• county
  • FIPS 27029
  • Largest town: Bagley

Clearwater County, Minnesota

Clearwater County had 8,630 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 999.0 square miles of land. It ranks 74th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 20th by land area.

Population
8,630
#74 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,521 in US
Area
999.0 sq mi
#20 of 87 in Minnesota · #682 in US
Density
8.6 / sq mi
#78 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,617 in US
Median household income
$62,435
#79 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,606 in US

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

Clearwater County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Clearwater County population, land area and income

Clearwater County had 8,630 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 999.0 square miles of land. It ranks 74th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 20th by land area. That works out to 8.6 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents, so Clearwater County has 39% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $62,435 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

8,630

3144th1st

2521st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

999 sq mi

3144th1st

682nd of 3,144 (US)

Density

8.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

2617th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$62,435

3143rd1st

1606th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

8,630

87th1st

74th of 87 (MN)

Land area

999 sq mi

87th1st

20th of 87 (MN)

Density

8.6 / sq mi

87th1st

78th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$62,435

87th1st

79th of 87 (MN)

How Clearwater County's population changed since 2020

Clearwater County gained 64 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.7%. That ranks 41st 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, Clearwater County recorded 418 births and 446 deaths, a natural change of -28. Net international migration added +5 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +139. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 139 people.

8,56620208,56820218,63620228,68020238,6302024
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
418
Deaths
446
Net international migration
+5
Net domestic migration
+139
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-50

Where Clearwater County is

The Census internal point of Clearwater County is at 47.575900, -95.371100. 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 Clearwater 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: Clearwater County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
47.575900, -95.371100
DMS
47°34'33.24"N 95°22'15.96"W
UTM
15N 321686.4E 5271889.3N
Geohash
cbkntubvs
Plus code
86V6HJGH+9H

Towns in Clearwater County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Clearwater County, 1,304 people together, or 15% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Clearwater County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Bagley with 1,304.

  1. 01Bagley1,304
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Clearwater County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Clearwater County. The most populous is Beltrami County, MN, with 46,762 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 211.0 miles SSE of Clearwater County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 84.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Bemidji, MN (population 15,733), 23.6 miles away.

Clearwater County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clearwater County is 27029: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 029. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $62,435.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clearwater County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 8,630. That is up 64 people (0.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 8,566.

What is the FIPS code of Clearwater County?

27029. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (029) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clearwater County?

Bagley, with 1,304 residents inside Clearwater County in 2024.

Which counties border Clearwater County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Beltrami County, MN; Becker County, MN; Polk County, MN; Hubbard County, MN; Pennington County, MN; Mahnomen 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.