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Ancestry refers to the lineage or descent of a person, family, or group, tracing back through generations to identify their origins, heritage, and familial connections. It encompasses the genetic, cultural, and historical ties that link individuals to their forebears, shaping their identity and sense of belonging. Ancestry is a multifaceted concept, intertwining biology, genealogy, history, and culture, and it plays a significant role in how people understand themselves and their place in the world.

At its core, ancestry is rooted in genetics. Each individual inherits a unique combination of DNA from their parents, who in turn inherited their DNA from their own ancestors. This genetic material carries information about physical traits, predispositions to certain health conditions, and even behavioral tendencies. Advances in genetic testing, such as DNA analysis, have made it possible for individuals to trace their biological ancestry with remarkable precision. Companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer services that analyze genetic markers to provide insights into a person's ethnic composition and geographic origins, often revealing surprising connections to distant relatives or previously unknown heritage.

Beyond genetics, ancestry is deeply tied to genealogy, the study of family history and lineage. Genealogical research involves constructing family trees, documenting relationships, and uncovering historical records such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, census data, and immigration documents. This process often reveals stories of migration, resilience, and adaptation, offering a window into the lives of ancestors and the challenges they faced. For many, genealogy is a way to honor their forebears and preserve their legacy for future generations.

Cultural ancestry is another critical dimension, encompassing the traditions, languages, customs, and values passed down through generations. It connects individuals to their ethnic or national heritage, shaping their cultural identity and worldview. For example, someone with Irish ancestry might celebrate St. Patrick's Day, learn traditional Irish dance, or explore the Gaelic language, while someone with Japanese ancestry might practice tea ceremonies, study calligraphy, or observe Obon festivals. Cultural ancestry fosters a sense of continuity and belonging, linking individuals to a broader community with shared experiences and values.

Historical ancestry delves into the broader context of a family's or group's past, including significant events, social conditions, and historical movements that shaped their lives. For instance, the transatlantic slave trade, the Irish Potato Famine, or the Jewish diaspora have profoundly influenced the ancestry of millions of people, leaving lasting imprints on their descendants' identities. Understanding historical ancestry often involves grappling with complex narratives of triumph and tragedy, resilience and oppression, and the interplay of individual and collective experiences.

Ancestry also has a deeply personal and emotional dimension. For many, exploring their ancestry is a journey of self-discovery, offering insights into who they are and where they come from. It can foster a sense of pride, connection, and continuity, as well as a deeper appreciation for the struggles and achievements of those who came before. At the same time, it can raise questions about identity, belonging, and the complexities of heritage, particularly for individuals with mixed or multicultural backgrounds.

In a globalized world, ancestry serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting individuals to their roots while also highlighting the interconnectedness of human history. It underscores the diversity and richness of human experience, reminding us that every person's story is part of a larger tapestry woven over centuries. Whether through genetic testing, genealogical research, cultural practices, or historical exploration, ancestry offers a profound way to understand ourselves and our place in the world.

A diversification score measures the diversity of ancestries in the county. As the value appoaches 100, ancestry diversity decreases and therefore increasing the risk of a lack of cultural diversity. The ancestry diversification score for this county is:

Most common ancestry not including "Unknown" is:

Ancestry Report Part I
Description	Total Population	American	Native American	Hawaiian	Caribbean (Latino)	Mexican	Central American	South American	Other Hispanic	African American	Sub- Saharan	Caribbean (Black)

Douglas County	39,888	1,182	110	11	42	768	17	10	19	146	33	32
Minnesota (in 000's)	5,840	149	55	3	30	230	37	36	21	191	160	40
National (in 000's)	343,251	13,890	2,213	626	11,327	38,879	6,181	4,644	3,687	25,893	7,852	7,174
Stearns County	165,571	4,087	448	65	1,530	4,476	661	342	376	7,201	6,054	438
Otter Tail County	61,191	1,781	292	15	194	1,505	92	78	424	325	358	52
Todd County	26,147	915	106	56	709	1,498	14	5	35	80	26	12
Pope County	11,632	309	25	0	49	147	0	2	19	32	19	1
Stevens County	9,854	242	112	1	60	781	83	81	37	64	42	17
Grant County	6,179	118	32	7	12	105	17	12	4	2	14	4

