Variables in this section are calculated from the U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year & 5-Year Estimates, the Minnesota Department of Health, Wilder Research Homelessness Study (2018 & 2023), Minnesota Compass, and BRFSS.
In 2021, 3.4% of the female population in MN was uninsured. However, Hispanic women were more likely to be uninsured than white women. 10.2% of women live below the poverty line.
Source: The Wilder Foundation, MDH
Source: BRFSS
In 2023, an estimated 77.6% of women ages 16-64 in MN were in the workforce. As of 2018, 80.8% of MN mothers with at least one child under age 6 participated in the workforce.
Access to Transportation
Access to transportation is a vital social determinant of health. Reliable and affordable transportation allows people to meet their basic needs, such as medical visits (emergent and preventative health visits), and access to essential goods (like food), and provides economic opportunity through access to employment and education opportunities.
- In the Twin Cities, 47% of bus riders and 34% of light rail riders reported incomes of less than $25,000. The cost of owning and operating a car is $9,000 a year on average, far from affordable for many people living in MN
- As of 2019, 60% of public transit users are women
- From 2012-2017, 9.1% of MN women reported a lack of transportation as a barrier to receiving prenatal care
- A local solution to rural health access: volunteer drivers in rural MN
Access to Maternity Care
From 2019-2020, there was 5% decrease in birthing hospitals in the state. In 2023, 19.5% of Minnesota counties were maternity care deserts, which accounted for 2.7% of all live births in the state.
Source: March of Dimes
- On average, Minnesota women travel 12.2 miles (17 minutes) to the nearest birthing hospital
- 14.1% of women don’t have a birthing hospital within 30 minutes of their residence
- 98% of Minnesota residents live within an hour of a trauma center