Our Region

The Northland Foundation serves the seven-county area of Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis Counties.

A Snapshot of the Northland

• 326,225 people make their home in northeastern Minnesota. This includes:
  • 17,941 children under the age of five
  • 48,510 children and youth ages 6-18
  • 56,195 older adults (65 and over)
• There are 68 cities located within the seven-county region.  The city of Duluth is the largest with a population of 86,918, followed by Hibbing, Cloquet, and Virginia.  The smallest city is Tamarack with a population of 69.
  
• Northeastern Minnesota encompasses one-fourth of Minnesota's land mass – 18,185 square miles – an area larger than nine states in this country.
• There are 11 institutions of higher learning in the Northland.
• 148,269 people 16 and older are in the workforce.
• The major industry sectors in this region are:
  • Education, Health, and Social Services
  • Retail Trade 
  • Arts & Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services 
  • Manufacturing 
  • Construction 
  • Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Fishing and Hunting
    
• Nearly half of northeastern Minnesota's workforce is employed in service or service-related industries.
• There are 362 nonprofit organizations serving northeastern Minnesota communities.