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Douglas County	18.76	2.96	0.28	0.03	0.11	1.93	0.04	0.03	0.05	0.37	0.08	0.08
Minnesota	10.33	2.55	0.95	0.05	0.52	3.94	0.64	0.61	0.36	3.26	2.73	0.69
National	7.83	4.05	0.64	0.18	3.30	11.33	1.80	1.35	1.07	7.54	2.29	2.09
Stearns County	16.57	2.47	0.27	0.04	0.92	2.70	0.40	0.21	0.23	4.35	3.66	0.26
Otter Tail County	17.93	2.91	0.48	0.02	0.32	2.46	0.15	0.13	0.69	0.53	0.59	0.08
Todd County	17.26	3.50	0.41	0.21	2.71	5.73	0.05	0.02	0.13	0.31	0.10	0.05
Pope County	19.64	2.66	0.21	0.00	0.42	1.26	0.00	0.02	0.16	0.28	0.16	0.01
Stevens County	15.13	2.46	1.14	0.01	0.61	7.93	0.84	0.82	0.38	0.65	0.43	0.17
Grant County	21.86	1.91	0.52	0.11	0.19	1.70	0.28	0.19	0.06	0.03	0.23	0.06

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Douglas County		116.27	29.04	59.47	20.33	48.87	6.65	4.10	13.40	11.22	3.03	11.68
Minnesota		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		158.77	67.91	393.55	637.16	287.50	280.84	221.03	302.20	231.15	83.72	304.22
Stearns County		96.85	28.50	84.67	178.42	68.62	62.26	33.74	63.89	133.27	133.82	38.50
Otter Tail County		114.20	50.26	52.87	61.21	62.43	23.45	20.82	194.96	16.27	21.41	12.37
Todd County		137.30	42.69	461.89	523.56	145.42	8.35	3.12	37.66	9.38	3.64	6.68
Pope County		104.23	22.63	0.00	81.34	32.08	0.00	2.81	45.96	8.43	5.98	1.25
Stevens County		96.36	119.70	21.89	117.57	201.18	131.36	134.29	105.65	19.90	15.60	25.11
Grant County		74.93	54.54	244.32	37.50	43.13	42.91	31.73	18.21	0.99	8.29	9.42

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Douglas County		73.23	42.77	15.11	3.19	17.00	2.37	1.85	4.43	4.85	3.62	3.84
Minnesota		62.98	147.26	25.41	15.69	34.78	35.61	45.24	33.09	43.26	119.45	32.87
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Stearns County		61.00	41.96	21.51	28.00	23.87	22.17	15.27	21.14	57.65	159.84	12.66
Otter Tail County		71.92	74.01	13.43	9.61	21.71	8.35	9.42	64.51	7.04	25.58	4.07
Todd County		86.48	62.87	117.37	82.17	50.58	2.97	1.41	12.46	4.06	4.35	2.20
Pope County		65.65	33.33	0.00	12.77	11.16	0.00	1.27	15.21	3.65	7.14	0.41
Stevens County		60.69	176.27	5.56	18.45	69.97	46.77	60.76	34.96	8.61	18.63	8.25
Grant County		47.19	80.32	62.08	5.89	15.00	15.28	14.35	6.03	0.43	9.90	3.10

Ancestry Report Part II
Description	Total Population	Canadian	British	Dutch	French	German	Italian	Polish	Scandinavian	Scotish/ Irish	Spanish	Other European

