skip navigation

Age at First Use of Marijuana

Geographic Area:

All Counties (customize)

See this topic by Grade, Race and Gender

Years

to

Display By

Grade

Gender

< Change Topic

Percent of Students Reporting they First Smoked Marijuana at Age 13 or Younger, All Available Years: by Grade, Gender, and County

2007201020132016
FemaleMaleTotalFemaleMaleTotalFemaleMaleTotalFemaleMaleTotal
Minnesota9th8.7%11.2%9.9%7.2%9.9%8.5%8.1%9.7%8.9%6.3%6.4%6.4%
Aitkin County9th15.2%14.5%14.8%9.3%18.8%14.6%15.2%20.7%17.7%8.5%16.7%12.1%
Anoka County9th8.4%10.7%9.4%8.9%11.1%10.0%9.2%11.3%10.2%7.7%7.0%7.4%
Becker County9th7.1%11.5%9.1%5.6%10.6%8.1%9.3%7.6%8.4%3.9%4.8%4.3%
Beltrami County9th23.0%25.8%24.4%19.0%15.6%17.4%14.1%14.9%14.5%17.6%13.8%15.6%
Benton County9th7.6%6.4%7.0%5.9%10.8%8.3%5.1%9.5%7.3%6.8%6.8%6.8%
Big Stone County9thN/AN/AN/A0.0%2.8%1.6%3.3%6.1%4.8%***
Blue Earth County9th8.5%6.5%7.5%4.3%10.0%6.9%6.7%9.6%8.2%3.6%4.8%4.2%
Brown County9th0.0%2.3%1.1%5.5%6.6%6.0%2.9%11.5%7.1%5.5%3.3%4.4%
Carlton County9th7.8%10.1%8.9%10.0%7.7%8.8%10.3%11.6%10.9%9.0%7.8%8.4%
Carver County9th5.6%13.1%9.4%5.8%9.8%7.8%5.2%7.0%6.0%2.7%4.7%3.7%
Cass County9th20.1%25.0%22.4%18.6%15.3%17.1%20.3%22.7%21.6%20.7%17.6%19.1%
Chippewa County9th9.3%5.6%7.6%N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A***
Chisago County9th13.2%14.4%13.8%4.4%11.0%7.3%9.3%10.2%9.8%***
Clay County9th6.3%6.7%6.5%7.3%6.5%6.9%6.8%4.7%5.8%8.1%7.5%7.8%
Clearwater County9th12.2%11.8%12.0%16.3%15.9%16.1%21.1%9.3%14.1%4.8%4.8%4.8%
Cook County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A4.8%20.0%12.2%***
Cottonwood County9th5.0%4.5%4.7%6.5%4.3%5.4%4.8%2.0%3.2%6.5%4.2%5.3%
Crow Wing County9th13.3%16.1%14.7%3.7%18.6%10.5%3.5%7.7%5.5%***
Dakota County9th7.5%11.0%9.2%5.6%9.4%7.4%7.2%9.4%8.3%6.0%6.1%6.1%
Dodge County9th11.2%11.3%11.2%6.0%10.3%8.2%4.3%5.6%4.9%4.8%4.5%4.6%
Douglas County9th5.1%5.9%5.5%7.7%8.2%7.9%9.3%9.2%9.2%3.9%4.6%4.2%
Faribault County9th4.0%11.0%7.4%N/AN/AN/A11.3%9.0%10.1%0.0%10.7%5.9%
Fillmore County9th3.8%3.8%3.8%8.2%5.3%6.8%7.3%5.5%6.4%5.6%6.3%6.0%
Freeborn County9th8.1%8.1%8.1%7.9%5.3%6.7%9.1%7.5%8.4%7.6%11.3%9.6%
Goodhue County9th8.8%5.5%7.2%1.8%1.0%1.4%10.2%7.0%8.6%10.9%7.0%8.8%
Grant County9th8.8%3.1%6.1%N/AN/AN/A11.4%7.4%9.7%6.3%5.7%6.0%
Hennepin County9th9.1%12.2%10.6%7.4%10.6%8.9%7.9%9.9%8.9%4.6%4.9%4.7%
Houston County9th6.1%9.2%7.5%4.0%8.4%6.3%0.0%6.9%3.3%3.7%1.9%2.7%
Hubbard County9th10.8%23.6%18.2%11.3%17.9%14.8%16.9%11.5%14.6%16.1%18.1%17.0%
Isanti County9th14.1%16.5%15.3%N/AN/AN/A14.0%15.3%14.7%13.3%16.1%14.7%
Itasca County9th19.6%9.8%14.6%11.7%13.3%12.5%15.2%15.4%15.3%8.6%9.2%8.9%
Jackson County9th6.4%11.5%9.1%4.9%11.5%8.6%4.4%8.6%6.8%15.9%10.0%13.1%
Kanabec County9th7.6%9.5%8.6%11.5%15.8%13.9%8.6%23.7%15.5%5.7%11.4%8.7%
Kandiyohi County9th8.4%9.6%9.0%7.2%6.9%7.0%8.7%8.0%8.3%8.5%5.8%7.1%
Kittson County9th0.0%3.4%2.1%5.0%3.6%4.2%0.0%0.0%0.0%11.1%0.0%5.9%
Koochiching County9thN/AN/AN/A4.8%8.3%6.7%17.6%8.8%13.2%***
Lac Qui Parle County9th1.8%4.1%2.9%3.7%7.7%5.7%0.0%0.0%0.0%8.1%2.8%5.5%
Lake County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A19.0%14.7%17.5%***
Lake of the Woods County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A25.0%18.2%21.7%***
Le Sueur County9th6.3%11.0%8.5%3.6%9.9%6.4%5.0%7.5%6.3%5.8%4.6%5.2%
