Growing ethnic mosaic in a historically Scandinavian suburb
Eagan's population combines German and Nordic heritage with Hmong, Somali, Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese, and Ethiopian communities that have grown over the past three decades.
Eagan's population is approximately 68,000 and has grown continuously since the 1980s, when the city transitioned from a small farming village into a destination for businesses and residents alike. The Scandinavian and German heritage still appears in surnames and local traditions, but Eagan today has one of the most diverse profiles among suburban communities in the region, with more than one in ten residents born outside the United States.
The Twin Cities metropolitan area is home to the largest Hmong community in the country and the largest Somali community, and that presence is visible in Eagan through schools, places of worship, and small businesses. Mexican, Vietnamese, Indian, Ethiopian, and Liberian families form growing groups, concentrated mainly in neighborhoods near the Cedar Avenue corridor and Yankee Doodle Road. Most immigrants arrive to work on corporate campuses or at the airport.
English remains the dominant language spoken at home, but Spanish, Somali, Hmong, and Vietnamese are well-represented among younger families. Lutheran and Catholic churches share the religious landscape with mosques in Saint Paul, Hindu temples in Maple Grove, and Vietnamese Buddhist temples scattered across the region. Schools in ISD 196 serve students who speak more than forty languages at home.
- English
- Spanish
- Hmong
- Somali
- Vietnamese
- Lutheran
- Catholic
- Methodist
- Muslim
- Hindu
- +2 more