Douglas County	39,888	146	1,151	465	761	11,836	192	689	9,956	2,067	64	1,276
Minnesota (in 000's)	5,840	30	206	47	91	1,106	69	128	850	336	11	201
National (in 000's)	343,251	1,350	18,069	1,828	3,642	24,708	9,027	4,667	5,969	20,625	1,140	9,563
Stearns County	165,571	552	3,794	1,106	1,896	52,195	1,065	5,025	14,381	7,105	85	3,673
Otter Tail County	61,191	202	1,813	552	826	15,856	319	1,155	16,589	2,831	140	1,315
Todd County	26,147	70	655	162	347	8,874	99	1,048	2,983	1,005	44	527
Pope County	11,632	13	334	189	185	3,035	112	145	3,508	574	23	393
Stevens County	9,854	20	246	121	100	2,763	27	131	1,501	484	4	159
Grant County	6,179	19	167	69	80	1,679	42	86	2,041	274	0	111

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Douglas County	18.76	0.37	2.89	1.17	1.91	29.67	0.48	1.73	24.96	5.18	0.16	3.20
Minnesota	10.33	0.52	3.53	0.81	1.56	18.94	1.18	2.18	14.55	5.75	0.19	3.44
National	7.83	0.39	5.26	0.53	1.06	7.20	2.63	1.36	1.74	6.01	0.33	2.79
Stearns County	16.57	0.33	2.29	0.67	1.15	31.52	0.64	3.03	8.69	4.29	0.05	2.22
Otter Tail County	17.93	0.33	2.96	0.90	1.35	25.91	0.52	1.89	27.11	4.63	0.23	2.15
Todd County	17.26	0.27	2.51	0.62	1.33	33.94	0.38	4.01	11.41	3.84	0.17	2.02
Pope County	19.64	0.11	2.87	1.62	1.59	26.09	0.96	1.25	30.16	4.93	0.20	3.38
Stevens County	15.13	0.20	2.50	1.23	1.01	28.04	0.27	1.33	15.23	4.91	0.04	1.61
Grant County	21.86	0.31	2.70	1.12	1.29	27.17	0.68	1.39	33.03	4.43	0.00	1.80

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Douglas County		70.64	81.66	144.68	122.60	156.69	40.79	79.12	171.51	90.06	83.65	93.09
Minnesota		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		75.91	148.97	66.10	68.18	38.01	222.87	62.28	11.95	104.42	173.19	81.08
Stearns County		64.34	64.85	82.90	73.59	166.47	54.51	139.02	59.68	74.58	26.76	64.56
Otter Tail County		63.71	83.84	111.96	86.74	136.83	44.18	86.46	186.28	80.40	119.28	62.54
Todd County		51.67	70.89	76.90	85.28	179.22	32.09	183.59	78.39	66.80	87.73	58.65
Pope County		21.57	81.26	201.66	102.20	137.78	81.60	57.10	207.22	85.76	103.09	98.32
Stevens County		39.17	70.65	152.40	65.21	148.07	23.22	60.89	104.67	85.36	21.16	46.96
Grant County		59.34	76.48	138.59	83.20	143.49	57.60	63.75	226.97	77.06	0.00	52.28

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Douglas County		93.05	54.82	218.90	179.82	412.23	18.30	127.05	1,435.43	86.24	48.30	114.82
Minnesota		131.73	67.13	151.30	146.67	263.08	44.87	160.57	836.96	95.77	57.74	123.34
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Stearns County		84.76	43.53	125.43	107.93	437.94	24.46	223.22	499.51	71.42	15.45	79.62
Otter Tail County		83.93	56.28	169.39	127.23	359.98	19.82	138.83	1,559.09	77.00	68.87	77.13
Todd County		68.06	47.59	116.34	125.08	471.49	14.40	294.80	656.10	63.97	50.66	72.34
Pope County		28.41	54.55	305.10	149.90	362.47	36.61	91.69	1,734.38	82.13	59.52	121.26
Stevens County		51.60	47.42	230.57	95.65	389.53	10.42	97.78	876.01	81.74	12.22	57.91
Grant County		78.17	51.34	209.69	122.03	377.49	25.85	102.37	1,899.61	73.80	0.00	64.48

Ancestry Report Part III
Description	Total Population	Chinese	Filipino	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	South Central Asian	South East Asian	Other Asian	Middle Eastern	Other Ancestry	Unknown

