The graph below ranks each Minnesota County by total residents according to the 2012 census estimates.
Minnesota total population by county
| County | Total Population |
| Hennepin |  1,184,332 |
| Ramsey | 520,561 |
| Dakota | 404,937 |
| Anoka | 336,362 |
| Washington | 243,977 |
| St. Louis | 200,352 |
| Stearns | 151,617 |
| Olmsted | 147,161 |
| Scott | 135,047 |
| Wright | 127,441 |
| Carver | 93,868 |
| Sherburne | 89,521 |
| Blue Earth | 65,041 |
| Rice | 64,826 |
| Crow Wing | 62,934 |
| Clay | 60,113 |
| Otter Tail | 57,328 |
| Chisago | 53,481 |
| Winona | 51,271 |
| Goodhue | 46,389 |
| Beltrami | 45,369 |
| Itasca | 45,285 |
| Kandiyohi | 42,389 |
| Mower | 39,371 |
| Benton | 38,868 |
| Isanti | 38,269 |
| Douglas | 36,447 |
| Steele | 36,349 |
| McLeod | 36,010 |
| Carlton | 35,371 |
| Morrison | 33,102 |
| Becker | 32,999 |
| Nicollet | 32,967 |
| Polk | 31,445 |
| Freeborn | 31,064 |
| Pine | 29,189 |
| Cass | 28,377 |
| Le Sueur | 27,732 |
| Mille Lacs | 25,721 |
| Lyon | 25,614 |
| Brown | 25,446 |
| Todd | 24,532 |
| Meeker | 23,064 |
| Nobles | 21,600 |
| Wabasha | 21,412 |
| Fillmore | 20,886 |
| Martin | 20,490 |
| Hubbard | 20,366 |
| Dodge | 20,234 |
| Waseca | 19,194 |
| Houston | 18,800 |
| Kanabec | 16,004 |
| Aitkin | 15,910 |
| Redwood | 15,874 |
| Roseau | 15,505 |
| Renville | 15,366 |
| Sibley | 15,111 |
| Faribault | 14,260 |
| Pennington | 14,080 |
| Wadena | 13,690 |
| Koochiching | 13,225 |
| Chippewa | 12,138 |
| Cottonwood | 11,625 |
| Watonwan | 11,156 |
| Pope | 10,917 |
| Lake | 10,813 |
| Jackson | 10,313 |
| Yellow Medicine | 10,167 |
| Stevens | 9,724 |
| Swift | 9,594 |
| Rock | 9,546 |
| Marshall | 9,457 |
| Pipestone | 9,364 |
| Clearwater | 8,714 |
| Murray | 8,570 |
| Lac qui Parle | 7,128 |
| Norman | 6,631 |
| Wilkin | 6,602 |
| Grant | 5,937 |
| Lincoln | 5,824 |
| Mahnomen | 5,545 |
| Cook | 5,189 |
| Big Stone | 5,160 |
| Kittson | 4,503 |
| Red Lake | 4,074 |
| Lake of the Woods | 3,966 |
| Traverse | 3,443 |