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1 / 20#20. Lake County and Cook County
- Lake County population: 10,855
- Cook County population: 5,639
- Social connectedness index: 3,178,028
Most socially connected counties in Minnesota
In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in Minnesota using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
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2 / 20#19. Le Sueur County and Sibley County
- Le Sueur County population: 29,255
- Sibley County population: 15,084
- Social connectedness index: 3,274,662
Joe Ferrer // Shutterstock
3 / 20#18. Pine County and Kanabec County
- Pine County population: 30,197
- Kanabec County population: 16,602
- Social connectedness index: 3,364,453
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4 / 20#17. Kandiyohi County and Swift County
- Kandiyohi County population: 43,813
- Swift County population: 9,719
- Social connectedness index: 3,748,963
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5 / 20#16. Nicollet County and Blue Earth County
- Nicollet County population: 34,242
- Blue Earth County population: 70,006
- Social connectedness index: 4,335,483
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6 / 20#15. Todd County and Wadena County
- Todd County population: 25,667
- Wadena County population: 14,241
- Social connectedness index: 4,335,712
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7 / 20#14. Martin County and Faribault County
- Martin County population: 19,657
- Faribault County population: 13,873
- Social connectedness index: 4,500,053
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8 / 20#13. Pope County and Stevens County
- Pope County population: 11,400
- Stevens County population: 9,728
- Social connectedness index: 5,744,960
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9 / 20#12. Lyon County and Yellow Medicine County
- Lyon County population: 25,427
- Yellow Medicine County population: 9,467
- Social connectedness index: 5,758,319
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10 / 20#11. Nobles County and Murray County
- Nobles County population: 21,727
- Murray County population: 8,049
- Social connectedness index: 5,794,312
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11 / 20#10. Grant County and Douglas County
- Grant County population: 6,139
- Douglas County population: 39,953
- Social connectedness index: 6,287,429
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12 / 20#9. Polk County and Red Lake County
- Polk County population: 30,412
- Red Lake County population: 3,911
- Social connectedness index: 6,486,020
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
13 / 20#8. Redwood County and Renville County
- Redwood County population: 15,288
- Renville County population: 14,348
- Social connectedness index: 7,691,409
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14 / 20#7. Jackson County and Cottonwood County
- Jackson County population: 9,919
- Cottonwood County population: 11,319
- Social connectedness index: 8,522,329
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15 / 20#6. Pipestone County and Lincoln County
- Pipestone County population: 9,245
- Lincoln County population: 5,521
- Social connectedness index: 8,898,279
Tudoran Andrei // Shutterstock
16 / 20#5. Clearwater County and Mahnomen County
- Clearwater County population: 8,644
- Mahnomen County population: 5,280
- Social connectedness index: 10,193,878
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
17 / 20#4. Lake of the Woods County and Roseau County
- Lake of the Woods County population: 3,778
- Roseau County population: 15,252
- Social connectedness index: 11,546,761
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18 / 20#3. Chippewa County and Lac qui Parle County
- Chippewa County population: 12,172
- Lac qui Parle County population: 6,630
- Social connectedness index: 11,867,268
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19 / 20#2. Marshall County and Pennington County
- Marshall County population: 8,810
- Pennington County population: 13,714
- Social connectedness index: 17,769,686
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20 / 20#1. Big Stone County and Traverse County
- Big Stone County population: 5,105
- Traverse County population: 3,136
- Social connectedness index: 19,957,100
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.
