Old, Diverse and Non-Traditional

Here are some interesting stats from a Pioneer Press article called "Minnesotans: Our hair is gayer, our skin darker, our homes fuller," by MaryJo Webster. Here are some quotes:

Minnesota and Wisconsin's populations are getting older, becoming more diverse and moving away from the traditional family structure - all trends that started decades ago. New census data also show effects from the housing crisis and recession, including an increase in young people living with their parents, an increase in people "doubling up" with other families and a decline in the home ownership rate for the first time in two decades ... 

- The percentage of households made up of families with children has declined from a decade ago, from 33 percent to 30 percent in Minnesota and from 32 percent to 28 percent in Wisconsin. That's because more baby boomers are becoming empty nesters and young people are waiting longer to start families.

- Family households continue to move away from the traditional structure headed by a married couple, with increasing numbers of single-parent households. This is especially true in St. Paul, where 28 percent of the family households are headed by a single female and 9 percent are headed by a single male ... 

- In the past decade in Minnesota, there was a 43 percent increase in the number of people living with partners to whom they are not married. Despite this increase, this group remains a relatively small proportion of the state's population, about 5 percent. The increase was similar in Wisconsin.

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