POLL: Shakopee Still a Population Growth Leader in Twin Cities

Among cities in the seven-county Twin Cities metro, Shakopee came in as the city with the tenth-most residents added from 2010 to 2011, according to the Metropolitan Council.

Shakopee added 576 residents in that span, according to data released Monday by the Met Council, for a total 37,652 people.

The seven-county metro grew by 0.8 percent during that span, bringing the population up to 2.87 million. Minneapolis led the pack with 5,295 new residents, followed by St. Paul with 1,299, and then Woodbury, Blaine, Maple Grove and Bloomington. Apple Valley Plymouth, Lakeville and Shakopee round out the top 10.

The latest Met Council numbers are a continuation of the figures from the 2010 U.S. Census, which show Shakopee's population grew more than 80 percent in 10 years. Much of that growth came from minority communities. Of Shakopee's total population (from 2010 Census numbers), 10.3 percent are Asian, 7.8 percent are Hispanic, 4.3 percent are Black and 1.2 percent are American Indian. All told, more than 1 out of 4 Shakopee residents is a minority.

In a statement, Met Council Chair Susan Haigh said she’s “pleased to see growth occurring primarily where there’s infrastructure to support it.

“Growth that occurs where infrastructure already exists creates economies of scale and promotes efficiency, which improves the region’s ability to focus energy and resources on economic development,” she said.

The “modest growth” is also good to see as the nation continues to recover from the recession, Haigh said.

“Now, more than ever, Council policies of guiding growth primarily to those areas where infrastructure investments have and are being made will help the region thrive and compete globally, in spite of drastically different and changing national and world economic circumstances,” she said.

Read more and see more population statistics from the Met Council.