European immigrants, chiefly Germans, Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, English, and Poles, along with the Irish and some French Canadians settled in Minnesota during the second half of the 19th century. The Swedish newcomers were mainly farmers; Norwegians concentrated on lumbering while the Swiss worked mainly in the dairy industry. In 1890, Finns and Slavs were recruited to work in the iron mines.. By 1930, 50% of the population was foreign-born. Among first- and second-generation Minnesotans of European origin, Germans and Scandinavians are still the largest groups.

As of 2000 there were 54,967 American Indians in Minnesota, with 35,282 living on 13 of the state's 14 Indian reservations. There were only 39 black Americans in Minnesota in 1850. By 1990, the number of blacks rose to 95,000, or 2.1% of the total population, and as of 2000, the black population jumped to 171,731 (3.5%). In 2000 there were 141,968 Asian and Pacific residents, including 41,800 Hmong (2nd-largest total in the US), 18,824 Vietnamese, 16,887 Asian Indians, 16,060 Chinese, 12,584 Koreans, and 9,940 Laotians. In 2000, there also were 143,382 Hispanics and Latinos, 2.9% of the state population.