Hennepin County vs Ramsey County
Two neighbouring counties in Minnesota, compared on population, size, income and housing. They share 12 mi of border.
Hennepin County
Minnesota
Ramsey County
Minnesota
Both outlines are drawn at true relative size. Hennepin County spans about 51.0 km at its widest.
Side by side
| Measure | Hennepin County | Difference | Ramsey County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,284,784 | +137.2% | 541,623 |
| Change since 2020 | 0.2% | +2.0 pp | -1.8% |
| Land area | 554 sq mi | +263.9% | 152.3 sq mi |
| Population density | 2,319 per sq mi | -34.8% | 3,557 per sq mi |
| Median household income | $97,653 | +19.7% | $81,568 |
| Median home value | $392,900 | +20.3% | $326,600 |
| Median age | 37.6 | +4.2% | 36.1 |
| Households | 539,493 | +143.8% | 221,327 |
| Housing units | 571,527 | +144.4% | 233,870 |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. The difference column is computed here: the first county's figure against the second, expressed as a percentage of the second. The change-since-2020 row is the exception: two growth rates differ in percentage points (pp), not percent. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
What the numbers say
- Hennepin County holds about 2.4 times the population of Ramsey County: 1,284,784 against 541,623.
- Hennepin County covers more ground, at 554 square miles against 152.3.
- Ramsey County is the more crowded of the two, at 3,557 people per square mile against 2,319.
- Median household income is higher in Hennepin County, by 16,085 dollars a year.
- Since 2020, Hennepin County has grown by 0.2% and Ramsey County has shrunk by 1.8%.
- They share 12 mi of common border, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which almost no other county reference presents.
Full pages
Want a different pair? Compare any two of the 3,144 US counties.
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.