What Minnesota's Somali population looks like: young, Minnesota-born and working

ST. CLOUD — Minnesota's Somali population may not look exactly like you think it does.

Newly released numbers from the Census Bureau show a large share was born in Minnesota, a majority has lived in Minnesota for at least a decade and the vast majority of households have a least one adult earning money.  

The data comes from the American Community Survey five-year estimates, released this month.

It does show the group is still struggling economically. But its young median age leaves a lot of potential for growth, said Susan Brower, the Minnesota state demographer. 

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Her staff studied the numbers on all of Minnesota's ethnic and racial groups, hoping to show a clearer picture of where groups are struggling and succeeding. 

"We know that there are economic and social disparities by race in this state, in this country as well," Brower said. 

The disparities many non-whites face are not surprising. 

"We do start to see differences in terms of barriers to economic stability," Brower said. 

For some groups, a lack of reliable transportation makes it difficult to find and keep jobs. Low home ownership can show groups that are less likely to pass wealth from generation to generation.

A high number of young women sitting out of the job market can mean the high cost of child care keeps them out of the workforce. For some, the lack of a thorough grasp on English means their job and educational choices are limited. 

In this analysis, experts included people born in Somalia, as well as their U.S.-born children who identify with that heritage. 

Infographic:What does Minnesota's Somali population look like?

What the numbers say

• The Somali population accounts for nearly 1 percent of Minnesota's population. 

There are between about 42,400 and 55,200 people of Somali heritage living in Minnesota. They live in between about 13,000 and 16,500 households.

White people make up more than 80 percent of Minnesotans, around 4.4 million people, in about 1.9 million households. 

• It's a very, very young population. 

Half of the Somali population is age 22 or younger. 

Compare that to white people in Minnesota, where the median age is 41 — the oldest cultural group in the state. 

"We're talking a about a very, very young population," Brower said. 

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• A significant portion of the population was born in the U.S. 

While three in five Somalis were born outside the U.S., the rest were born in this country. The majority — 34 percent — were born in Minnesota. 

• A majority have lived in Minnesota a long time. 

About 58 percent of Somalis born outside the U.S. have lived in the U.S. for 11 or more years. 

• A large majority speak at least some English. 

Only 20 percent of Somalis ages 5 and up say they do no speak English well or at all. 

• They live in big families.

About 41 percent of Somali households include four or more people.  Some may include multi-generation households, including aunts and uncles or grandparents. 

• There are a lot of children. 

About three in five households include at least one child under the age of 18. 

• A majority have a high school education, but higher education is less represented. 

Of Somali people ages 25 to 64, 37 percent do not have a high school diploma or GED. 

Only 11 percent of Somalis have a bachelor's degree or higher. But with half of the Somali population under the age of 22, that's not that surprising, Brower said. 

READ: Somali woman uses her book to spur unity and understanding

• The vast majority of households have at least one person that earns money. 

About 87 percent of households have one or more earner. That number includes people who make money working, but also any other wages, salaries or business income they make. 

Only 14 percent of households do not have anyone earning income. 

"I hear these arguments about the use of (public) resources and I think they have an out-sized idea of what that share is," Brower said. 

Who are those 14 percent of people?

People who are seeking work, college students living in the community and people unable to work because of a disability. 

• A majority of Somalis work. 

Roughly two in five of all Somalis ages 16 to 24 are not working.  

Within that group are people who do not participate in the workforce. They're not working nor are they looking for a job. That group is about 25 percent of all Somalis. A significant number of them are likely young women, of child-bearing age. 

"When you have kids, it's really, really expensive to work," Brower said. "You have to make more than you pay for child care to make it worth it. ... It's a very straightforward economic decision when you have to make it ourselves." 

The other portion is made up of unemployed people, about 15 percent of all Somalis, people who want work but don't have a job.

This number is improving, Brower said. 

"It's come down, year after year, after the recovery of the recession," Brower said. 

• The vast majority live in poverty. 

About 8 in 10 Somalis live in or near poverty. And about three in five children under age 18 live in poverty. But again, with half the population under the age of 22, these numbers are not surprising, Brower said.

"You see more unemployment and you see higher poverty rates for younger groups," she said, regardless of race or ethnicity.

For people who work full-time, year round, their median earnings are $29,200. The median income for all households is $20,600. The federal poverty line for a family of four is $25,100. 

This could show some Somalis are underemployed. They may be working, but temporary, and part-time jobs mean they can't earn enough to support their family.  

RELATED: State demographer offers some context on Somali refugee poverty numbers

• More of the Somali population has a disability than many other groups. 

About one in four Somalis have one or more disabilities. Among the white population, it's about one in five. For U.S.-born blacks, nearly half — about 45 percent — have one or more disability. 

• Only 10 percent of Somalis own their own home. 

That is by far the lowest percentage in the state. About three in four whites own their own homes, and  four in five people with Vietnamese heritage own their own homes. 

For the full report, visit mn.gov/admin/demography.