Somewhere between obvious and fascinating is this information about household income levels in Minnesota and how family size plays a role. It's probably no surprise that 2-person families have lower incomes; that owes to the fact that many of these families are young couples starting out in life or single parents drawing only one paycheck. The same logic follows for 3-person families. Where the numbers get interesting are the dropoffs in median income levels for families larger than four.

Check them out here:

Household Median Income by Family Size, Minnesota 2011 Minnesota Total 2-person families 3-person families 4-person families 5-person families 6-person families 7-or-more person families Household Income $71,321 $62,363 $75,350 $87,319 $83,575 $70,413 $70,131 Margin of Error +/-598 +/-758 +/-1,742 +/-1,687 +/-2,760 +/-4,246 +/-5,886 This data comes from the U.S. Census' newly released 2011 American Community Survey. The survey gains national attention every year for its estimated income, poverty and health insurance levels. But it is loaded with other little nuggets about our social fabric that often get overlooked. The "MinneCensus" blog this week will be highlighting some of those statistical trends about Minnesota that you've probably never seen before!

I asked Steven Ruggles, director of the Minnesota Population Center at the U of M, to explain why the average family of seven or more makes so much less than the average family of four. He said there has long been a stastical correlation between larger family sizes and lower incomes:

Obviously the reasons behind these numbers aren't absolute; there are certainly large families with large incomes. And there are no doubt families of four living below the poverty level. But the data shows that the family of four is the "sweet spot, with a disproportionate number of peak-earning, two-child couples with lots of education," Ruggles said. Interestingly, Minnesota has one of the widest gaps in the nation between the median income levels of its 4-person families and the median income levels of its 7-or-more person families. There were only two states in 2011 in which 7-or-more person families had median income levels that were significantly higher than median income levels of 4-person families. Which two? Hawaii and Utah.