Report Highlights Demographic Trends In Greater Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A new report says nearly three-fourths of Minnesotans now live in urban areas, and the population in the rest of the state is getting older.

The report by the State Demographic Center seeks to create a more nuanced understanding of Minnesota outside the Twin Cities area by breaking the state down into urban areas, large towns, small towns and rural areas.

It says the findings raise concerns for the future workforce in smaller communities and highlight the need for planning for delivering health care and other services.

Minnesota's 14 "entirely rural" counties have lost population since 2010, which the report says will mean even more acute labor shortages, while the state's entirely or partially urban counties grew. But the 13 "entirely urban" counties are growing only because of international migration.