Douglas County	39,888	17	16	6	46	54	5	20	33	30	2,006	6,682
Minnesota (in 000's)	5,840	31	14	4	16	30	56	50	96	21	564	931
National (in 000's)	343,251	4,461	3,010	793	1,541	1,913	5,452	1,643	1,229	1,931	47,322	51,000
Stearns County	165,571	456	166	74	209	524	800	464	520	538	9,470	35,795
Otter Tail County	61,191	129	42	27	41	20	52	51	5	78	3,484	10,548
Todd County	26,147	24	15	0	7	0	39	18	4	6	2,714	4,050
Pope County	11,632	2	34	0	8	26	0	0	1	0	437	2,010
Stevens County	9,854	24	18	1	8	0	1	12	36	15	1,025	1,638
Grant County	6,179	0	0	0	8	0	0	1	0	1	197	1,077

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Douglas County	18.76	0.04	0.04	0.02	0.12	0.14	0.01	0.05	0.08	0.08	5.03	16.75
Minnesota	10.33	0.54	0.24	0.08	0.28	0.51	0.97	0.85	1.64	0.36	9.67	15.94
National	7.83	1.30	0.88	0.23	0.45	0.56	1.59	0.48	0.36	0.56	13.79	14.86
Stearns County	16.57	0.28	0.10	0.04	0.13	0.32	0.48	0.28	0.31	0.32	5.72	21.62
Otter Tail County	17.93	0.21	0.07	0.04	0.07	0.03	0.08	0.08	0.01	0.13	5.69	17.24
Todd County	17.26	0.09	0.06	0.00	0.03	0.00	0.15	0.07	0.02	0.02	10.38	15.49
Pope County	19.64	0.02	0.29	0.00	0.07	0.22	0.00	0.00	0.01	0.00	3.76	17.28
Stevens County	15.13	0.24	0.18	0.01	0.08	0.00	0.01	0.12	0.37	0.15	10.40	16.62
Grant County	21.86	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.13	0.00	0.00	0.02	0.00	0.02	3.19	17.43

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Douglas County		7.91	17.06	19.93	41.10	26.73	1.30	5.86	5.05	21.11	52.03	105.10
Minnesota		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		241.10	372.94	306.03	160.04	110.04	164.48	55.98	21.85	157.89	142.64	93.22
Stearns County		51.09	42.63	59.21	44.99	62.49	50.04	32.78	19.16	91.21	59.18	135.64
Otter Tail County		39.11	29.19	58.46	23.88	6.45	8.80	9.75	0.50	35.78	58.91	108.15
Todd County		17.03	24.39	0.00	9.54	0.00	15.45	8.05	0.93	6.44	107.39	97.18
Pope County		3.19	124.29	0.00	24.51	44.14	0.00	0.00	0.52	0.00	38.87	108.42
Stevens County		45.18	77.68	13.45	28.93	0.00	1.05	14.24	22.29	42.73	107.62	104.29
Grant County		0.00	0.00	0.00	46.14	0.00	0.00	1.89	0.00	4.54	32.99	109.36

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Douglas County		3.28	4.57	6.51	25.68	24.29	0.79	10.48	23.10	13.37	36.48	112.75
Minnesota		41.48	26.81	32.68	62.49	90.88	60.80	178.63	457.65	63.34	70.11	107.27
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Stearns County		21.19	11.43	19.35	28.11	56.79	30.42	58.55	87.69	57.77	41.49	145.51
Otter Tail County		16.22	7.83	19.10	14.92	5.86	5.35	17.41	2.28	22.66	41.30	116.02
Todd County		7.06	6.54	0.00	5.96	0.00	9.39	14.38	4.27	4.08	75.29	104.25
Pope County		1.32	33.33	0.00	15.32	40.11	0.00	0.00	2.40	0.00	27.25	116.30
Stevens County		18.74	20.83	4.39	18.08	0.00	0.64	25.44	102.00	27.06	75.45	111.88
Grant County		0.00	0.00	0.00	28.83	0.00	0.00	3.38	0.00	2.88	23.13	117.31

Sources: STI: PopStats, Circa April 2025

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