Minnesota Population Rises Though Pace Slows

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota is still seeing more people come into the state than others in the region, but its rate of growth is showing signs of tapering.

New U.S. Census Bureau estimates show that Minnesota added 35,000 people to its population in 2014, more in number than its Midwestern neighbors. But North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska are adding residents at a faster pace relative to their existing population.

Reports say that while the figures are only estimates they matter because they help in analyzing the labor force. Migration patterns are especially important because deaths and births are fairly predictable for a given year, according to State Demographer Susan Brower.

She predicts that by 2042 Minnesota's population won't grow naturally because deaths will top births.