MARSHALL — Over the past few years, Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes has been vocal about the city’s growing population. Marshall’s latest population estimate of 13,906 was one of the key demographic indicators Byrnes spoke about at this year’s State of the City address.

Having a growing and diverse population was an important factor for Marshall, Byrnes said earlier this month.

“In general, a challenge for communities is how they can maintain growth,” Byrnes said. It was also important to look at Marshall’s makeup and whether it was changing, he said.

Population wasn’t the only factor city officials discussed at the State of the City. Marshall residents have a median age of about 33 years, city officials said at the address. Marshall also showed diversity — 21% of the population was not white.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 population estimates include more details about Marshall’s population. The median age for Marshall residents was younger than Minnesota’s statewide median age of 39. About 16% of Marshall’s population was age 65 or older.

The median household income for Marshall was $64,636, according to the 2023 estimates. Industries employing the most people in the city included educational services and health care, manufacturing, retail, and finance.

Some of the Census Bureau data also showed Marshall’s diversity. About 13.5% of residents spoke a language other than English at home, according to the 2023 estimates.

Other 2023 data focused on Marshall residents’ mobility. About 1.8% of Marshall’s population had moved there from a different state in the past year. About 6% had moved there from a different place in Lyon County, and 3% had moved from another county within Minnesota.

Having new people move into Minnesota will be increasingly important to population growth across the state, according to the Minnesota State Demographic Center. A 2024 report from the State Demographic Center said the number of births in the state are likely to decline over the next 20 years, as Minnesota’s population ages.

In 2023, people migrating into Minnesota made up 42% of the state’s population growth, the report said.

The State Demographic Center said Minnesota and other “Frost Belt” states in the Midwestern and Northeastern U.S. regularly lose more people than they gain through migration. Each year, Minnesota loses an average of 8,300 students who move away to attend college. Not all return to Minnesota after they graduate. The report said Minnesota also tends to see people age 60 and older migrate to warmer states like Arizona and Florida.

A report released this month by the Center for Rural Policy and Development showed that people also move around within Minnesota at different stages in life. People in their twenties tend to move out of their hometowns and to counties with four-year colleges. People age 30-44 tend to spread out around the state, and people at retirement age tend to move to northern Minnesota and the “central lakes” counties, the report said.

Population estimates from the Minnesota State Demographic Center project that between now and 2050, populations within Minnesota are likely to grow most in the Twin Cities suburbs, along the I-94 and I-35 corridors, and in the central lakes counties. Projections showed some growth in parts of southwest Minnesota, including Lyon County and Nobles County.

Byrnes and Marshall Economic Development Authority Director Lauren Deutz said population data was important for the city. Population growth is one of many factors that can be attractive for development, Deutz said.

“When it comes to population, the key to attracting businesses is the ability to demonstrate that your community is growing, which isn’t necessarily common in rural Minnesota,” Deutz said. Certain kinds of businesses, like those in the retail and hospitality industries, often have population benchmarks on whether they will move to a city, Deutz said. “But we are fortunate to have such a large regional draw that supports our attractiveness to certain businesses.”

After the 2020 U.S. Census, the city of Marshall went through an appeal process to get a more accurate population count.

“It was the right thing to do,” Byrnes said. Marshall’s 2020 census count showed a population decline. However, the census was taken at a time when Southwest Minnesota State University had just closed its campus due to the COVID pandemic.

“It very obviously wasn’t correct,” Byrnes said.

After the appeal, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 population estimates for cities and towns put Marshall’s population at 13,906.