printing and publishing, health care, medical instruments, arts and entertainment, education, finance and others.

The region is home to headquarters of more than a dozen "Fortune 500" corporations and nearly three dozen "Fortune 1,000" corporations.

The region's average household income is among the highest in the nation and its unemployment rate among the lowest.

The Twin Cities metropolitan area has more arts and theater outside New York City than anywhere in the country, including the renowned Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Orchestra, Walker Art Center, and Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

The seven-county metro area boasts one of the most extensive regional parks and trail systems in the country.

The metro area hosts a number of professional sports teams including the Minnesota Twins baseball team, the Vikings football team, the Timberwolves and Lynx basketball teams, and the Wild hockey team.

The metro area is also part of a larger region

Partnerships with neighboring communities and counties are crucial to the region’s future success. The Twin Cities are part of a larger regional economy, one that extends well beyond the seven-county metropolitan area.

While the seven-county share of households within the larger 19-county region has remained around 85 percent since 1970, there have been some notable changes. Much of the growth in the adjacent counties can be attributed to their proximity to the Twin Cities area. Most of the growth in adjacent counties has occurred in areas just outside the borders of the seven metro counties along the major transportation corridors.

The interconnected nature of the 7-county metro region and the adjacent communities is illustrated by traffic and commuting patterns and other data. See maps that show residential and commuting patterns in the adjacent counties. (pdf)