Lincoln County9th5.6%0.0%2.6%3.3%0.0%2.0%13.3%4.3%7.9%***
Lyon County9th2.9%6.8%4.6%1.6%7.4%4.5%3.4%8.4%5.9%6.7%4.4%5.5%
McLeod County9th4.7%5.2%5.0%6.4%6.1%6.2%0.0%37.5%17.6%***
Mahnomen County9th30.0%28.9%29.5%15.4%21.7%18.4%3.4%25.0%15.9%30.0%14.3%21.5%
Marshall County9th2.2%7.3%4.7%5.7%8.0%6.8%3.6%2.4%3.1%0.0%3.0%1.4%
Martin County9th6.1%5.9%6.0%5.3%6.9%6.1%10.4%6.3%8.3%***
Meeker County9th3.8%7.3%5.5%2.9%4.4%3.7%5.0%1.7%3.3%5.8%6.1%6.0%
Mille Lacs County9th14.0%16.1%15.0%9.8%9.3%9.5%14.5%11.9%13.2%10.3%13.1%11.6%
Morrison County9th7.9%13.3%10.4%4.3%6.7%5.6%8.8%5.1%6.9%6.0%4.4%5.2%
Mower County9th10.8%12.6%11.7%7.3%5.5%6.4%15.0%17.3%16.0%9.3%8.2%8.7%
Murray County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A0.0%2.8%1.4%0.0%9.5%5.2%
Nicollet County9th12.2%10.1%11.2%N/AN/AN/A5.5%3.2%4.3%***
Nobles County9th6.8%4.2%5.6%5.3%8.2%6.7%7.7%9.0%8.3%0.0%9.7%5.5%
Norman County9th12.5%7.9%10.0%12.5%9.5%10.8%5.3%11.1%8.1%6.5%0.0%3.2%
Olmsted County9th6.2%9.8%7.9%7.6%9.5%8.4%3.3%6.0%4.6%5.3%5.5%5.4%
Otter Tail County9th8.3%8.0%8.2%4.4%3.5%3.9%5.7%6.4%6.1%4.8%3.6%4.2%
Pennington County9th11.4%12.3%11.8%N/AN/AN/A11.4%11.8%11.6%***
Pine County9th10.3%21.3%15.9%7.7%13.0%10.4%13.5%16.4%14.8%8.5%9.0%8.8%
Pipestone County9th3.2%4.0%3.6%N/AN/AN/A2.9%9.7%6.2%***
Polk County9th8.3%12.6%10.5%7.7%15.5%11.5%8.1%9.4%8.7%10.5%6.4%8.3%
Pope County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A19.4%4.3%10.4%0.0%6.7%3.6%
Ramsey County9th10.4%13.8%12.0%9.9%13.2%11.5%10.2%12.0%11.1%7.2%6.8%7.0%
Red Lake County9th5.0%10.7%8.3%7.7%11.1%9.1%3.7%9.4%6.8%14.3%4.3%9.1%
Redwood County9th6.9%6.3%6.6%12.5%16.4%14.4%5.8%9.1%7.6%1.5%4.8%3.1%
Renville County9th4.3%8.8%6.2%4.1%11.3%8.1%2.8%8.8%5.7%5.6%2.5%4.3%
Rice County9th4.5%10.2%7.4%8.6%11.3%10.0%9.1%6.5%7.7%1.6%5.1%3.4%
Rock County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A5.0%2.8%3.9%***
Roseau County9th8.4%15.3%12.2%4.7%3.8%4.2%4.9%4.9%4.9%5.9%10.4%8.3%
St. Louis County9th12.7%15.8%14.2%9.7%13.0%11.3%8.6%10.7%9.6%9.9%5.3%7.6%
Scott County9th4.7%10.0%7.3%7.3%10.4%8.8%7.1%8.5%7.8%6.2%7.0%6.6%
Sherburne County9th9.1%9.3%9.2%7.4%6.0%6.8%5.3%8.3%6.7%5.2%6.2%5.7%
Sibley County9th6.4%5.7%6.1%12.1%10.5%11.3%12.3%13.0%12.7%9.1%22.4%15.4%
Stearns County9th7.1%6.4%6.8%4.0%6.3%5.0%8.3%7.2%7.7%2.5%3.6%3.0%
Steele County9th4.8%10.5%7.6%3.6%3.8%3.7%7.9%9.2%8.5%5.0%7.6%6.4%
Stevens County9th2.3%6.1%3.9%N/AN/AN/A0.0%6.3%3.7%3.0%2.4%2.7%
Swift County9th3.6%9.6%6.5%0.0%13.3%7.3%10.7%7.7%9.3%***
Todd County9th7.6%7.9%7.8%2.9%5.0%4.0%6.0%13.6%9.3%9.2%10.0%9.6%
Traverse County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A9.1%0.0%4.3%***
Wabasha County9th8.6%7.3%8.0%3.4%5.7%4.5%1.9%9.0%5.2%6.0%2.8%4.5%
Wadena County9th5.5%11.8%8.1%7.2%10.2%8.6%3.5%6.1%4.6%3.9%6.5%5.1%
Waseca County9th7.1%9.2%8.2%N/AN/AN/A2.4%6.3%4.5%2.0%3.8%2.9%
Washington County9th9.4%12.4%10.9%5.6%8.5%7.0%7.4%11.6%9.5%6.1%6.6%6.4%
Watonwan County9th9.5%17.0%12.6%9.7%12.5%11.1%7.0%8.3%7.6%10.3%17.1%13.8%
Wilkin County9th8.7%9.5%9.1%10.7%2.6%6.1%7.8%5.9%7.1%10.8%2.1%5.9%
Winona County9th11.1%13.2%12.2%9.1%13.4%11.2%7.3%6.6%7.0%8.6%3.8%6.2%
Wright County9th4.5%9.1%6.8%3.6%4.3%4.0%5.8%6.6%6.2%4.0%5.9%5.0%
Yellow Medicine County9th7.9%6.6%7.3%1.8%7.5%4.6%10.8%4.5%7.4%5.3%2.3%3.7%

