• county
  • FIPS 27017
  • Largest town: Cloquet

Carlton County, Minnesota

Carlton County had 36,745 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 861.2 square miles of land. It ranks 30th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 28th by land area.

Population
36,745
#30 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,271 in US
Area
861.2 sq mi
#28 of 87 in Minnesota · #963 in US
Density
43 / sq mi
#32 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,610 in US
Median household income
$75,512
#24 of 87 in Minnesota · #640 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Carlton County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Tools and pages that start from Carlton County

Carlton County population, land area and income

Carlton County had 36,745 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 861.2 square miles of land. It ranks 30th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 28th by land area. That works out to 42.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents; Carlton County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $75,512 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

36,745

3144th1st

1271st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

861 sq mi

3144th1st

963rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

42.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1610th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$75,512

3143rd1st

640th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

36,745

87th1st

30th of 87 (MN)

Land area

861 sq mi

87th1st

28th of 87 (MN)

Density

42.7 / sq mi

87th1st

32nd of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$75,512

87th1st

24th of 87 (MN)

How Carlton County's population changed since 2020

Carlton County gained 558 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.5%. That ranks 31st of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Carlton County recorded 1,438 births and 1,973 deaths, a natural change of -535. Net international migration added +88 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,000. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,000 people.

36.2k202036.4k202136.5k202236.7k202336.7k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,438
Deaths
1,973
Net international migration
+88
Net domestic migration
+1,000
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+28

Where Carlton County is

The Census internal point of Carlton County is at 46.603800, -92.671000. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Carlton County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Carlton County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
46.603800, -92.671000
DMS
46°36'13.68"N 92°40'15.60"W
UTM
15N 525196.7E 5161189.9N
Geohash
cbq155znc
Plus code
86R9J83H+GJ

Towns in Carlton County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Carlton County, 15,478 people together, or 42% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Carlton County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Cloquet with 12,475.

  1. 01Cloquet12,475
  2. 02Moose Lake3,003
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Carlton County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Carlton County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is St. Louis County, MN, with 200,794 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 115.8 miles S of Carlton County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is St. Paul, MN (population 307,465), 116.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Cloquet, MN (population 12,475), 11.6 miles away.

Carlton County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Carlton County is 27017: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 017. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $75,512.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Carlton County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 36,745. That is up 558 people (1.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 36,187.

What is the FIPS code of Carlton County?

27017. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (017) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Carlton County?

Cloquet, with 12,475 residents inside Carlton County in 2024.

Which counties border Carlton County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: St. Louis County, MN; Douglas County, WI; Pine County, MN; Aitkin County, MN.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.