Minnesota Census: Hispanic population grows 74 percent [GRAPHIC]

Our mythical land of Norwegian bachelor farmers continues to change: The number of Hispanics in Minnesota shot up up 74.5 percent in the past decade.

That may sound like some sort of a cultural sea change, but it's really not. The state, home to 5.3 million people now compared to 4.9 million 10 years ago, remains about 85 percent white, according to 2010 Census figures released today.

Hispanics/Latinos make up about 4.7 percent of the population, up from 3 percent. Check out the graphic:

U.S. Census

Minnesota: White

The big news in the Twin Cities is that while Hennepin and the suburban counties continue to grow in numbers, while Ramsey County is shrinking. (Maple Grove, Blaine, Apple Valley, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Lakeville and Woodbury ranked among the Top 20 participants in the 2010 nose count.)

U.S. Census.

Hennepin, Ramsey (and Anoka and Dakota) remain the most populous counties, however:

U.S. Census

Minnesota's participation in the Census was a matter of bemused speculation last year after Rep. Michele Bachmann pronounced it an evil government plot. But in the end, only Wisconsin had a better participation than we did.