About the Indicator: According to the national 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 8.5% of 9th graders and 6.7% of 11th graders reported they first used marijuana before age 13 years.

N/A or * indicates that the data are unavailable or were not collected.

Data Source: Minnesota Student Survey (MSS)

Description: The MSS is a confidential and anonymous self-administered survey given to students attending Minnesota public, charter and tribal schools. From 1995 to 2010, the survey was administered to students in 6th, 9th, and 12th grades. New in 2013, the survey was administered to students in 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th grades. Trend data are now only available for 9th graders, and only for survey questions that did not change. Most schools elect to participate in the survey; in 2013, this included 84% of public schools in Minnesota.

Although the data are not presented here, the survey is also administered to area learning centers, juvenile correction facilities and private schools electing to participate.

Sponsored by: Minnesota Department of Education

Geographic Level: State, Region, and County

Aggregated data at the state and county level do not reveal disparities that may exist within a given geographic area.

Frequency: Data collected and reported every three years

Characteristics: The results of the MSS are also available at a county level. Data Privacy requirements mandate that data is presented in a manner such that no individual student can be identified through the presentation of the results. As part of the Data Privacy practices, the results are also presented in a manner that no individual school district could be identified through the results. Therefore, for counties that have only one school district, the results are not presented. Results are also withheld for counties in which the minimum number for student participation was not met.

The MSS is a “census” of schools, not a sample. The school districts get their own data. Fifth-graders were not asked all substance use questions. Some school districts do not participate, and student participation within the school district can vary widely. These data are self-reported.