Ramsey County, Minnesota

Ramsey County is a county in Minnesota, United States, home to Saint Paul, the state capital. It had a population of 552,352 at the 2020 census and covers 170 square miles (440 km2) centred near 45°00′N 93°05′W.

Saint Paul is the county seat, and its downtown postal code is 55101. The county has 18 incorporated cities (several sharing territory with a neighboring county) plus a single surviving civil township, and no unincorporated CDPs — Ramsey has been almost entirely urbanized since the 1990 census, making it Minnesota’s smallest county by land area. The whole county sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 27123.

Towns & Villages in Ramsey County

Eighteen of Ramsey County’s incorporated places are cities and one, White Bear Township, is the county’s last surviving civil township; the county has no CDPs and no unincorporated communities left standing as distinct places, though several older place names survive as neighborhoods or historic sites. The table below lists every current city.

Three of Ramsey’s cities straddle a county line: Saint Anthony sits mostly in Hennepin County with a small Ramsey County share, Spring Lake Park sits mostly in Anoka County with a small Ramsey County share, and Blaine sits mostly in Anoka County with only a sliver in Ramsey County — populations above are reported for the whole city, not the Ramsey-side portion, and Blaine’s is omitted here since it is negligible in Ramsey. Several names from older gazetteers — Bald Eagle, Bellaire, Cardigan Junction, Gladstone, Gloster, Hazel Park, Highwood, Hoffmans Corner, Lake Shore Park, Midvale, and White Bear Beach — are historic neighborhood or platted-subdivision names absorbed long ago into Maplewood, White Bear Lake, or Saint Paul; they are not separate places today and are omitted from the table.

Townships

ZIP Codes

• 55101 — downtown Saint Paul (the city carries several additional ZIPs across its neighborhoods)
• 55108 — Falcon Heights and Lauderdale
• 55109 — Maplewood and North Saint Paul
• 55110 — White Bear Lake and Gem Lake
• 55112 — New Brighton, Mounds View, and Arden Hills
• 55113 — Roseville
• 55117 — Little Canada
• 55126 — Shoreview
• 55127 — Vadnais Heights and North Oaks

Saint Anthony and Spring Lake Park use ZIP codes centred in their larger, neighboring-county portions rather than a Ramsey-specific code.

Geography

Ramsey County sits at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers in the heart of the Twin Cities metro. The Mississippi forms much of its southern border, and the county holds several natural lakes, including White Bear Lake and Lake Josephine, that shaped its early resort and streetcar-suburb development. It borders Anoka County to the north, Washington County to the east, Dakota County to the south, and Hennepin County, home of Minneapolis, to the west.

Demographics

Ramsey County’s population was 552,352 at the 2020 census, Minnesota’s second-highest county total after Hennepin. Saint Paul and Maplewood are its two largest cities. The county’s median household income of $81,004 (2023 estimate) runs below the Minnesota median of $85,086, reflecting Saint Paul’s urban core alongside its wealthier suburbs. At roughly 3,630 people per square mile of land, Ramsey is by far Minnesota’s most densely populated county.

Economy & Local Life

Government and higher education anchor the county’s economy: Saint Paul is the seat of Minnesota’s state government, and the county hosts the University of St. Thomas, Hamline University, Macalester College, Concordia University, and a University of Minnesota campus in Falcon Heights that holds the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Health care systems (HealthPartners, Allina) and a cluster of insurance and financial-services firms headquartered in downtown Saint Paul are major employers. The Minnesota State Fair, held on the fairgrounds each late August, is the county’s signature annual event.

History

Ramsey County was organized on October 27, 1849, one of Minnesota Territory’s original counties, and named for Alexander Ramsey, the territory’s first governor and later a US senator and Minnesota’s second state governor. Saint Paul grew from the Mississippi River steamboat landing at the head of navigation into the territorial and then state capital. The county’s northern and eastern suburbs, including White Bear Lake, developed as streetcar and rail resort communities in the late 1800s before their post-war suburban build-out.

Getting There

Interstates 35E and 94 cross through Saint Paul, with I-694 and I-35W skirting the county’s northern and western edges; US Highway 61 and Minnesota Highway 36 serve the eastern suburbs.

• Minneapolis — 10 miles west
• Stillwater — 15 miles east
• Anoka — 15 miles north
• Hastings — 20 miles south

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, just across the county line in Hennepin County, is the region’s commercial airport; Amtrak’s Empire Builder calls at Saint Paul Union Depot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Ramsey County?
It is in east-central Minnesota, at the core of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area, bordered by Anoka, Washington, Dakota, and Hennepin counties.

What is the population of Ramsey County?
552,352 at the 2020 census, Minnesota’s second-most populous county.

How big is Ramsey County?
170 square miles (440 km2), making it Minnesota’s smallest county by area.

What is the county seat of Ramsey County?
Saint Paul, which is also the Minnesota state capital.

How many cities are in Ramsey County?
Eighteen incorporated cities (several sharing territory with a neighboring county), plus White Bear Township, the county’s one remaining civil township.

What ZIP codes are in Ramsey County?
ZIP codes include 55101 (Saint Paul), 55108 (Falcon Heights/Lauderdale), 55109 (Maplewood/North Saint Paul), 55112 (New Brighton/Mounds View/Arden Hills), 55113 (Roseville), and several others listed above.

Why is it called Ramsey County?
It is named for Alexander Ramsey, the first governor of Minnesota Territory.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Minnesota.